Monday, October 20, 2014

The White House's Ebola Messaging Problem

 "Much public skepticism about the governments response to Ebola stems from the dogmatic pronouncements of Obama administration officials. In a video message early last month on stopping the virus, for example, President Obama asserted that 'we know how to do it.' He was wrong. 
To fix his messaging problem, President Obama has appointed political fixer Ron Klain as its new Ebola response 'czar.' Mr. Klain's most significant contribution to public-health spin control came when he was Vice President Joe Biden's chief of staff during one of the worst public-health communications missteps of recent memory. 
During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, Mr. Biden said on NBCs 'Today' show that 'I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now.' The White House press office scrambled to walk back Mr. Bidens words, which threatened to disrupt public transportation and air travel." — Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Former FDA Deputy Commissioner