Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of

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100 politics and governance
that exaggerates short-term political gains over long-term public
realities, as well as the tawdry politics of a abnormally corrupt era.
But we have better models. Teddy Roosevelt used the presidency
as a “bully pulpit.” His cousin Franklin in dark times used radio,
creatively adapted for “fi reside chats,” with extraordinary results.
John F. Kennedy was a master of the art of press conferences. In the
presidential campaign of 2008, Barack Obama used the Internet
adroitly to reach the young and new voters. In the Internet era,
the tools of communication have multiplied many times over. But
whatever the medium—television, radio, press conferences, personal
appearances, Internet, or public addresses—presidents must
craft communication strategies that lift the public out of apathy
or despair while educating, informing, and inspiring by showing a
plausible way forward consonant with our obligations, our national
heritage, and global realities. Presidents must lay the groundwork
for a durable and broad coalition around the national interest in
climate stability that protects our long-term security and distributes
the costs and benefi ts fairly within and between generations.
All such efforts could come to naught, however, if access to the
public airwaves is not restored to public control. Public confusion
and ignorance about energy issues and climate science plays to
the advantage of the fossil fuel industry, and if allowed to continue
will sharply diminish our prospects in the years ahead. Cooptation
of the public airwaves by corporate interests can drown
out the voice of the public as well as that of even the most eloquent
president. To ensure that the public is adequately informed,
not misled and deliberately confused, the president, again, should
direct the Federal Communications Commission, among other
things, to reinstate the “fair and balanced” standard as a requirement
for the use of the public airwaves. The integrity of broadcasting
is essential to educate the public about the choices ahead
and their consequences.
The fact is that we are now making the most fateful policy
decisions that humans will ever make. The choice of tools by