The Message

Hard Progress

Comments (0) By Michael Roberts Thursday, Oct 9 2003

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Other tips from News are just as straightforward. Activists need to figure out whom in the press to contact, the best times to do so, the deadlines under which they operate, and the sorts of things that will turn an event into Must-See TV. Just as important, they must be willing to employ "imagery, humor, conflict and celebrity appeal" to achieve their goals. "Would you deliver manure to politicians and tell them they are full of !!**@??!!," Salzman asks in print. "You probably wouldn't, but this is exactly how you need to start thinking to upgrade your media profile."

Dismissing such methods as pandering is a sure way not to be heard, Salzman believes. "Progressives need to package their stories and not be scared of staging stunts that are effective and timed appropriately to catch the media's attention," he says. "And they need to stop thinking so much in words, and more in symbols and actions. Progressives love words, but symbols drive debate and resonate with everyday people. And that's what you're trying to do."

Mark Manger

Jason Salzman wants progressives to get their message out.

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The Rocky Mountain Progressive Network's Huttner agrees, and his enterprise has advantages that most liberal groups don't, most of which are connected to cash. Funders include Jared Polis, a State Board of Education member with a sizable pile of dough made before the dot.com bust. (Colorado needs RMPN, Polis says, "to help preserve our quality of life by exposing the extremism of the far-right hypocrites and making the case for a new way.") In addition, Donna Good, an ex-deputy manager of the Denver Department of Human Services who served as finance director for the mayoral campaigns of Wellington Webb, is actively searching for more dollars. No wonder the outfit's Web site, at www.rmpn.org, is overflowing with content after less than a month of existence.

The Independence Institute, the state's leading conservative think tank, has similar resources at its disposal, and under the leadership of Jon Caldara, it's been masterful at getting journalistic exposure for its projects. But Huttner, who dismisses Caldara as a "media hound who salivates at every opportunity to be in the papers," doesn't want to mimic the institute's tacks. He sees RMPN as a clearinghouse for progressive thought and would rather put media organizations in touch with experts in various fields than soak up the spotlight himself. "It's not about me," he says. "It's about finding cutting-edge ways for the media and the public to understand and hear about issues like getting more jobs for Colorado."

That sounds like an endorsement of the Salzman technique. But the first RMPN event, a rally targeting conservative lightning rod David Horowitz at Metropolitan State College on September 30, didn't entirely follow his precepts.

On the plus side, multiple press releases were sent to a gaggle of news agencies, and they were provocative enough to lure a hefty press contingent: the Rocky, the Denver Post, the Boulder Daily Camera, the Colorado Daily, channels 7 and 9, etc. The gathering certainly got Horowitz's attention. Prior to defending his "Academic Bill of Rights" before an audience at Metro, he railed against the protesters for attacking a speech they hadn't even heard yet. Never mind that he committed the identical sin by pillorying an event he didn't attend -- and forget, too, that he decried name-calling while at the same time labeling Peggy Lowe, a Rocky scribe who wrote several spirited and accurate articles about him, a "left-wing reporter."

Conceptually, though, the gathering was thoroughly staid and by-the-numbers. Individuals with placards reading "Defend Against Doublespeak" and "Don't Be Intimidated by Fear Tactics" were placed behind a lectern as visual props, but they were about as excitable as a sewing circle; participants in a flag-football game fifty yards away didn't once stop their contest to see what was happening. When Metro State Student Body President Felecia Woodson asked, "Have we forgotten about what freedom means?" the sign-holders offered such a muted response that she had to say "I didn't hear that" and repeat herself. Other speakers, including Metro State Faculty Senate President Joan Foster, lacked even that much rhetorical fire and droned on so long that members of the press contingent had to leave early to get to the Horowitz speech on time. Such gaffes may make journalists less enthusiastic about showing up for the next RMPN salvo.

Huttner acknowledges that timing was a problem and says he understands that creativity and even humor are powerful tools: "We're going to look at striking a balance of being witty and savvy and at the same time preserving our credibility on issues that matter."

If groups don't, Salzman feels, the choir may listen to the sermon, but few others will. "The mainstream media is looking for an entertaining story," he notes, "and if progressives told their stories in entertaining ways, they'd get in the news more."

Station to station: KNRC talk-show host Enid Goldstein is a liberal who recently learned Salzman's lesson the hard way. Her tediously strident, one-note style of progressivism appealed to true believers who tuned her in during the afternoon-drive slot, but those less convinced that the sky is falling stayed away as a matter of course. Finally, on September 15, she was replaced by Doug Kellett, a glib conservative whose opinions consistently incense the left-of-center crowd. For her part, Goldstein moved to the noon-to-3 p.m. time period, where she spent day one bellyaching about the switch and urging those who were upset to voice their displeasure to the station.