Public Relations in the Bush Administration

Public relations primarily involve working with public opinion, communication, and management. In order to manage its public image, the federal government employs its own PR people. The PR people not promote a specific story line about American foreign relations, but they also downplay and silence certain events in order to maintain the support of the American people.

The September 11th terrorist attacks took the nation by great surprise. The PR people employed by the federal government left the American people to believe that these terrorists attacked the United States purely out of hatred for the country and its people. This assumption directly led to public support for the ‘War on Terror.’ The federal government declared war in hopes of wiping out the Al Qaeda terrorist group, which opposes U.S. policies in the Middle East. The way in which the government shaped the media and persuasively misconstrued many essential facts, leading the country toward war rather than toward peace through negotiations.

Two of Ivy Lee’s three public-relations principles were completely ignored by the federal government during the lead-up to war. Corporate secrecy and the suppression of news were exploited to shape public opinion favorably toward George W. Bush’s plan of action. Such injustice within the federal government and have led to an increase in confusion regarding the War on Terror and a decrease in support from the American people.

It is essential for the media to provide reliable and unbiased facts in order for the public to be able to form their own opinions. This cannot be achieved if the federal government continues to function as a bullying member of the media.

Minnesota Gophers v. Wisconsin Badgers

Gopher fans united today Saturday, November 17, 2007 in hopes that the Minnesota football team would take back the axe in its rivalry with the Wisconsin Badgers. The odds were against the Gophers, but the team's spirit remained high, as indicated by tailgating fans in the frigid cold. It has been an endless struggle for Minnesota’s football team and its fans, especially after their embarrassing loss against the Badgers in the Fall of 2005.

The ‘boarder battle’ is such an intense rivalry because a large percentage of each school’s student body hails from the other state. School allegiance, however, does not always trump hometown loyalty.

Minnesota’s pathetic 1-10 record this season gave Badger fans reason to believe that playing the Gophers would be an effortless task. Expectations aside, the Gophs performed up to par with the Badgers, and throughout the game no one could easily presidct a clear winner. With a three-point lead by the end of the first half, the morale of the Minnesota crowd was full-fledged.

In the end, the Badgers managed to take the axe back to Wisconsin, winning by a mere touchdown. If the winner of the game was determined not by points but instead by triumph over expectations, the Minnesota Gophers would have, without a doubt, won.

Today Minnesota regained faith from students and fans alike by demonstrating their passion for football.