Today's Dueling Obama, McCain Media Strategies

A lot has already been said today about the McCain/Palin press folks basically shutting out media from an extremely photo-rich opportunity at the UN this afternoon. After major protests, Palin's media handlers finally let some photographers in (for thirty seconds). Later in the day, McCain held a ten minute press conference, which didn't really satisfy the already upset press corps. The McCain campaign lost their (only?) opportunity to turn Palin's recent narrative around and better position her foreign policy credentials. Meanwhile, Barack Obama opened his campaign up to news media, held a lengthy press conference on the economy and won the day's media cycle.

This brings the McCain campaign far from the days when the senator invited the press corps to his house for a BBQ. It will be interesting to see what the strategy of non-access gets them while Obama's media team keeps a cool head and allows the press in. I won't get into the political debate about which campaign has received more negative press coverage (an excuse used sometimes to block reporter access to events). Both campaigns have taken their fair share of low media blows and sensational reporting. Despite how the McCain camp may feel, blocking the access of reporters to his VP nominee (and himself) at a major meeting will buy them no favors. As with all communications campaigns, transparency should be the rule, not the exception.

Comments are welcome, as usual; however, please keep them on the strategy, not the politics.