President Obama Does Reddit AMA; Gives Weak Politician's Answer About Internet Freedom

from the that's-not-how-you-do-it dept

The ritualistic "Reddit AMA" has become an important right of passage for lots of interesting people (both famous and not-so-famous). But, there's a pretty clear set of guidelines for how to do one right -- and the first step is to sound like you're a human. That's often difficult for the rich and famous -- and it's doubly true of politicians. Rep. Jared Polis, for example, did a great Reddit AMA. Today, of course, the big news is that President Obama is doing a Reddit AMA -- obviously, the first time that a sitting President (or any US President, I would imagine) has done one. The site has had trouble staying up, but one of the first questions that President Obama chose to answer was about internet freedom, asking "Is Internet Freedom an issue you'd push to add to the Democratic Party's 2012 platform?" The President's answer was quite... political.

Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too. We will fight hard to make sure that the internet remains the open forum for everybody - from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business. And although there will be occasional disagreements on the details of various legislative proposals, I won't stray from that principle - and it will be reflected in the platform.

And while there was originally a there/their typo in the comment (which has since been fixed), the problem with this statement is that it doesn't seem "human." It's a politician's answer, rather than any real commitment. This isn't a surprise, it's just a disappointment. This was a chance to show a real commitment to internet freedom, but instead the answer comes across as wishy-washy. Seems like a missed opportunity.

Filed Under: internet freedom, president obama, reddit ama
Companies: reddit