President Obama says he is angry with the leaks detailing discussions of troops for Afghanistan. But is he, really? Frequently in Washington, proposals are leaked to determine how they play with Congress and the public. The issue of troop levels appears to be one such case. Obama might be angry but he sure is watching the reaction of his party and the country to various troop levels that have been considered for the conflict. This is an odd way to do PR that seems to work only in the political realm. If Obama really is angry, then he knows where to go to stop the leaking -- to his own staff.
There are a lot of stories printed where the source is labeled a government leak. Many of them result in crisis pr for the body that was leaked about. I have wondered if information was leaked on purpose before. A leak is more interesting than a press release. It seems more important and secretive. I agree with Horton in saying that it only works for the political realm. For an organization to leak information it would have to be of large interest and probably not positive. If it was positive and of interest then a simple press release and advertising would accomplish goals. When information is leaked it cannot be controlled and most organizations would want control over how it is presented. President Obama does seem to be president who wants to know what the Nation’s at large opinion is. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was leaking information to find citizen opinion. It is a sneaky way to leak information to the masses while appealing to those who say all military matters should be kept hidden. The truth seeker part of my public relations slightly cringes. There has to be ways to accomplish goals without being sneaky and cunning.
-Melanie Fenn
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