White House staff members listen to President Obama speak about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s victory over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton for the presidency in the Rose Garden of the White House on Nov. 9.
That depends on where you first saw it, who shared it on social media and what words were paired with it
The election of Donald Trump to the presidency on Nov. 9 won’t end the construction and widespread dissemination of fake news about real people. That’s a fact. Without a concerted effort to combat it, perhaps it will only amplify.
Exhibit A: What’s happening in this photo? And when was it taken? That depends on where you first saw it online: which website posted it, which user on Facebook or Twitter shared it, what words were paired with it.
These are White House staffers and top members of the Obama administration in the Rose Garden this week. That’s Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to President Obama, leaning cross-armed against the white column. In the center with red hair is Jennifer Psaki, the White House communications director. Behind Psaki, to her left, is National Security Advisor Susan Rice.
Here’s how the image was shared on Twitter on Thursday morning, as Obama was due to meet President-elect Donald Trump.
This picture was not taken on Thursday, but rather a day earlier as Obama spoke in a live televised address after Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton conceded to Trump. Their expressions reflect how they felt watching their soon-to-be former boss give one of his last major speeches, not their emotions as they saw his successor arrive at the White House for the first time. That may seem minor, but it’s a big distinction, especially for those on Twitter who sought to read a lot into the photo.
Some of those who tweeted the photo on Thursday may have made a mistake, thinking the picture they shared was in-context. At least one of them was called out for it and tweeted a correction. Then it becomes a numbers game. The original tweet, which got more than 600 retweets, is still live. The correction 13 minutes later has only six retweets.
It’s a fast-moving stream of information that requires an intricate level of attention for which its users may not have enough time. But in a media climate like this—raw from allegations of bias, intense efforts to prove otherwise and the reality of the battle ahead against this very type of falsity—perpetuating images like this is a severe disservice. It happens countless times a day.
My colleagues Charlotte Alter, a writer based in New York, and Michael Scherer, the Washington bureau chief, recently put it best: “It’s a problem of quantity as much as quality: there is simply too much information for the public to accurately metabolize, which means that distortions–and outright falsehoods–are almost inevitable. The same technology that gives voice to millions of ordinary citizens also allows bogus information to seep into the public consciousness. Mainstream journalists are no longer trusted as gatekeepers to verify the stories that are true and kill the rumors that are false. Which means that phony conspiracy theories are often mixed in with accurate journalism and history.”
It also means that one wrong tweet is a match to the fire that was an 18-month campaign season of untruths. A retweet is the fuel. Who knows how long it will be until the smoke clears.
White House staff members listened to President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. speak in the Rose Garden on Wednesday. Credit Al Drago/The New York Times
**
There has been weeping at West Wing staff meetings and a series of presidential pep talks, a tear-jerker of a Rose Garden gathering and anguished conversations about what will happen to President Obama’s legacy and the job prospects of his aides.
Since Donald J. Trump shocked both political parties and won the presidential election on Tuesday, a White House that had expected to spend the week celebrating a historic victory that would cement Mr. Obama’s most cherished initiatives for years to come is instead experiencing the seven stages of grief.
“It started with sadness and disbelief and definitely some tears around the building,” said one senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, unwilling to be quoted by name in detailing the crying or dwelling on the sense of loss hanging over the West Wing.
“Now it’s, ‘Let’s take a moment to digest,’ but also, ‘Let’s quickly pull ourselves up by our bootstraps because we need to continue to do our jobs,’” the official added.
A second senior official said she felt Hillary Clinton’s loss in her gut.
“I was actually physically ill for a while,” she said. “The only time I cried was when she came out and said, ‘I’m sorry,’” she added, referring to Mrs. Clinton’s concession speech on Wednesday in a hotel ballroom, when the candidate herself briefly teared up.
A cocktail party later that day for senior officials and cabinet members past and present felt “like sitting shiva,” one attendee said, referring to the weeklong Jewish mourning ritual in which friends and family grieve over a steady stream of refreshments.
Through it all, Mr. Obama has played the role of consoler in chief, pulling staff members into the Oval Office or dropping in on their meetings to buck them up, reassure them and tell them that this, too, shall pass.
Mr. Trump’s victory is a particularly bitter pill to swallow for the younger generation of aides in the White House, including many who had their first campaign experience as junior staff members on Mr. Obama’s improbable 2008 bid. They remember only one type of feeling the day after a presidential election: the euphoria of a history-making victory, coupled with a sense of invincibility from beating the odds.
This is the opposite of that.
In his private sympathy sessions, according to people who have attended, Mr. Obama has encouraged aides not to allow themselves to sink into despair.
“You don’t need hope when things are going well,” he tells them. “You need it when things are not going well.”
The funereal air that hung over the White House in the first hours after Mr. Trump’s victory has given way to a more brave-faced solemnity, as Mr. Obama’s team turns its attention to ensuring a smooth transition to the next administration. His aides say they are determined not to appear bitter or petty at a moment when the president is trying to telegraph professionalism and grace.
But the truth is that they are all reeling, trying to process how they could have been so blindsided by Tuesday’s result, stung by the notion that the nation has just repudiated everything they have worked for, and wondering how different their lives will look from what they imagined a week ago.
“Everybody’s sort of recalibrating and regrouping,” said Kathleen Sebelius, the former secretary of health and human services, who attended Wednesday’s reception at the White House. Former officials flew to Washington from around the country to participate in what was supposed to be a celebration of Mrs. Clinton’s victory but felt more like a group therapy session, she said.
“It wasn’t quite a funeral — more like a memorial service,” she said. “It was a celebration of what we had done together, but with some ominous thoughts about what happens now.”
Mr. Obama was upbeat, telling cabinet members how proud he was of the work they had done and the difference they had made for the good of the country.
“It was helpful to hear him talk about it and to share some time with one another,” Ms. Sebelius said. “We had a pretty amazing group of people who came to serve this president, and I think all of us felt good about that. Terrible about the election result, but good about that.”
Still, Mr. Obama’s efforts to accentuate the positive and the orderly passing of the baton are, in some sense, all the more jarring to members of his team who want nothing more than to hear him rail against Mr. Trump and all that he represents.
“Everyone who worked so hard on these issues is feeling an actual sense of loss and, because of the unexpected nature of this, like something was really yanked away from us,” said one former official who attended Wednesday’s party. “And now the president can’t be the voice for the Obama community at the time that it’s needed the most. It’s really disorienting.”
White House staff members listen to President Obama speak about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s victory over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton for the presidency in the Rose Garden of the White House on Nov. 9.
photo by Jim Lo Scalzo, EPA
http://time.com/4566547/white-house-obama-staffers-donald-trump/
That depends on where you first saw it, who shared it on social media and what words were paired with it
The election of Donald Trump to the presidency on Nov. 9 won’t end the construction and widespread dissemination of fake news about real people. That’s a fact. Without a concerted effort to combat it, perhaps it will only amplify.
Exhibit A: What’s happening in this photo? And when was it taken? That depends on where you first saw it online: which website posted it, which user on Facebook or Twitter shared it, what words were paired with it.
These are White House staffers and top members of the Obama administration in the Rose Garden this week. That’s Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to President Obama, leaning cross-armed against the white column. In the center with red hair is Jennifer Psaki, the White House communications director. Behind Psaki, to her left, is National Security Advisor Susan Rice.
Here’s how the image was shared on Twitter on Thursday morning, as Obama was due to meet President-elect Donald Trump.
**
https://twitter.com/lesleyabravanel/status/796759013962743808/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/somber-white-house-staff-listen-obama-s-election-response-n681516
https://twitter.com/tundranaut/status/796760197624565760/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
**
This picture was not taken on Thursday, but rather a day earlier as Obama spoke in a live televised address after Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton conceded to Trump. Their expressions reflect how they felt watching their soon-to-be former boss give one of his last major speeches, not their emotions as they saw his successor arrive at the White House for the first time. That may seem minor, but it’s a big distinction, especially for those on Twitter who sought to read a lot into the photo.
Some of those who tweeted the photo on Thursday may have made a mistake, thinking the picture they shared was in-context. At least one of them was called out for it and tweeted a correction. Then it becomes a numbers game. The original tweet, which got more than 600 retweets, is still live. The correction 13 minutes later has only six retweets.
It’s a fast-moving stream of information that requires an intricate level of attention for which its users may not have enough time. But in a media climate like this—raw from allegations of bias, intense efforts to prove otherwise and the reality of the battle ahead against this very type of falsity—perpetuating images like this is a severe disservice. It happens countless times a day.
My colleagues Charlotte Alter, a writer based in New York, and Michael Scherer, the Washington bureau chief, recently put it best: “It’s a problem of quantity as much as quality: there is simply too much information for the public to accurately metabolize, which means that distortions–and outright falsehoods–are almost inevitable. The same technology that gives voice to millions of ordinary citizens also allows bogus information to seep into the public consciousness. Mainstream journalists are no longer trusted as gatekeepers to verify the stories that are true and kill the rumors that are false. Which means that phony conspiracy theories are often mixed in with accurate journalism and history.”
It also means that one wrong tweet is a match to the fire that was an 18-month campaign season of untruths. A retweet is the fuel. Who knows how long it will be until the smoke clears.
After Election, Commander in Chief Soothes White House Workers
White House Letter
by Julie Hirschfeld Davis
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/us/politics/obama-west-wing.html
White House staff members listened to President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. speak in the Rose Garden on Wednesday. Credit Al Drago/The New York Times
**
There has been weeping at West Wing staff meetings and a series of presidential pep talks, a tear-jerker of a Rose Garden gathering and anguished conversations about what will happen to President Obama’s legacy and the job prospects of his aides.
Since Donald J. Trump shocked both political parties and won the presidential election on Tuesday, a White House that had expected to spend the week celebrating a historic victory that would cement Mr. Obama’s most cherished initiatives for years to come is instead experiencing the seven stages of grief.
“It started with sadness and disbelief and definitely some tears around the building,” said one senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, unwilling to be quoted by name in detailing the crying or dwelling on the sense of loss hanging over the West Wing.
“Now it’s, ‘Let’s take a moment to digest,’ but also, ‘Let’s quickly pull ourselves up by our bootstraps because we need to continue to do our jobs,’” the official added.
A second senior official said she felt Hillary Clinton’s loss in her gut.
“I was actually physically ill for a while,” she said. “The only time I cried was when she came out and said, ‘I’m sorry,’” she added, referring to Mrs. Clinton’s concession speech on Wednesday in a hotel ballroom, when the candidate herself briefly teared up.
A cocktail party later that day for senior officials and cabinet members past and present felt “like sitting shiva,” one attendee said, referring to the weeklong Jewish mourning ritual in which friends and family grieve over a steady stream of refreshments.
Through it all, Mr. Obama has played the role of consoler in chief, pulling staff members into the Oval Office or dropping in on their meetings to buck them up, reassure them and tell them that this, too, shall pass.
Mr. Trump’s victory is a particularly bitter pill to swallow for the younger generation of aides in the White House, including many who had their first campaign experience as junior staff members on Mr. Obama’s improbable 2008 bid. They remember only one type of feeling the day after a presidential election: the euphoria of a history-making victory, coupled with a sense of invincibility from beating the odds.
This is the opposite of that.
In his private sympathy sessions, according to people who have attended, Mr. Obama has encouraged aides not to allow themselves to sink into despair.
“You don’t need hope when things are going well,” he tells them. “You need it when things are not going well.”
The funereal air that hung over the White House in the first hours after Mr. Trump’s victory has given way to a more brave-faced solemnity, as Mr. Obama’s team turns its attention to ensuring a smooth transition to the next administration. His aides say they are determined not to appear bitter or petty at a moment when the president is trying to telegraph professionalism and grace.
But the truth is that they are all reeling, trying to process how they could have been so blindsided by Tuesday’s result, stung by the notion that the nation has just repudiated everything they have worked for, and wondering how different their lives will look from what they imagined a week ago.
“Everybody’s sort of recalibrating and regrouping,” said Kathleen Sebelius, the former secretary of health and human services, who attended Wednesday’s reception at the White House. Former officials flew to Washington from around the country to participate in what was supposed to be a celebration of Mrs. Clinton’s victory but felt more like a group therapy session, she said.
“It wasn’t quite a funeral — more like a memorial service,” she said. “It was a celebration of what we had done together, but with some ominous thoughts about what happens now.”
Mr. Obama was upbeat, telling cabinet members how proud he was of the work they had done and the difference they had made for the good of the country.
“It was helpful to hear him talk about it and to share some time with one another,” Ms. Sebelius said. “We had a pretty amazing group of people who came to serve this president, and I think all of us felt good about that. Terrible about the election result, but good about that.”
Still, Mr. Obama’s efforts to accentuate the positive and the orderly passing of the baton are, in some sense, all the more jarring to members of his team who want nothing more than to hear him rail against Mr. Trump and all that he represents.
“Everyone who worked so hard on these issues is feeling an actual sense of loss and, because of the unexpected nature of this, like something was really yanked away from us,” said one former official who attended Wednesday’s party. “And now the president can’t be the voice for the Obama community at the time that it’s needed the most. It’s really disorienting.”
Trump And Obama, Sitting In DC, A-W-K-W-A-R-D
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
https://youtu.be/YJDD9WCxYQI
(3:48)