Episode 63- The Political Stage

On this special edition of 99% Invisible, we joined forces with Andrea Seabrook of DecodeDC to investigate all the thought that goes into the most miniscule details of a political campaign. Andrea was the star of episode #48 of 99% Invisible, The Bathtubs or the Boiler Room.

Andrea reveals seven (and a half) secrets about the staging of events along the campaign trail.  Like how every campaign has an “Advance Team” that flies in ahead of a candidate and makes everything from a campaign rally to a 20-minute media appearance run smoothly.

Andrea spoke with Advance guys Jon Seaton and Donnie Fowler, who have been directing this very American brand of political theatre for years. 

And like any theatre, one simple misdirection can go really, really badly.  Like when Romney gave his economics talk in 2011 to an empty stadium in Detroit…

…or when Sarah Palin held a press conference in front of a turkey slaughter (viewer discretion advised!).

Stories about the real-life impact of American politics is what DecodeDC is all about. Andrea Seabrook created the show after spending more than a decade covering politics for NPR. You can find out more about why she went rogue here, here, and here.

Andrea is raising seed money for DecodeDC with a Kickstarter campaign, ongoing through October 18.

48 Notes/ Hide

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  5. speziavenezia reblogged this from futurejournalismproject and added:
    anche solo per il segreto n°1. non vince il migliore (nessuno l’ha mai detto, dopotutto) ma chi prende più voti. i...
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  13. futurejournalismproject reblogged this from 99percentinvisible and added:
    The Seven Secrets...Political Theater 99percentinvisible:
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  15. memeengine reblogged this from 99percentinvisible and added:
    Hey Americans! Here’s an interesting look at...presidential race from
  16. decoderzone reblogged this from 99percentinvisible
  17. studiobowesart reblogged this from 99percentinvisible and added:
    This just gets better and better! From Radio Lab
  18. shut-up-luxxy reblogged this from 99percentinvisible and added:
    invisible! Radio gods collide! Okay, I’m going away forever now.
  19. 99percentinvisible posted this

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