AllHipHop.com, LYVEF Partner to Cover SOTU Address
By Donte Gibson
Often, the State of the Union is a one-and-done event that leaves many wondering how exactly it relates to them. Now, through the power of social media, this is no longer the case. In fact, this year’s State of the Union address is shaping up to be one of the most social media-driven events of the year.
Once again, the event will be live-streamed on the White House’s website. In addition, the League of Young Voters Education Fund (LYVEF) and popular music and culture website AllHipHop.com have teamed up to provide their own unique coverage of the event.
The goal of LYVEF and AllHipHop’s partnership is to provide relatable–and understandable–coverage of the address. Throughout the address, LYVEF’s urban portal, 99Problems.org, and AllHipHop will be be hosting their panel entitled “The State of the Union: Roadmap to Progress.” The panel will be discussing how key issues, like health care, war in the Middle East, education and gun control, will directly effect the youth voters. The live panel will include leaders of young voter initiatives, like Rock the Vote, as well as representatives from the NAACP, Def Jam, Vibe and Campus Progress. After their live viewing party, the panel will discuss the address over three 20-minute sessions. Viewers will be allowed to ask the panel questions throught the Ustream feed at www.YoungVoterLive.com and through LYVEF’s Facebook and Twitter feeds.
For those looking for a more official approach, The Obama Administration will also be on hand to discuss President Obama’s address throughout the week. Immediately following the speech will be a Q & A session with representatives from the White House, with questions being taken from the White House’s forums, Facebook page, and its Twitter feed using the hashtag #sotu.
Concerned citizens will also be able to submit questions for the President immediately following the address via the administration’s YouTube page, with selected questions being answered in a live YouTube interview with President Obama on Thursday at 2:30pm.
Wednesday will bring a Twitter interview with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, with questions being supplied by Twitter users using the #1Q hashtag. Other members of the administration will also be taking additional questions via Twitter and Facebook during roundtables being held Thursday, a complete list of which can be found at the White House blog.
The extensive social media coverage of this year’s State of the Union seems to suggest just how much of a role social media outlets have revolutionized the political process. It is also an indicator of how big a role it will take in future of politics.
Category: Featured, social media | Tags: 99Problems.org, allhiphop.com, Def Jam, League of Young Voters Education Fund, NAACP, State of the Union, www.YoungVoterLive.com
