ABSTRACT

During most of the past half-century, the leadership in Washington has failed to take advantage of its privileged platform, as means of communication rapidly proliferated, consistently underestimating the importance of conveying to the American people what it does and why, as candidly and clearly as possible. While the commercial media has gained in strength immeasurably, the government's communication skills have atrophied. Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell speaks for many servicemen when he decries the media's power and "their unfortunate effect on American politicians. The radical Islamists' communication weapon of choice is social media, with grisly videos that demonstrate the jihadists' prowess to impress sympathizers while simultaneously intimidating enemies. Listening takes more than just hearing—though that's a good start. It should lead to insights into the nature of the communication, the context, and thus offer at least a hint of probable reactions to the response.