Q & A: Pushing Back, the blog from the Office of National Drug Control Policy

"Many of the folks who send us comments seem to be using the products we’re working to prevent Americans from using, so their grammar, vocabulary, and syntax are unpublishable," says Rafael Lemaitre, deputy press secretary to the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the first Cabinet-level agency to launch its own blog.

"It was clear that if we did not do so, we would quickly lose our ability as federal officials to be effective influencers and communicators of public policy information in this new media landscape," Rafael said. The director of ONDP is more typically referred to as White House Drug Czar. Rafael, who played a key role in the blog's creation, answered our questions this week:

What is the brief history of Pushing Back? Whose idea was it and what were its goals? After seeing the incredible impact that citizen journalism was having during the 2004 political campaigns, I decided to see if we could apply that model to our communications strategy. We began our blogging project with the intention of making our blog a central source of timely news and analysis for journalists and citizens seeking a steady flow of content about national efforts that “push back” against the illegal drug problem.

I knew that our stakeholders, fellow public servants, and concerned constituents were talking about our policies every day online. On the Web, they have been engaging in heated debates about what we do and how our drug policies work to reduce the consequences of illegal drug use in America. With this in mind, I worked with my colleagues to begin the process of adapting to this new environment through blogging.

It was clear that if we did not do so, we would quickly lose our ability as federal officials to be effective influencers and communicators of public policy information in this new media landscape. My colleagues also understood that the emergence of Web 2.0 and social media meant that it was no longer enough to just have a static agency Web page to communicate online.

Is it really the first blog from a cabinet level agency? When we made the decision to take this project on, I did an exhaustive search to see if any other federal agency had already begun blogging. We had lots of questions. How would this work? What would we say? Who would post? How often? It would have been very helpful to have seen what other public institutions at the federal level were doing to get an idea how to proceed. However, while political campaigns had already jumped into the blogosphere, we could not find anyone else in the federal government doing this. With the enthusiastic support of Director (John) Walters, we jumped into the fray and pioneered federal blogging in February of 2005.

How effective has it been, in your view? Our blog has been tremendously successful. Last month alone, we received over 90,000 page views and over 300,000 hits. Clearly, the blog has provided us with a way to bypass the filter of the news media and talk directly to the American people. We’re thrilled that having this tool has allowed us to drive the online conversation and debate about drug policy. For years prior, many of us sat back and looked on with frustration as misguided facts and statements zipped around online. With Pushing Back, we now have a way to participate and be more proactive. Also folks in our agency really enjoy the tone and pace of the blog – it helps them feel plugged in.

Can you provide some anecdotes of how it has operated, the topics you have tackled, etc? The primary theme we’ve tackled is the cynicism that often surrounds our efforts to reduce drug use in America. Over the past several decades, we have made a substantial amount of progress in reducing America’s drug problem. Despite these important public health achievements, however, some cynicism and controversy continues to surround our agency’s principal issue.

The misguided “failed war on drugs” metaphor thrives online, creating obstacles in our efforts to make more progress. You should see some of the comments we get! Many of the folks who send us comments seem to be using the products we’re working to prevent Americans from using, so their grammar, vocabulary, and syntax are unpublishable. Additionally, compared to the number of blogs, Web sites, podcasts, and online communities devoted to the advocacy of drug culture, there has been a dearth of meaningful, science-based anti-drug policy information online.

That’s all changing. Here are two of examples of ways the blog has helped us set the record straight:

When a major national newspaper refused to publish our response to a critical and misleading story about the potential for legalizing opium poppy in Afghanistan, we chose to post it on our blog instead. As a result, the post became one of our most linked-to entries and was viewed thousands times.

When an NGO group opposed to U.S. drug policies got their math wrong and cherry picked data to attack a report we released on cocaine disruptions, we posted our own analysis of their report. We then referred reporters covering the story to our blog post. This kept everyone honest through a transparent account of the methodology behind our report. The Washington Post’s online story about the controversy even linked back to our blog, giving their readers a chance to see our side of the story.

Who writes for it? How do they decide what topics to address? Our public affairs team is the source of most of the content that is posted. However, we consistently solicit all ONDCP staffers to contribute content. We know that drug policy is incredibly complex and comprehensive.

The talented public servants who work here are involved in overseeing innovative and interesting policy projects – everything from how to get more drug addicts into drug treatment to allocating appropriate counterdrug military resources in the Andean region. Giving everyone a chance to contribute content adds transparency to what we do and gives our employees a platform in which to discuss work that they are – and should be - proud of.

What role should blogging have in the work of cabinet level agencies, in your view? First of all, Cabinet-level agencies need to know that the social web is more than just blogging. Since we launched our blog in 2005, we’ve also became the first Federal agency to use YouTube. We also have a podcast. Social media tools when used appropriately - are a good way to connect with people and solicit input. That being said, each Cabinet agency needs to determine if a blog is right for them. Blogging and social media should not take over your entire communications effort. The press release is not yet dead.

My advice is as follows: Take a close look at your niche audiences and your strategic goals. Would it help if your agency communicated with citizens in a more human voice? If so, it’s probably worth taking a look at starting a blog. Remember, don’t be boring and don’t be afraid to engage criticism. Sometimes, having a bad blog is worse than having no blog at all

Comments

[sonnia00]

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