{"id":40531,"date":"2024-11-21T12:51:36","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T17:51:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=40531"},"modified":"2024-11-21T12:51:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T17:51:38","slug":"an-independents-view-from-inside-the-nations-partisan-storm","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/an-independents-view-from-inside-the-nations-partisan-storm\/","title":{"rendered":"An Independent\u2019s View from Inside the Nation\u2019s Partisan Storm"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin bu-blocks-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default has-media has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1853\" height=\"1173\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/11\/comtalk-matthew-felling-banner.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Matthew Felling standing in front of the Capitol building in Washington, DC.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/11\/comtalk-matthew-felling-banner.jpg 1853w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/11\/comtalk-matthew-felling-banner-636x403.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/11\/comtalk-matthew-felling-banner-1024x648.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/11\/comtalk-matthew-felling-banner-768x486.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/11\/comtalk-matthew-felling-banner-1536x972.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/11\/comtalk-matthew-felling-banner-1580x1000.jpg 1580w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1853px) 100vw, 1853px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by Jimell Greene.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAn Independent\u2019s View from Inside the Nation\u2019s Partisan Storm\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Matthew Felling, communications chief for the independent Senator Angus King, discusses the urgency of communicating bipartisan cooperation and the government\u2019s positive impact.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-categories\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/alumni\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlumni\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/journalism\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJournalism\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/public-relations\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPublic Relations\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">November 21, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/michael-s-goldberg\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichael S. Goldberg\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div style=\"display:none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-inner js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t<h4>Share<\/h4>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-title\">An Independent\u2019s View from Inside the Nation\u2019s Partisan Storm<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-link\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" value=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/an-independents-view-from-inside-the-nations-partisan-storm\/\" readonly>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Copy URL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Copy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>While the nation prepares for a second Trump Administration, with its leader\u2019s confrontational style and potentially contentious Cabinet nominations, Matthew Felling (\u201995) sits in the middle of a stormy partisan climate and fractious media environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As strategic communications director for Maine\u2019s independent Sen. Angus King, it\u2019s Felling\u2019s job to help his boss break through the noise and reach people whether they spend all day on a certain media channel or rarely pay attention to Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That challenge, Felling says, conveys a throughline in his professional life, starting when he studied the inverted pyramid style in his COM journalism courses: share information that\u2019s most important first, then build on it. Since BU, he has built his career by pursuing a master\u2019s degree in the then-new field of online journalism at Georgetown, and in posts as director at the <a href=\"https:\/\/cmpa.gmu.edu\/\">Center for Media and Public Affairs<\/a>; TV anchor at the Anchorage CBS affiliate; and as communications director for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an interview conducted shortly after King won reelection to a third term, Felling spoke with COMtalk about the political moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-title\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-title-heading\">Q<span>&amp;<\/span>A<\/h2><h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-title-subheading\">With Matthew Felling<\/h4><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COMtalk:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>What kind of adjustments do you have to make for the incoming Trump Administration?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Matthew Felling:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">When I was a public radio host, I interviewed [Gordon Livingston], an author who wrote a book called <em>Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart<\/em>, where he just put down lessons he had learned throughout life. One of the most compelling chapters was attached to a theme that if somebody\u2019s gut tells them something, or if somebody\u2019s observations have led them to something, you have to meet them where they are, hear them out and work with them.<br>&nbsp;<br>You have to meet people where they are, have the conversation with the same shared values, same shared vocabulary, and hopefully communicate to them what is being done, what could be done.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COMtalk:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>Working for an independent senator in the coming Congress, what do you envision are going to be the challenges or the opportunities?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Matthew Felling:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">Being independent doesn\u2019t change from Congress to Congress. In the Senate, you don\u2019t have 50 friends and 49 adversaries. You have 99 potential colleagues and collaborators\u2014which is a nice position to have. The important opportunity that we must seize every chance we get, is that negotiation, compromise, common ground should not be seen as scarlet letters, should not be seen as relenting in any political sense.<br>&nbsp;<br>Being in the center is often overlooked, especially in our cable news and shout fest, food fight environment, but it\u2019s also where the action is. And it might not generate high TV ratings or raise the eyebrows, but the sense of accomplishment one has hearing and addressing public concerns and needs is the essence of public service.<br>&nbsp;<br>Without a doubt, things might seem initially as more uphill, but at the same time\u2014and I don\u2019t want to sound naive\u2014this new topography creates new opportunities. The new members that we work with are new partners, and to the extent that we can continue to communicate the successes and the impacts of what we have done recently, that\u2019s still a part of the job. It\u2019s taking what we have done, building on it and building on it with new partners.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COMtalk:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>What are the things that you look forward to, in terms of what you can accomplish?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Matthew Felling:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">There are opportunities in energy development and energy diversity, and there are straightforward, commonsense ways we can address the rising cost of living. Additionally, there\u2019s opportunity with reforming and improving and streamlining some government processes that might have gotten knotty in the past.<br>&nbsp;<br>But as we crank up the dial on seeking accomplishments and seeking common ground, we also must crank the dial up to 11 on communicating and educating what Congress is doing and has done. We need to make sure that we are making our case every day. Persistence is key, because you don\u2019t know what people are watching or reading at any given moment\u2014so you\u2019ve got to do the old communications mantra: tell people what you\u2019re going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what you told them. We\u2019ve got to share stories of the progress we\u2019re making. Share stories of the promise these policies hold for viewers or Americans readers, and just weave it into everyday life in the language that Americans are using.<br>&nbsp;<br>Take, for example, digital equity. You only have to drive 25 miles away from a metropolitan area until you realize that there are school children sitting in cars at McDonald\u2019s to do their homework because that\u2019s where they have Wi-Fi. Part of the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/build\/guidebook\/\"> bipartisan infrastructure bill<\/a> was an enormous expansion of broadband deployment to small-town America and to rural America. What I try to do with Senator King and with my team is, every time a new town or a new community or a new nook or corner of Maine gets a connection that allows them to participate more fully in the digital culture that where we live, we make sure that people know about that.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COMtalk:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>Three weeks before the election,<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/1600\/congress-public.aspx\"><strong> 16 percent of Americans approved of the way Congress<\/strong><\/a><strong> has been handling its job. Is there something that people don\u2019t understand about what goes on in the Senate, that people don\u2019t see a lot of in their media diet?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Matthew Felling:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">I\u2019ve seen the numbers and the same trend lines are reflected in media. There\u2019s a lack of trust and a growing frustration with the news media. And I would separate those two. I would add that Congress and media often share one thing in common: People tend to hate the media, but they love their local paper, or they love their local anchor in much the same way people are frustrated at Congress, but they like their local legislator.<br>&nbsp;<br>And I think that a big piece of this is that the congressional frustration is born of the fact of our media environment. The media ecosystem has been turned into a zero-sum game where we must win and have them lose.<br>&nbsp;<br>You need to be able to say, you know what? Senator King is caucusing with the Democrats and is working with [Republican] Senator Ted Cruz to improve navigation in waterways for sport fishermen. He is working with [Rep.] Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas, to address the affordable housing crisis.<br>&nbsp;<br>Once we can start to convey that these are victories that benefit both sides, because of the efforts from both sides, we can begin to slightly increase the optimism and approval of Congress.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COMtalk:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>Given that idealistic note, how do you proceed after the next inauguration? It seems like it\u2019s going to be a challenging time.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Matthew Felling:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">You\u2019re absolutely right to ask that. But job number one is educating, and job number two is communicating. And if you are going to vote in a certain way or not approve of certain things, you need to really walk the viewers, listeners, readers, through the reasons why\u2014and make it real. To the extent that we are also a hostage to the soundbite society, you must start from a tight message and then build it out. You must be able to do it as close to, Lord help us, 280 characters as you can. And then build it out from there.<br>&nbsp;<br>It goes back to the inverted pyramid: Here\u2019s the main thing, and then keep reading to find out more. Be direct, be convincing, compelling and memorable.<br>&nbsp;<br>The upcoming months will be pressing for all of us, and we need to be able to sharpen our tools to do what we need to do, and make sure that people understand what we\u2019re doing and why. It\u2019s representative democracy. We must represent ourselves to who we serve.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While the nation prepares for a second Trump Administration, with its leader\u2019s confrontational style and potentially contentious Cabinet nominations, Matthew&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24086,"featured_media":40572,"template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"categories":[962,3,17],"tags":[69],"bu-publication":[],"discipline-type":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/40531"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24086"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/40531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40577,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/40531\/revisions\/40577"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40531"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=40531"},{"taxonomy":"discipline-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/discipline-type?post=40531"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=40531"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=40531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}