Tre LaGrone III

Introduction

President Joe Biden delivered his third State of the Union address to Congress on March 7, 2024. The speech was intended to draw attention to the accomplishments of the administration, outline future priorities, and address pressing national and global issues. Delivered in the Capitol Building, the speech was broadcast live and widely covered across various media outlets.

Main message

Main Messages and Personal Analysis
President Biden's speech emphasized a couple of key themes:

Economic Recovery: He emphasized the creation of 15 million new jobs, a record low unemployment rate, and significant investments in infrastructure and clean energy. The administration's policies were credited with attracting $650 billion in private-sector investment.

Health and Social Justice: Biden advocated increasing the Affordable Care Act, permanent tax credits to reduce healthcare costs. He also initiated a $12 billion effort to transform women's health research.

Home Affordability: The President requested a two-year $400-per-month tax credit to assist Americans in paying their mortgages, to reduce home costs.

Defense of Democracy: Citing examples from the past, Biden made references to attacks on freedom and democracy domestically and internationally and demanded unity and power to strengthen it.

I believe that the speech successfully represented the administration's success and what lies ahead. Personal anecdotes and clear words to the people brought an element of approachability, although some of the proposals in policy will surely face difficulties being supported by both sides.

Traditional media coverage/ Social media reactions

Traditional Media Coverage
I reviewed two news reports of the speech:

AP News: The Associated Press had a detailed transcript of the speech, the President's policy proposals and legislative agenda at its core.

MarketWatch: MarketWatch offered reporting on the economic highlights of the speech, including analysis of job growth, infrastructure spending, and health care overhaul.

Both sources reported the speech content with minimal editorializing, focusing on fact reporting. The tone was generally neutral, trying to inform the public without obvious partisanship.

Social Media Reaction
On Twitter, there was a mixed reaction to the speech:

Positive Tweets: Various users welcomed the President's economic record and healthcare initiatives. Hashtags like #SOTU and #BidenSpeech were trending, with users praising the administration.

Critical Tweets: The users even derided aspects of the speech, in particular, immigration policy as well as attributed partisan spin. Tweets with the hashtags #BidenFail and #SOTU2024 dissented.

Social media conversation offered up a variety of views, and they were, by and large, shaped by users' politics and allegiances.

Personal analysis

Analysis
Traditional Media Frame
Mainstream sources of media translated the content of the speech to report directly on policy details and presidential rhetoric. The approach painted a general image, though others may have presented prominence to given points over others and thereby controlled public opinion.

Social Media Frame
Social media platforms provided a platform for the voice of the individual, and what followed was an increasingly polarized interpretation of the speech. The brevity of tweets and hashtags made possible instant sharing of views but resulted in echo chambers where users would see predominantly similar views.

Media Bias and Interpretation
Media on the left and right were different in terms of focus and tone:

Liberal Media: These media outlets framed the President's achievements in healthcare and social justice, framing the speech as a reaffirmation of progressive values.

Conservative Media: These media outlets highlighted areas of disagreement, such as immigration and budgetary proposals, framing the speech as an overreach by the government.

International media provided a more balanced critique, frequently focusing on international implications of the speech, e.g., foreign policy and military entanglements.

Conclusion

Conclusion
Situationing my understanding of the speech against traditional and social media reporting produces some conclusions:

Traditional Media: Traditional media typically provided balanced news, but diverse in depth coverage. They are good sources of detail but missing from social media's immediacy and interactivity.

Social Media: Platforms like Twitter yield immediate reaction and far-reaching diversity of perspective. Limitation of blog entries and party voice superiority can curb nuanced understanding, however.

Democracy's Impact: Social media can encourage democratic engagement through enabling public discourse. Sharing misinformation and development of echo chambers can undermine thoughtful decision-making, however.

Politicians' messages are likely to be altered as they pass through the filters of social and traditional media. It may alter the tone, emphasis, and meaning of their messages, making it important to be critical when consuming media.

References

References
American Rhetoric – State of the Union 2024 Transcript

AP News – Transcript of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address

MarketWatch – Here is the full transcript of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address

CBS News – Read the full transcript of Biden's 2024 State of the Union address

AP News – State of the Union 2024: Transcript of President Joe Biden's speech