At 2.30 p.m. (EST) President Obama will appear on YouTube answering questions submitted by the website’s users. With questions now closed, the “Your Interview with the President” YouTube page is showing that 193,077 people submitted 139,602 questions.
I rummaged through some of the questions to pick out highlights and spotlight some budding journos with a knack for asking the right questions. I found some of that. I also found musicians plugging their latest songs. What I found more than anything, though, were questions about pot. Most of them went something like this one from “RadicalRuss.”
I was not alone in noticing the trend. UPI reviewed the questions and noted that after users voted on the questions they wanted to see asked
The top 10 questions all involved ending or changing the government’s war on drugs, legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana and embracing industrial hemp as a “green” initiative to help farmers
Will be interesting to see if Obama puffs or passes on those.
Elsewhere, there is evidence that this was a great and less-than-great idea. In one video question, for instance, a group of North Carolina teachers ask, “What are your suggestions to us as teachers for closing the achievement gap when factors such as home life, parental involvement, socioeconomic status etc. all impact the student’s performance but are beyond the educator’s control?”
Then, in another, “lawcanuck” suggests America and Canada become one country, and in another again, a user asks, “why is all the government Illuminati.”
Here’s a potpourri selection.
Somebody get that man a chair in the James S. Brady Briefing Room.

"Debt and Weed"?
I'm offically lodging a complaint. Stop with the f-ing SEO-get-this-page-up-in-the-ranking stuff. Or make it easy for me and title your next effort "Tits and Ass". If this crap continues - in protest I'll leave and never come back. "Joel Meares" (if that's your real name) - it's true, I'm just one guy and SEO bullshit works.
Journalism (and other worthwhile endeavors) are time consuming and difficult.
If bullshit is what you're interested in - change your major to communications, leave this site and do your best to get on tv. If not, ask your journalism prof if five "This-is-what-I-think" Youtube videos is five too many.
Note - I didn't watch any of the videos. I'm here to read and get informed. I'm not here to see what's up in Youtube video blogging.
#1 Posted by F. Murray Rumpelstiltskin, CJR on Fri 28 Jan 2011 at 02:54 PM
It looks like every time a recession comes, people turn to drugs to help them keep their sanity. I don't blame them. There is no bigger pain than not being able to provide for your family and trying to get off the debt hook whatever it takes (even a debt settlement). Weed isn't an answer but it does help you relax and clear your mind so you can start working on the read solution instead of just shaking in fear at the table with your hands on your forehead.
#2 Posted by Jesus, CJR on Thu 21 Jul 2011 at 05:30 PM