What Would the GFN Do?

CNN’s coverage of the inauguration ceremony reflected, in many ways, what GFN’s coverage would have looked like. During speeches, cameras panned to images of flags, the Obama family, the speaker and members of the audience. It was no mistake on the part of CNN to feature shots of black women in the audience. The GFN might have shown a wider variety of audience members in order to emphasize different races and genders, but overall, the focus of the ceremony was about who stood at the podium.

President Obama discussed the importance of equality for all people, which is something the GFN would happily support. He said, “For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law…” In this quotation, the President is speaking to feminist principles. The GFN would comment on these ideas as they relate to the United States and its citizens. Perhaps it would also focus of on how these promises would affect the rest of the world and if this equality is something the US would make this a priority during Obama’s next four years in office.

Obama also spoke to the rest of the world when he said, “We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.” The GFN would likely analyze this in two ways. The first being the US assertion of power over the world to help itself grow and to keep itself protected. The second perspective would touch on how the US acts as a moral authority to the rest of the world and helps developing countries gain the freedom and independence they strive for. The second mindset is a more likely focus of the GFN because it possesses a more liberal view reflects the idea that the US fights for the equality of all people – not just its citizens.