Elizabeth Edwards Gives Speech At Forum

Elizabeth Edwards criticized the role of the media in shaping politics at a speech at the Institute of Politics (IOP) Forum at the Harvard Kennedy School yesterday.

Edwards, the wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards, gave the speech as part of her time as a spring visiting fellow at the IOP.

Edwards specifically pointed to how she felt Delaware Senator Joe Biden’s presidential campaign had been hindered by a lack of media coverage.

“On his behalf, I want to wager a complaint with the press of the United States for failing to treat that candidacy seriously,” Edwards said.

She said that the press had focused on topics that should not be related to people’s political decisions.

“Being well-informed, you might know the details of Joe Biden’s healthcare plan,” said Edwards, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. “How about Barack Obama’s bowling score? Everybody knows it.”

She also complained that the press had propelled Fred Thompson’s candidacy, despite the fact that the public knew little about his political platforms.

Edwards criticized the media’s focus on 15-20 second “zingers”—politicians’ sharp statements used to catch people’s attention.

But she did commend National Public Radio (NPR) for varying the length of their programming depending on the content. She praised the New York NPR affiliate’s “30 Issues in 30 Days” program, which highlighted the opposing sides of a different issue\very day for a month.

Kennedy School student Maura C. Sullivan said she was happy to have Edwards visiting the school.

“Elizabeth Edwards is an inspiring figure in American politics,” said Sullivan. “She impressed me as a true patriot who is concerned about the future of her country.”

During the question and answer session that followed Edwards’s speech, Kennedy School student Morra A. Aarons asked Edwards her view on the increasingly long presidential campaign season.

Edwards said she thought longer campaigns are not necessarily a bad thing, citing how much the public learned about Mike Huckabee’s policies over the course of his candidacy.

One woman asked Edwards about the people that said that she should stop campaigning after her cancer returned. Edwards responded by saying that she was trying to teach her children what to do when something terrible happens in life.

“What they saw their mother do and what they saw their father do was say that, ‘We are committed to making every day count from now until when the final bell tolls,’” Edwards said. “Every single person should do exactly the same.”

“Thank you, that’s a beautiful answer,” the woman replied. “You’re inspiring, and there’s no press that can cover up that story.”

—Staff writer Lauren D. Kiel can be reached at lkiel@fas.harvard.edu.