First, I am an Edwards supporter and do not work for the campaign. This response was given a while ago, but they have not updated or changed the diary, so I am posting this comment in a new one.
Here is the response:
Final UPDATE:
This situation has been resolved. All sides are satisfied. Please respect each other and let us move on supporting Democratic candidates.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Amy here - logged in as our campaign blogger, Tracy.
I wanted to take a moment to respond to this criticism. Following the panel I was indeed approached by Dania and spoke with her about a request for an interview with the Senator. It's surprising to read how I came off to Dania because it was of course by no means intentional.
In fact I am familiar with ePluribus and was actually genuinely interested in listening to what Dania wanted to talk about. I believe I asked for an email so I could forward it onto the right people so we could get a request in ASAP.
I mentioned the possibility of Elizabeth simply because she really enjoys doing these types of interviews and she asks us to look for opportunities to do them.
I want to clarify this point because I have met so many amazing people this week and am a huge fan and supporter of opportunities like these where candidates can engage directly with voters. I head up New Media for the campaign so this is exactly the type of thing I do care about and would never intentionally disregard.
My apologies to Dania for any mis-representation and I urge you to stop me if you see me in the halls and perhaps we can try again.
* Amy
PS: If anyone has any questions feel free to email me at arubin@johnedwardsdotcom
Please note: I am the Dep. Director of New Media for the Edwards campaign posting under Tracy's account. Tracy is our blogger and Dep. Director of Online Communications. We're both at YeaylKos this weekend and hope we have a chance to meet anyone who is here.
(Since they still aren't updating their diary, if you wouldn't mind, please rec this one. Thanks!)
Edit:
Just wanted to make a plea to everyone. Realize that we are only getting one side of the story. Even if Amy has a different side to this story, she is doing the right thing by apologizing. Keep that in mind before you judger her too harshly.
UPDATE:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
-From DEFuning
In response to those who question ePluribus Media cred and question whether the diarist in question is representative of ePluribus Media. Like any writer on Kos or ePluribus Media, she represents herself and does not speak for the organization.Those statements are not official ePluribus Media complaints but seem to truly reflect the frustration of one writer's spouse. It is frustrating to be so willing to communicate a candidate's message and yet not make that contact. Yet it is the day to day reality of any reporter,whether they be of the mainstream media or citizen journalism. What follows is my attempt at conciliation so that we may move on productively and stop the emotional pie fight occurring here. Dania is neither Ann Coulterish nor is she Mother Teresa. She is a tired, frustrated, and passionate volunteer.
I am a contributor to the Edwards campaign, have personally worked with Mrs. Edwards before and work actively(24/7) in NC politics. I am also on the board of directors at ePluribus Media. For those who question our audacity in asking for an interview of a presidential candidate--not so fast, there Sparky.
Our work has been picked up by quite a number of international newspapers, Reuters, AP, McClatchy newspapers, the WAPO , just to name a few. We have had our stories carried into Congress and used to spark legislative debate. We have had our stories reprinted in other periodicals. And our pieces are picked up and carried by many ,many other internet news aggregators,websites and blogs. We have been contacted by a variety of nationally known writers who wish to use some of our research. Our writers have recently written books or have books in the development process. Our investigative work has sparked formal investigations of governmental malfeasance.
Need more? We are routinely asked to present to mainstream media organizations at events exploring the future of journalism as one of the premiere examples of citizen journalism. I ,myself, presented a seminar on the state of American journalism to a large group of journalists from Haiti who were accompanied by State Department representatives. They had come to see the interaction between elections and the media in the US and I was fortunate in being able to discuss this at length with this esteemed group of journalists.
This dustup is NOT indicative of some lofty attitude on the part of the Edwards campaign or the Clinton campaign etc etc. If anything, it depicts the growing pains associated with this movement still in its infancy. There ARE life and death struggles to be fought but this is not one of them.
When one is on the road with a candidate, it is only human to miscommunicate once in a while. And it is only human, when one is as passionate as an ePluribus Mediarite is about getting the word out to the public about the message of the candidates we feel are misrepresented by mainstream ,corporate media, to get a little huffy when you cannot get in touch with the communications director. However, everybody get a grip and take a breath. Let us not have a bloodbath. Save that for those who would silence our voices.
While it is frustrating to get shunted aside by one you wish to interview,it happens to everybody--even to the mainstream media. Believe me, because I often serve in the capacity of a communications director and when it gets hectic--you may not get a call back from me when you want one even if you are FOX or NBC or the Pope's Aunt Fanny. Sometimes things just fall through the cracks because I am human and have lost a vital note to myself, or the cat ate your message or more often, sometimes the candidate has something unforeseen happening and can't handle another interview just at that time. I imagine that YKOS poses quite the challenge to any com.director because this is all nearly virgin territory. I was at YKOS last year and remember the dazed and confused look the mainstreamers had on their faces as they wandered the halls in search of an interview. Jeez, they were even interviewing ME so you know that there was sheer desperation flooding the halls in Vegas!
Has anyone noticed that it is not a perfect world? The maintreamers are getting it all wrong again in describing YKOS so it may feel very much out of control to a comm director. Growing pains. It is a novel event and it is nothing like talking to the hometown daily reporter. Everybody deserves a learning curve and everybody deserves a little slack cut for them. And if you don't believe me, just check with the Church of Bobism and the first commandment"Thou shalt cut some slack."
Amy? The addy you posted does not work--my e-mail to you is getting returned as undeliverable. Nothing ever goes to plan, does it? It is a FUBAR kind of day all around.
Update II:
Dania has updated the original diary with a apology/explanation.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
I never meant for this to be an attack against any campaign or individual--indeed, if they hadn't replied, you'd all think I was crazy. This Diary came out of Timroff's and my frustration over NOT hearing from ANY of the top-tier candidates despite our repeated efforts over 3 weeks.
Again, I do not claim to represent ePluribus. I simply volunteer to help my husband when he writes for them.
I am a hard person to read. I snark a lot.
I NEVER meant to slight Elizabeth Edwards. She is an intelligent and brave woman. I have a history of cancer victims in my immediate family, and yes, I still believe that people facing life-threatening diseases should take it easy. Many were right in asserting that the level of activity should be evaluated by the cancer victim him/herself. Thank you, Captains Obvious. Let me assure you that I am not under the impression that I am EE's personal physician.
I still can't understand why the top-tier candidates don't seek out members of the press who do not view the world through red-tinted glasses, and ePluribus Media does consider itself PRESS, not BLOG.
There. Clear as mud.
I'm done. Thank you, and Good Night.