Barack Obama: Presidents should avoid TV and Social Media

Avoiding TV and social media, which only “clouds your judgment’ is what Barack Obama, former U.S. President believes to be the best advice for making clear decisions in the Oval Office.

“What you have to do is create a process where you have confidence that whatever data is out there has been sifted, sorted and the core issues that are going to be important to your decision, you’re able to see it around,” he said during an interview in San Francisco.

“And that requires not just a good process but making sure you have a team that’s got a diversity of opinion. The other thing that’s helpful is not watching TV. Or, you know, reading, you know, social media,” he added.

“So those are two things I would advise if you’re president not to do, because it creates a lot of noise and clouds your judgment.”

Making clear decisions without outside influence that could potentially “sway your decision-making in an unhealthy way” is a point of concern that shouldn’t affect a president, according to Obama.

While some might think it’s a swipe at President Trump because of the current president’s regular use of Twitter and viewing of cable news, a former speechwriter for Obama, Jon Favreau, said on Wednesday that “I really doubt this was a swipe” at Trump, believing it to just be general advice.

“You can make sure that people who are providing you that information get a clear signal from you that you want facts, and you want bad news first. And you don’t want spinning and you don’t want sugarcoating and you want a diversity of opinion, and you send that signal strong at the outset,” Obama said Wednesday, expressing the importance of being clear on wanting facts without “sugarcoating”.

He also showed concern over the harmful effects on democracy that social media can bring about.

“The rise of the division globally – not just here in the United States – and the degree to which we have become more tribal, more polarized, less willing to listen to each other. And that predated social media – but social media has accelerated it,” the former president commented.

Even though he has nothing but praise for modern technology as an opportunity for communication with his daughters, he added that “Technology can also hinder human connection, split people apart.”