Thanks. Context is a beautiful thing. The mass media, however, prefers video loops that deliver eye-balls to advertizers.

A note about context: In many of his televised speeches during the 1992 Presidential campaign, Bill Clinton would look from side to side, laugh, wave, and point...at empty seats and people that did not exist. The idea is, Clinton understood that the most important audience 99% of the time is the much larger one on television. In politics, it's a good lesson to keep in mind.

Thanks for posting this - I'd been curious enough to look for it, after reading some of the discussion on your site and elsewhere, and was glad to find it at the top of your page the other day.

I've watched it twice now, and I don't get it. I mean, I get the speech, I just don't get all the squawking about it. I never even heard the "yawp." It's the most of vivid example yet of how the media are structuring this campaign. As I tell my students, "the media don't tell us what to think; they tell us what to think about."

I'm back, after watching the video the "scream" at C-SPAN, and I'm even more ticked off. I cannot believe people are focusing on this 6-second moment as if it's the only thing Howard Dean has ever done. Grrrr. It all makes me support him EVEN MORE.

Well then, HIT THE BAT!! :)

*** Why did you cut out the scream at the end? ***

When I watched this clip, I didn't hear the scream in this speech that everyone's playing on TV and radio. Then I watched the same clip on another website and it clearly had a "Yeahhh!" at the end of it. Why isn't that part on this clip?

I think it's pretty deceptive to ask people to make a "value judgement" when you don't give them all the information. Judging by your choice of book advertizements, it's hard to see this website as unbiased.

Hmmm. Anonymous person, try listening again. The 'Yeahh' is there - not clipped, merely as loud as people in the room heard it. Which is the whole point of hosting the video. Did you read *any* of the text next to the video link?

As far as "bias", I encourage you to read our left column, where it says 'The authors support Howard Dean." This is not an automated, bloodless website, and we do not hide our preferences.

No. No. No. Not so fast!

I don't know who you guys are or what your motives are, but I do know you're trying to pull the wool over our eyes.

What you did was use your "judgement" to adjust the relative volume to make it similar to what you "hear". But that doesn't matter. Dean gave a BLOOD CURDLING SCREAM. We all know it. We all heard it.

And you really should have adjusted the volume on his vicious growling hollering list of primary states he did before that. In was surreal.

Anyway, what if the audience couldn't hear it? Is that supposed to be better? That their candidate can get away with saying something inappropriate as long it's out of public earshot?

All you really have to think about is this: What happens when he does something like this in front of Jacques Chirac, or Vlad Putin, and there isn't a crowd to drown it out?

The volume was NOT adjusted in the clip which VJ is mirroring. It was recorded live, in the hall, with the microphone atop a camcorder.

Even ABC News has admitted that Dean's C-SPAN recording was out of context--he was using a handheld mike which, because of its unidirectional pickup pattern, did not accurately reflect the noise of the hall.

If you don't believe this footage, go to ABC's story, watch their video, and judge for yourself.

Though this video shows what Dean's live audience heard, the much larger audience were those watching on television who heard the infamous scream.
Yes, he also probably didn't know his voice (normally pretty gravelly) would go up into that strange high pitch. If he had just yealled "YEAH!" in the timbre his voice normally has, no one would have given it a second thought.
Too bad for Dean. That's just the breaks.

I was looking for the video because i heard it on the radio and laughed pretty hard about the scream. it reminded me of Animal, the drumming muppet! What I can't believe, though, is that people are actually using this to discredit the man as a politician. That's ridiculous. I don't necessarily support Howard Dean's platform, but I'm not going to discount him because he shows some fire and emotion. As a college student, it actually makes me want to learn more about him...

Still sounds pretty scary to me, and un-presidential no matter how you adjust the volume. We need a nominee that has conviction and speaks to people's aspirations for this country, not someone who can merely address their anger, however understandable that is.

Given the vast variety of behavior found among the 43 Presidents this country has had so far, I find the term "un-presidential" to be almost wholly devoid of meaning.

We need a nominee that has conviction and speaks to people's aspirations for this country, not someone who can merely address their anger, however understandable that is.

From what I've observed, Dean speaks to people's aspirations and has demonstrated much more conviction than most of his opponents. Your statement strikes me as the propogation of so much media-generated mythology about Dean rather than an actual consideration of the man himself.

As a business owner and an independent - Dean is the only candidate who has
interested me. That's why I think he's the most electable , because he appeals
to democrats, independents and republicans. Basically all the people in the US who
are sick of politicians lying about their record and in what they believe in order to get elected.
Dean is real - when the media turns down the sound on the crowd - they are trying
to do what they always do - turn down the volume of the American People.

Wow! I am a Canadian and hadn't even HEARD about this until now. (Okay I've been busy!) How sad this guy goes from 100 to 0 because of a good microphone.

I never trusted the average person's ability to think past what they are spoon fed and now, well, I STILL don't. But as long as Bush loses I guess I will be happy.

I have heard the scream all over, and im proud to support dean, your cheer when bruce springsteen, Ozzy Osbourne or mick jagger scream, but since he's tring to run for president its all the sudden a Faux Pas to scream. Its Ok to do a little coke in college and get elected, BUT PLEASE!!! don't yell!!

Does anyone know where i can view the video on which he screams???
thanks
Jack Mine

I'm doing research for a public radio piece. Does anyone have information about the path the "non-audience" version of the speech's audio took to the mass media? Who recorded the audio we all heard in the parodys?

I just watched the "Real Dean Scream" video and I laughed. It brought back the memories of the media overplaying that scene again and again. Poor Dean, he'd make a much better presidential candidate than Senator Kerry. I'm voting for Bush b/c I don't want Kerry screwing things up with the rebounding economy, and making things worse in Iraq. By the way, Dean sounds just as intense "from the crowd."

-Just because you have a right to disrespect my opinion, does not mean it is the right thing to do. I respect yours.-

Just like everyone else I've heard both of the screams, the 'real' and the 'media version'. Basically I dont think the sound level is important, its the fact that he allowed himself to get too carried away.