Capitol Hill Lobbyists Shifting Focus to Video

Adopting the adage that one picture is worth 10,000 words, many advocacy groups are lobbying Congress with videocassettes rather than the traditional written reports.

The National Rifle Assn. and Handgun Control Inc., for example, both recently produced videos on semiautomatic assault weapons that came to opposite conclusions on whether they should be banned for private use.

Seeking to block the Mexican free trade agreement, the AFL-CIO sent out videos graphically depicting miserable working and living conditions in Mexico. The Navajo Generating Station, a power plant near the Grand Canyon, sent 100 videos to key members of Congress seeking to stave off tighter controls on emissions.

TREND: Public interest groups and business associations both have turned to this spin-off of the television age to dramatize their presentations instead of relying mainly on letters and one-on-one appeals as they did in the past.

These lobbying videos are short, usually from 5 to 15 minutes, and may cost $10,000 to $20,000 to produce.

“It’s becoming more and more of a trend,” said Lisa Jackson, administrative assistant to Rep. Bob Stump (R-Ariz.). “We’ve found them to be very helpful and you can watch them whenever your schedule permits.”

The common availability of videocassette recorders in congressional offices has spurred the advance of video lobbying. Many members of Congress use VCRs to record their own speeches on the House floor for use in political campaigns, for example.

“This year it really started to take off,” said Baxter Peffer, an executive with The Kamber Group, a Washington public relations and consulting firm that now produces over 100 videos a year.

“You’re capturing your audience with a lot of good visuals and they don’t have to wade through a plethora of paper,” Peffer said.

OPPOSING VIEWS: In some Capitol Hill offices, however, the advent of video lobbying produces a big yawn.

“It’s the biggest waste of time and money in the world,” said Gene Smith, administrative assistant to Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City). “We never even look at them because we are too busy to watch them all.”

Letters or documents, Smith added, can be scanned quickly and filed for later use if necessary while videotapes require an interruption in office routine for screening in Berman’s personal office where a VCR is kept.

A spokesman for Rep. David R. Obey (D-Wis.) echoed the complaint about videotapes sent in by lobbyists, saying: “They just pile up with all this other stuff that comes in every day and I don’t think anybody ever looks at them.”

Most Hill offices seem more receptive to the new technique. Steve Hansen, press secretary for Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), says their office values the 30 to 40 lobbying videos they receive each year. Some government agencies--especially the National Aeronautics and Space Administration--also use them to describe new programs or activities, Hansen noted.

In an unusual switch, Young and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) cooperated last year to put out their own video for the 1990 election campaign. Hansen said the videos were sent to 30,000 voters in Alaska to show Young and Stevens in action.

“The stronger the visual impact the better,” Hansen said. “You can explain a lot in a minute with video.”