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TECHNOLOGY Monday 19 deceMber 2016

Social mediation: Politicians bypass press, control message

IVAN MORENO By making social media
Associated Press platforms the first stop
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — To to announce or react to
deliver his first extensive re- events in a controlled set-
marks on the contentious ting, the politicians are by-
Dakota Access oil pipeline, passing the press — who
all the new North Dakota would call into question
governor needed was a assertions made at news
camera and a Facebook conferences — and tak-
account. ing their message to where
The simplicity of the setup their audience is most likely
spared Republican Gov. to be engaged.
Doug Burgum from having “Politicians are always try-
to answer questions from ing to communicate with
reporters on Thursday and potential voters. They want
allowed him to convey his to get a message out and
thoughts unfiltered and un- they want to tell the story
challenged by the press. the way they want to tell it,”
It’s a strategy that’s been said Christopher Mooney,
used for a while by gov- director of the Institute of
ernors, state lawmakers Government and Public
and other elected officials Affairs at the University of Il-
in more tech-savvy states linois. This week, Democrat- Surrounded by Clinton High School students, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner holds up a bill he signed
and becoming increasing- ic U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Clinton, Ill.
ly popular among new-to- Grisham announced her Associated Press
politics officeholders, such run for New Mexico gov-
as Burgum, Illinois Repub- ernor in a YouTube video. of the businessman making ing the legislative session ture capitalist who hadn’t
lican Gov. Bruce Rauner In Utah, Republican Gov. lewd remarks about wom- because “we can’t be sure served in an elected posi-
and, of course, President- Gary Herbert declared on en. how it will be covered,” tion before January 2015,
elect Donald Trump, who Twitter he was pulling his Some House Republicans House GOP spokesman usually takes questions
heavily relies on Twitter to support for Trump after a in Colorado film a YouTube Joel Malecka said. from reporters after news
share his thoughts. video surfaced in October message every week dur- Rauner, a former ven- conferences.q
GM begins testing autonomous

cars on Michigan public roads

TOM KRISHER The Bolts will soon move assembly line where regu-
AP Auto Writer to the entire Detroit metro lar Bolts are made, in order
DETROIT (AP) — General area, which will serve as to gain expertise in building
Motors has started testing the company’s main test- autonomous vehicles.
fully autonomous vehicles ing center for snowy and The Bolt, which went on sale
on public roads around its cold weather. Weather is in California and Oregon
technical center in subur- one of the biggest obsta- this week, can go 238 miles
ban Detroit. cles to autonomous cars on a single charge and
The announcement comes because snow can stop costs about $30,000 when
just one week after Gov. cameras and other sensors a $7,500 federal tax credit
Rick Snyder signed legisla- from spotting critical things is factored in. Autonomous General Motors Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mary
tion that allows the cars to such as lane lines and traf- Bolts, which have distinc- Barra stands next to an autonomous Chevrolet Bolt electric car
Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, in Detroit.
be tested on public roads fic signals. GM’s other pub- tive spinning laser towers Associated Press
without a driver or a steer- lic-road testing sites are in on their roofs, will come off
ing wheel. But the auto- warm climates: San Fran- the assembly line in Orion
maker says that for now, it cisco and Scottsdale, Ari- Township north of Detroit after the law became ef- “We’re trying to prepare
will have human backup zona. Currently it’s running starting next year. fective to take advantage for every different kind of
drivers for its fleet of auton- about 40 autonomous Bolts GM had been testing au- of weather. failure mode.”
omous Chevrolet Bolt elec- in tests. CEO Mary Barra tonomous Bolts on the “There’s so much complex- Executives wouldn’t say
tric cars. also announced Thursday sprawling technical cen- ity on public roads,” said when GM would start test-
Testing started Thursday on that GM will build an un- ter grounds for the past Doug Parks, the company’s ing without a human driver,
roads near the tech cen- specified number of fully few weeks, but wanted to vice president of autono- but predicted it would be
ter in Warren, Michigan. autonomous Bolts on the move to public roads soon mous vehicle engineering. within a couple of years.q