Many fail to acknowledge President Barack Obama’s ascension to power represents a rejection of the past 20 years, not the past eight. Tired of the seemingly Clinton-Bush trade-off at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that appeared poised to happen at least every other presidential election cycle, Americans elected the heir-apparent of neither potential dynasty.By selecting Obama, Americans signaled a resounding dismissal of traditional — not just conservative — approaches to government and all that those approaches entail.In his first news conference as president, Obama again signaled he was no antagonist to tradition but favored unconventional approaches to classic dilemmas.Obama called first on Helen Thomas, legendary writer and perhaps the most recognizable White House correspondent, then on Sam Stein, a reporter for the Huffington Post, an Internet-based newspaper. The incident was a symbolic gesture — as noted by The New York Times — of Obama’s respect for the media of old and his apparent eagerness to reach out to different audiences through new media.”It was not the answer but the very fact that he took a question from Mr. Stein that created a buzz and signaled yet another shift in the ever-evolving news media landscape,” Jeff Zeleny wrote in The New York Times on Feb. 10.Newsweek, Time, The Wall Street Journal and The Chicago Tribune were all snubbed in favor of Stein’s presence.Some perceived the selection of Stein as a slight to traditional media, but some claim this criticism neglects the fact that Stein’s question was just as tough, if not more so, than Thomas’ or likely any other potential questioner’s inquiry.Stein asked whether Obama would seek prosecution for former Bush administration officials. Obama wisely opted for nuance, focusing on the future rather than the past.By acknowledging the immense role the Internet and new media will play in the future, Obama also invited exploration into this new industry and the Internet in general. With the amount of bloggers and citizen journalists on the rise, Stein’s selection also brought to light a crucial and often overlooked question concerning the discussion of the modern media world – a question concerning responsibility not just for media practitioners, but also media consumers.In his commentary on the ethics of cyberspace, University professor Louis Day — who literally wrote the book on ethics in media communication — wrote, “The democratizing effect of cyberspace has piqued the interest of all Internet surfers in the ethical concerns of going online. The subject of ‘media ethics’ is no longer the exclusive preserve of those who make their living collecting, editing and distributing information to a mass audience.”The danger, Day wrote, is that technology itself will become a scapegoat for unethical behavior. Day cautioned against being awed by the “technological charisma” of the new media because it could lead to “technological slavery.”If using new media leads to moral disorder, Day explained, the blame should be directed toward users and not the tools with which they use to behave unethically.Day also stressed responsibility for upholding ethical principles falls squarely on the shoulders of citizens rather than government.Because without self-governing people, there is no self-governing society.- – – -Contact Daniel Lumetta at [email protected]