ON MESSAGE

Bernanke's PR War

Fed chairman increases his visibility.

With the economy front and center, Ben Bernanke is as well. It's all part of a concerted "public-relations offensive that casts him in the starring role," the Wall Street Journal reports. Originally Bernanke wanted to play a more low-key role than his predecessors Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker, but now he's all over the map, from giving a lecture at Atlanta's Morehouse College, to appealing to viewers on 60 Minutes, and courting journalists at the National Press Club. He's even considering regular news conferences to get the message out. "I think it is important for the public to understand what is going on and to know that the government is trying to solve the problem," Bernanke said in an interview. "They should know we have a plan and a strategy."