Barack Obama

On May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama announced that the United States had killed Osama bin Laden, nearly a decade after bin Laden had planned the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As he opens his speech, the president calls his remarks an announcement “to the American people and to the world,” an acknowledgment that this speech has an audience much broader than just the American public. The president in this speech has to meet the expectations of an American public that is looking for closure, but at the same time he has to be careful not to damage international relationships, including those with Muslim countries. As you watch this speech, think about whether or not you find this speech effective from the perspective of addressing a very diverse audience.

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