Political Wrap-up

When I first started my journalism career here at Ithaca College I'll admit it, I was a New York City snob who couldn't relate to people who had never lived there themselves. Boy was I in for a rude awakening.

And so I surged ahead in my narrow-mindedness and read the New York Times daily at the praises of my politics professor Marty (a local legend by the way). When one day in the throws of my research for my thesis paper on Hillary Clinton last semester I spoke with politics professor that turned my Manhattan world upside down. She asked me if I read the Washington Post, because after all I was asking her questions about Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. I answered an indignant "no," (oh what a stupid girl I was) and she proceeded to chastise me for not reading the best newspaper for politics.

I have to say that once I saw the light...I've never really turned back.

Don't get me wrong -- I love the New York Times just as much today. But lately I find myself perusing the Washington Post website more often than not. When it comes to politics they just get it, especially for online journalism. Their comprehensive articles encompass not only what is going on in the Presidential campaign but what it all means for the average reader. They also use so many graphs and photographs that the page lights up when you go to it. Currently they have a large map of the United States to help explain the dates of the ever changing primaries -- very helpful and fun to use.

My other favorite part of the campaign coverage by the Washington Post is their section called On the Trail: A Daily Dairy of Campaign 2008. This is a great section of their coverage that has multiple reporters out on the actual campaign trail following around the presidential hopefuls. What a job! My only concern with this is the possibility of the reporter/candidate relationship being compromised. But in the long run I think I can fully trust the professionals at the Post to give me completely unbiased and accurate information. It's a great way to get fast and interesting information about any candidate.

And of course -- my third favorite thing about the Post's presidential coverage is Mr. Dan Balz. My rock star of journalism. I look forward to reading his articles in the section On the Campaign Trail, as he rides the circus with Hillary Clinton. It's not an easy job covering the former First Lady, but maybe that is why I like him so much. He does such a good job at not letting her get away with anything, but also treating her with a fairness that isn't always granted to her.

Overall I just wanted to say that I'm currently working hard to figure out the best way to land myself an internship at the Washington Post -- so if you know anyone who can help me out I would greatly appreciate it! (Nothing wrong with a shameless plug now and then....)

What really is Plagiarism?

I thought the readings for this week's blog were very interesting. The first two were about a former Missouri Professor, John Merrill, and the accusation of plagiarism.

First of all, the fact that the young reporter who worked for The Maneater, the college paper, was gutsy and a real journalist for first, reading the article and catching her quotes being used without proper credit given to her article, and second, because she had the guts to tell someone. I have to agree with her, if I saw someone in a major paper, even worse -- one that I respected highly, lifting quotes from one of my stories I would be so hurt and outraged.

Reading Merrill's response to losing his job at the paper and the accusation that he plagiarized made me a little confused. I just wonder how a man who says that he has had over 60 years in the journalism profession as both a teacher and a writer can make a mistake like that. Of course I understand that we are all human and that he probably didn't do it with intentions of plagiarizing a young reporter's work. But with the ever growing epidemic of copy-cats in journalism I can't seem to blame his editor for kicking him to the curb.

But I also thought his ethical argument for Kant's categorical imperative was interesting due to my recent studies of ethics. Though it reminds why the "good will" method doesn't always work. Even though someone as "good intentions" that doesn't mean it is always the right ethical call.

The last website we had to look at made me want to kick myself for not knowing it existed sooner. The Poynter Institute's helpful guide called "Places a Journalist Should Go for Politics" would have been great for me when I was writing my thesis on Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign last year. Some of the things like Project Vote Smart and OpenSecrets.org were things I already knew about.

But the website that one could use to find out about candidates permits or license's in a given state was pretty fun. And the magazine Governing.com is now probably going to be one of my favorites -- up there with anything Dan Balz from the Washington Post writes.

The area for state-by-state election laws will also prove to be helpful for writing any political story. Those things can always be so complicated and if one digs enough could probably find out some interesting things that most voters don't know about.

And as an aside...I loved that the Democratic National Committee's blog name is "Kicking Ass: Daily Dispatches from the DNC."

TOO FUNNY

Why does everyone hate Hillary?

So now it's come to the point where people are strapping pretend bombs to themselves and walking into Hillary headquarters.

Last Friday a man identified as Leeland Eisenberg walked into the Rochester, New Hampshire office of Hillary Clinton's presidential headquarters and took three people hostage.

Thankfully the day ended peacefully and without any injuries. Eisenberg apparently only had road-side flares attached to his chest.

As someone who might possibly be working in her Albany regional office next summer this event startled me a bit. In her Senate office in Albany I had to go through multiple levels of security before I was allowed upstairs to the offices. Perhaps her presidential campaign headquarters are not as secure.

Just something that has been sitting on my mind for a few days. I'm glad that every one is safe and that Hillary handled the situation correctly by canceling all events for that day. It's the least she can do I suppose. I mean I like her and all...but I don't think I'd take a bomb for her if it came down to it.