Debate Number 2

By: Sarah Harl

Tonight was the second of the presidential debates, and it cannot be escaped. The debates, presidential and vice-presidential can be found on almost every news channel and on some of the major network channels.

This is a place to applaud journalists and network news channels alike. There are many issues in the country that voters should be informed about before they make their decisions at the poll in November, and the fact that news coverage of the debate is almost inescapable will hopefully mean that voters are more informed than ever in light of this important election.

The debates thus far have been covered with little political bias, which is refreshing and should be commended by journalists. It will do more to encourage voter turnout and enthusiasm if journalists continue to cover just the facts and let voters make up their own minds.

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War coverage

By: Jessica Hamell

Why can't the news show the full view of what the war is like? The soldiers come home with a wide aray of mental and physical problems but we seldom hear about them. You don't see the pictures in the news or really stories that put you in the shoes of the soldiers.

Is there an unwritten law that tells how much a news source can publish about a touchy subject?
On the Iraq War news from yahoo site some of the headlines were:
"Iraqi insurgents forced underground", "Bush reshuffles war zone troops", "U.S. and Iraqi Officials Try to Reassure Citizen Patrols About Transfer",
"Bush eases back on Iraq troop withdrawals as Palin son heads out" and "Iraq's Sadr extends militia truce".

None of them go into too much depth. I know that seeing things like that would probably stir up a lot of controversy but in some cases it would be good. We saw it on 9/11 and that made us stronger as a country. Maybe if we showed just a little it would bring more support for our troops who are over seas fighting for our country.

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The "Millennial" Factor

By: Kelsey Knutson

A recent article in USA Today talked about how young voters have been energized by the Obama campaign. These young voters are considered the Millennial generation which are classified as "optimistic problem solvers" who promote change.

However, do young people turn out to vote? 

According to the USA Today article, a USA TODAY/MTV/Gallup Poll of registered voters 18 to 29 years old showed that Sen. Barack Obama is leading over Sen. John McCain by 61%-32%. 

Young voters claim they can relate more to Obama than to McCain. This Millennial generation, which represent voters from ages 18-29, want to see change and they (as a general group) don't see that happening with McCain in office. 

"Sen. Obama clearly has some advantages with young voters," according to political director for the McCain campaign, Michael DuHaime. 

Should Obama start writing his inaugural address because polls show that young voters SHOULD turn out this election season? 

History shows us that there is generally a poor voter turnout among today's youth for many reasons. Some include the unfamiliarity with the voting system, the fact that young people (primarily students) move around a lot, and many of them forget to reregister to vote. 

However, if this young generation can "pull it together" and mobilize an entire group of people to get out and vote, then this generation can compete with the "baby boomer" generation and change the outcome of this election. 

It's one thing to say you want change and another thing to help make a change. We all must vote. 

(USA Today article, Energized by Obama, voters uder 30 show signs of shifting the electorate, by Susan Page. October 6, 2008.)

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War coverage

By: Lexie Hagerty

American Journalism Review wrote a story about Kathy Gannon, correspondent for the associated press, and her thoughts about the amount of media coverage the war in Afghanistan is getting. Let's just say, her comments are not good!

She argues that more soldiers have been dying in Afghanistan than in Iraq. However, the media seems to see Iraq as the bigger threat.

Gannon believes that history is repeating itself. Some of the same issues that happened in Afghanistan before 9/11 are happening again, and the U.S. is oblivious to it.

Roy Gutman, foreign editor for McClatchy, calls the media's absence from Afghanistan prior to 9/11 "one of the great lapses in the modern history of the profession."

Gannon proposes that there should be more coverage, if not full time coverage, on Afghanistan and I agree.

Afghanistan is one of the regions that spawned the 9/11 attacks. When the attacks occurred, no one seemed to know what was going on or what events had led up to it.

I do not want a crisis like 9/11 to happen again, and I think that the U.S. should take a little more interest in the region that could possibly surprise us again.

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