Here’s my first official MTV video assignment!!

On Monday, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), the younger brother of JFK, endorsedBarackObama for President. Thousands showed up to American University in Washington, DC for a chance to hearObama and be a part of the movement for change. Like hundred of others, I couldn’t get inside. But the story I got on the outside is just as rich. Check it out.

The Washington Post has pinned ten exaggerators of 2007. From Obama to Clinton, McCain to Romney, they call our some seriously distorted statements.

My favorites:

“In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals like in your country…In Iran we do not have this phenomenon.”
–Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Columbia university, September 24, 2007. The comment was followed by howling laughter from a New York University crowd.

“The point was to inhale. That was the point.”
–Barack Obama, December 13, 2007, making Bill Clinton look like a fool for pretending like he didn’t inhale. Who bought that shit anyway?

I want to know how the next President will interact and with the Press Corp. In my opinion it’s one of the most obvious indicators as to how they treat the American people. And an open and honest dialogue b/w the President and the press is relevant to every component of the way an Administration is run.It’s no secret this President plans out who he will take questions from ahead of briefings. What is that really about? It indicates he is unable or unwilling to answer difficult questions, questions that might expose flaws or problems in his policy. Well, if the American people lose that ear, of the Press Corp, because they are being stifled and controlled, then what kind of Administration are we looking at? It doesn’t seem democratic.

The trend didn’t start with Bush Jr, though. From my friend, a member of the Press Corp, I was told Bill Clinton used to have a closed door policy (one can imagine why) and rarely sat down with the Press. Of course, he had his favorites, as they all do.

Here is what I want to know. How many questions will you, the next President allow at briefings? Will you stay until the last one is answered? Will you determine ahead of time who you are willing to answer? Will you let the Press Corp do their job?

People my age need to understand how critical the interaction is between the President and the Corp. They are the first line of defense against troubled policies, lies and exaggerations. If the folks in Washington, who see him or her on a daily basis are being controlled, how can voters even begin to know the truth?

Towards the end of orientation, my colleague, Sara Benincasa (NY), raised her hand. We were in a Q&A session with a MTV techie–drilling him with technical questions and suggestions for improving THINK.MTV.COM. Finally, Sara was called on.

“Um, yeah, Santa, I have a question too…”

Before he could even smile the whole room erupted in laughter. Sara hit on something we all related to, at least I did. For the last 48 hours, being at MTV studios made me feel like I was having the best Christmas morning of my life. Street Team’s organizers had arranged speakers so open and insightful — that I didn’t mind sitting in the boardroom for eight hours at end. We had presentations that encouraged us to imagine and innovate the concepts of technology and journalism. It was pure candy for my brain.

The next day, after a late night wrap party and probably three hours of sleep, I packed up and went back to DC. I couldn’t wait to get home and unload everything.

The backpack was heavy, and I’m sure meant for carrying survival tools in the Alps. Instead, it holds my equipment – a video camera, laptop, camera, tripod and microphone. Per the request of my most famous friend Lindsay, (my ‘04 ballot bandit) I uploaded some photos. It’s one hell of a sexy photo shoot. Check it out.

Yes, Santa had delivered – and I didn’t even know Christmas was coming.

So I survived MTV’s journalism boot camp which was a few very compressed and intense days in New York City. Here’s a recap of what I wrote to my family and friends.

…Life in DC has been busy since I got back from MTV’s Street Team orientation. It was one hell of a trip, with a visit to the NY Times, a hotel room in Time Square and enough multimedia presents to make a Gen Y blogger cry tears of joy.

Now back in DC, I’m responsible for submitting one story each Tuesday and learning what it means to be a “one man band,” writing, editing and producing all my own work. I have a half dozen manuals to read, software to install and gadgets to learn. But it’s coming along and I’m so stoked to finally start.

Orientation was great because I met the other 50 selected citizen journalists, all of who had a different story to tell. TX is the daughter of illegal immigrants, MA is a Harvard drop out, NY is a comedian and CA owns his own production company. We also had back-to-back industry speakers — AP, Gannett — a NYU Journalism Professor, leaders from the Knight Foundation and MTV VJs John Norris and Sway.

It truly was a boot camp experience but it a inspiring way, leaving each of us charged with telling the untold stories of the Presidential race and bringing together ideas, information and opinions. It wasn’t shocking to learn MTV is the largest youth brand in the world, but it is slightly intimidating. With MTV’s reach, AP’s credibility and the Knight Foundation’s instinct, this could present a huge possibility for a young political movement. We can only hope.

In the meantime, I wanted to pass along a story MTV is running on our time in NYC. Don’t blink or you’ll miss me! ”

MTV
1/14 11:50AM

MTV2
1/13 5:50PM, 6:30PM
1/14 6:30AM

MTVU
1/13 11:45PM
1/14 4:45AM, 9:45PM, 2:45PM

While most politicos in New Hampshire are tied up in the Presidential race, DC Council members and Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) are going for another reason: to apply pressure to two NH Senators who voted against the DC Voting Right Act last fall.

NH Senators John Sununu and Judd Gregg teamed up with other Republicans to block the bill last September. It fell three votes short of the 60 needed, adding another chapter to the DC struggle for a vote in Congress.

Fenty, Council members and Ilir Zherka of DC Vote, will testify at a hearing on Wednesday. The hearing was organized but NH Representative Condy Rosenwald (D) who introduced HR 26, a bill in the state House urging District residents get a vote in Congress.

Hey friends. I’m in NYC for orientation but my attention, I have to admit, has been on the Iowa caucus (see results) and upcoming New Hampshire primary. There were a few surprises and upsets in Iowa: Obama took the win and Edwards edged out Clinton for second place; Romney was beat by Huckabee; and a Congressman from Texas, Dr. Ron Paul, held on, coming in fifth in the Republican race.

I decided to do a little research on Dr. Paul to find out what his deal is, and when I did, I learned several new things. While he’s a Republican and most of us associate that party with the Iraq situation, he doesn’t support it and wants to bring the troops home immediately. On the topic, he said this: “Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America.” For more of his foreign policy views, I included a link.

Another thing I realized about Paul which probably makes him attractive to Gen Y (as seen by his enormous campus presence) is he’s outspoken, seemingly honest and a strict advocate for the Constitution.

He wants to abolish the Federal Reserve (our central bank) and he claims we are moving towards a North American Union (think EU). He blasts the idea of creating a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) superhighway from Texas, through Kansas and into Canada (for more efficient trade) because of his strong view that we need to hold onto our national sovereignty.

Then there are ways he sticks to the Republican party lines. He’s pro-life, and no where on his web site could I find information about his position on gay rights/civil unions. He also distances himself from socialized medicine.

If you want to learn more about Paul, I’ve included some of his paid for advertising spots on YouTube. For a quick spot, check out this one: We the People commercial, to laugh but be (slightly informed) check out this one and for a legit news segment, check this NBC’s Nightly News segment.

Hey friends. I want to share what I’ll be doing for the next eleven months.

I work at a communications firm, Spectrum Science Communications, in Washington, D.C. Part of my job is to follow health care policy and report it to our clients. We work across the field (but always in health care) for advocacy groups, non-profits, pharma and biotech companies. It has been a great first job and, fortunately, brought me to the District where I feel at home.

In my heart, I’m a student of journalism and passionate about civic engagement, especially with my peers. It took two years for my best friend in college to tell me she didn’t vote in the ‘04 election — because she knew how distraught I would be. She was right, but how could I hold it against her? I knew she was like so many of our friends, and instead of being frustrated, I asked, “what can I do to convince her and others, that it is worth the time?”

So here I am, staring the ‘08 election in the face, asking myself what I can do to get my generation of multi-taskers to ask questions and get to the polls. Here is where MTV comes in.

A fellow TriDelta sent me a link last August and said “Erica, you have to apply for this.” So I read about how MTV and the Knight Foundation were pairing up to create a team of 51 citizen journalists, hand-picked to cover the ‘08 election from a local level. I knew in order to be considered I needed a web site, so I applied some of the techniques I learned at Spectrum and started Erica-America. I also submitted three essays, called up a few references and hit submit.

One reason I am so enthusiastic about MTV and their THINK campaign, is because I believe in it. I think we share common goals in the desire to harness the power of social networking and multimedia and direct it towards civic action. Can it be done? I’m optimistic and my answer is yes. But the road to get there will be long and not without challenge.

In the next month, I will update everyone on how to receive the Street Team reports. Until then, take care and keep asking questions.