Journalist Cheat Sheet: Ten Tips for Reporting the Youth Vote

[NoodleBoy]

http://www.futuremajority.com/node/794

It’s getting rather tiring, correcting one shoddy media report on the youth vote after another. This really came to a head this weekend when, less than 24 hours after forcing a young UNLV student to ask Hillary Clinton whether she preferred Diamonds or Pearls, CNN un-ironically aired a piece during The Situation Room that made a mockery of young voters and their participation in our electoral process.

So I created this “cheat sheet” for journalists. Basically it’s a listing of all the most common mistakes that the media makes when reporting on young voters. Enjoy. Spread widely.

[murielm99]

1. K&R!

This is good work.

[NoodleBoy]

2. thanks

I thought this would get more attention, but I forgot many people in either GD are just here to hand-wring and bash.

[MADem]

3. That student wasn't "forced" to do anything. She was asked to ask the question that she herself

wrote (she wrote more than one). The one she wanted to ask, on Yucca Mountain, was a non-starter because the candidates had already discussed that issue. Her other question--HER other question, mind you--was that 'gem' that ended the debate.

She could have said the magic word. And the magic word is

NO.

The other magic words are "Get someone else to ask a fluffy bullshit ender."

There was no forcing involved, unless the knife or gun were concealed "off camera."

Old Mike of Future Majority, if he really wants to be a Future Journalist, might try getting those pesky FACTS straight before calling out the kettle, there...

He starts with a lie, and he ENDS with a lie. That's not too confidence inspiring. It's called blame-shifting, too. I am left ...UNIMPRESSED.

This really came to a head this weekend when, less than 24 hours after forcing a young UNLV student to ask Hillary Clinton whether she preferred Diamonds or Pearls,.....Moreover, and this is very important, you REALLY need to stop force-feeding us these fluff questions in national forums (see: Mac vs. PC and Diamonds vs. Pearls). If you are going to say that we are frivolous, you shouldn’t be enabling - or worse, instigating - that behavior. This habit is doing nothing to build your credibility with a younger audience that is already abandoning you for the internet. So following this rule is not only good for Democracy, it is good for your bottom line.

He could have had a good piece there, but hanging it on a student who was too weak-minded to turn down her fifteen minutes of fame just makes one disregard everything he has to say--even the 'genuine' items.