#JElection Interviews

After getting over the initial awkwardness of asking people if I could interview them, I actually kind of enjoyed hearing what different types of people had to say about the election. I spoke with people ranging from girls in a sorority to political science professors to a guy who sells hot dogs on East 4th street. To be completely honest, my interviews defied many stereotypes commonly associated with these people. First of all, I really enjoyed my interview with Erin McCarty.

I thought she sounded incredibly knowledgeable about the election, and had an in-depth knowledge of many of Obama's policies. She had reasons why she supported the president and specific policies. In stark contrast, I thought Professor Matthews had no interest in sharing his opinions and spoke almost condescendingly. Whereas many people I interviewed were eager and willing to talk about the issues, I feel as though both of the professors that I spoke with were very brief and disinterested.

My favorite video that I came up with was my interview with Donovan Ruth, a Lehigh grad student. Not only did he note specific issues that he was concerned about but he talked about how the were relevant in this election as well as why they directly effect his life. I also liked the way he was positioned outside, in his jacket, walking between classes was a great location because you could tell I literally stopped him on the street. Also, he lighting was good because we were not standing in direct sunlight and it was not too loud around us so it is easy to hear his answers.

This interview confirmed that a knowledgeable source is the key to a successful interview. Hearing my voice asking questions all the time is boring for the audience, I think it is much more interesting and entertaining to hear a subject like Donovan who is intelligent and well-informed speak about his issues and opinions. It is obvious that a bunch of the videos I posted were of subject who were not as well informed and they were noticeably more uncomfortable and less enjoyable to watch.

As far as the #JElection twitter hashtag goes, I think it was a very neat idea and I love seeing what other journalism students came up with. Not only is it cool how small our world was become with social media sites like twitter, but this specifically connected me with other journalism students from prestigious universities so it is even more interesting because I was able to look through a bit and see some of their work as it compares to what I believe I am capable of. I know it wasn't intended as a way to "size up the competition," per se, but for whatever reason as I was scrolling through the tweets, I couldn't help but analyze the work of these students.