I would most like to improve...

My writing process for the writing I would most like to improve:

Seeing as how I would like to go into broadcasting, I would like to improve my writing for television broadcast. I currently am taking a course with the morning news anchor of KOAT-7 in Albuquerque, and I have found it very interesting to see how they write for television. When it comes to TV news, the entries have to be short, concise, and to the point. They have to hit all those points quickly. How quick you ask? Well 30 seconds. Ideally a little less than that.

So it's hard for me to come into a class like this one and write very descriptive and colorful things about restaurants around Nob Hill or how to market a class blog - then transistion into the writing style of TV news.

My process for writing in that class is to think of a creative means to hook someone that would hear about that story. I have to think about different leads for the article and if it would grab my attention if I had my back to the television. From there I look over the story and the main facts that need to be presented. I look to see if it's necessary for names to be named in the story. I look to see if any quotes need to be inserted into the story, and so on.

From there I have to write a short 4 sentence paragraph describing an event that most newspapers write about three times of information on. I make sure my writing is in the right voice (active voice is key in broadcast writing), and I make sure I have zero typos.

And all of this could probably become stronger through repetition. I find some stories are easier to recap than others. So that could be a big part of it too.

All in all, I would like to perfect this art because in TV, no matter what you're doing whether it being the anchor at a local news desk or the commentator for Game 7 of the World Series.. it is pivotal that you're able to write in this format.

- Brent Booher

Presidential Blog Idea

Article Intro:
Roughly eighteen months from today, the direction of the United States will once again be in the hands of its citizens. The group of individuals that figure to have the most say about the individual that will lead the country are the younger generation in the country. They are same age group that many students at the University of New Mexico, and other colleges and universities are able to classify themselves in.

You've heard all the monikers and cliches about how important it is to vote and let your rights as an American take precedent. But what are we voting for? Who are we voting for? Let's face it, the 30-second chunks of information that are ran seemingly back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back with each passing day that inches us closer to the election really do not tell us a whole lot. They tell us that the opposition for that particular candidate is lacking in, well just about everything in comparision to themselves, but they don't tell us why they are better in these commercials.

However, this article (the first of several) should hopefully clear a lot of questions up.

We're going to cover all of the Presidential candidates, from all parties. We're going to try to dig through the muck and political jargon to translate what each candidate likes and what each candidate doesn't like.

Or basically in more common folk speak - we're going to make it easier to understand what candidates feel about the issues that are important to you. This way when the time comes for "Generation: Next" to collectively voice their opinion of who the next President should be, many of us can do so with the confidence that we're voting for the person, male or female, that will lead this country for the next four years.

Democratic Candidates:
Hillary Clinton - New York - Senator
Barack Obama - Illinois - Senator
John Edwards - North Carolina - Senator (Former)
Bill Richardson - New Mexico - Governor

Joe Biden - Delaware - Senator
Christopher Dodd - Connecticut - Senator
Mike Gravel - Alaska - Senator (Former)
Dennis Kucinich - Ohio - Representative (Former)

Tom Vilsack - Iowa - Governor (Former)
Wesley Clark - Arkansas - Retired General
Al Sharpton - New York - Reverend

The skinny on the Dems:
Many different people have thrown their name into the race to become the next President of the United States, however this is a list that will noticeably dwindle after the first primary elections next year. The candidates to keep the biggest eye on would be Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. The dark horse in the Democratic race however, could be our very own governor Bill Richardson.

This group of candidates may very well be the most diverse group of candidates in quite some time. Hillary Clinton is looking to become the first woman president. Barack Obama is looking to become the first African-American president. Bill Richardson is looking to become the first Hispanic president. John Edwards came very close to being the Vice President in 2004 but was on the losing side of the ticket with fellow Democrat John Kerry.

In addition to the "Big Four" there are other aspiring candidates, including a few that ran in 2004 for the Democratic bid. Those candidates are Wesley Clark, Dennis Kucinich, and Al Sharpton. However, considering the very small success each of those candidates had in the last election, political experts do not give them a very good shot to win the Democratic nomination for President.

Republican Candidates:
John McCain - Arizona - Senator
Rudy Giuliani - New York - Mayor of New York City (Former)
Sam Brownback - Kansas - Senator

John H. Cox - Illinois - Former Radio Talk Show Host
Duncan Hunter - California - Representative
Newt Gingrich - Georgia - House Speaker (Former) *still thinking about running*
Jim Gilmore - Virginia - Governor (Former)

Mike Huckabee - Arkansas - Governor (Former)
Ron Paul - Texas - Representative
Mitt Romney - Massachusetts - Governor (Former)
Michael Charles Smith - Oregon - No Political Experience

Tom Tancredo - Colorado - Representative
Tommy Thompson - Wisconsin - Governor (Former)

The skinny on the Republicans:
The Republican party has, much like the Democrats, a lot of candidates vying for the nomination. And also like the Democrats, they also have three big named candidates. The more prominent candidates for this parties nomination are John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Sam Brownback.

Many experts believe however, that this isn't even a 3-man race at this point, and that it is more McCain v. Giuliani from now until the Republican National Convention.

However, there are a lot of interesting candidates that can make this race a little more interesting. The aforementioned Brownback could draw some votes from voters in the Midwest. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich could throw his name into the fold, potentially giving the Republican frontrunners Giuliani and McCain a race down the road. The party also has numerous individuals that used to hold state governor seats.

All in all though, it looks like it will be between John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Sam Brownback for the right to battle the Democratic winner in November.

Conclusion:
This completes the real broad scope over the current Presidential election. We will soon go more in depth on each candidate.

By,
Brent Booher and Carey Billings