When it comes to peoples’ reactions to the recent political conventions, so much of comes down to the medium or network from which they get their information. It has become very apparent to me how important it is for reporters and journalists to ask the right questions as soon as possible.
At both conventions reporters were scrambling the floor for that interview that would not only hopefully increase ratings, but would reveal a truth (or lack thereof) to the American people that may not have been there before. I think that it was watching this that really drove home for me the responsibility that journalists have in situations like this. There are thousands of people watching these conventions from home that have so many questions they would like to ask but will never get the chance, and that is why the reporter’s role is so important.
Although some networks that I personally dislike have a habit of chopping up the words to make the point that they want, many of speeches (namely this week) were put in such great context by their orators that doing that was somewhat difficult to do. Having this opportunity through network television, I think that being able to experience the reactions of the people actually there from your own home is so crucial to the “bounce” each candidate hopes to achieve. The point of these conventions is to showcase what each candidate stand for and it has really been resonating with me that journalists play a large role in how that message is received.