NBC Election Coverage Report Card

Due to all the buildup and media hype surrounding the 2008 Presidential Election, there was no doubt viewers would be tuning in all night long to witness history. However, with so many channel options to pick from, which station coverage was best?

I watched NBC throughout the night and graded the channel on a variety of areas. Here are the results:

Anchor, Brian Williams; Grade: A

No surprise here. NBC went to its go-to guy to hold down the fort in what surely must be one of the longest nights of the year for any television journalist. The anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News handled the chaotic electoral evening with poise and organization. Most of the segments seemed to flow rather nicely and that has everything to do with the anchor. Acting as the quarterback for the program, composure was his best attribute and he never rushed a segment, which is hard to do when state results come in unexpectedly.

Analysis; Grade: B+

This was lacking at times but overall it got the job done. Grizzled veteran Tom Brokaw offered his usual solid insight while political director Chuck Todd previewed possible scenarios throughout the evening. Aside from these two, however, there was little to get excited about. It would have been nice to have a slew of analysts, from both parties, providing some political banter. But I guess that's what CNN is for.

Technology; Grade: A-

In this era of rising technology the casual viewer is always looking for the next cool visual aid. While I hear other media stations offered holographic analysts, NBC perfected an old reliable tool: the green room. This was more than an average green backdrop, it was an entire room with decked-out bar graphs popping out of the ground in every which way. A political analyst stood in the middle of it all explaining all the statistics, most of which were based on exit polling. Additionally, NBC even took the viewer through a backstage tour of the green room to show how it all comes together. Very interesting.

Field Reporting; Grade: B+

This is one of those areas which don't seem too important at the time, but nevertheless, is greatly needed. Field reporting gives everyone a break from the studio and offers the sights and sounds from other parts of the country. NBC did not give extensive coverage in this regard but the bare minimum was certainly met. The obvious was covered, such as reporting from both McCain and Obama's home bases, but it was mostly just visuals. A few more interesting stories would have helped fill-in the dry moments of the night.

Website; Grade: B-

Lets face it: the internet is taking over all other media mediums these days. Therefore, a great website is vital in keeping the attention of the public. The election coverage is no different and unfortunately this is where NBC was lacking. It was rather plain and simple with the quintessential map of different colored states showing the election results. Granted, that map is what people want to see during election night but there was really nothing else the website offered. More so, the results were coming in awfully slow, sometimes 15 minutes after being reported on television. A website is supposed to offer speed and relevance, and NBC's site came up a bit short.

Overall; Grade: A-

From both a journalistic and casual viewer perspective, NBC did a pretty good job of covering such a hyped up election. There was very little bias across the board and that is hard to do in such a lengthy telecast. Williams set the pace for a very smooth evening and the virtual greenroom was really something else. There were also some nice commemorative plugs for the late Tim Russert, the NBC political analyst who past away last summer. Furthermore, although the website was lacking, it definitely did not take away from the overall performance of the station.

The 2008 Presidential Election - 18th Century Style

Imagine if John McCain won the presidential election and by default, Barack Obama was slated to be his vice president for the next four years. Likewise, picture a newly elected Obama, with all his liberal views, with the conservative McCain as his right-hand man.

Both of which seem like impossible scenarios, correct?

Before the establishment of the 12th Amendment of the Constitution, however, this was a reality. In the early days of the nation it was declared that the runner-up for president would become the vice-president in a seemingly more democratic fashion.

Conflicting candidates were opponents one day and partners the next in what was a giant mesh of opposing ideologies and views. Let us not forget that George Washington and John Adams, the first President and Vice-President, respectively, ran against each other in the inaugural election of 1789.

The Amendment in 1804 changed all that, forcing the VP selection to be part of the overall presidential package on the ballot.

This ended the era of unusual duos, a system of closer democracy, and any hope of a McCain-Obama white house in 2009.

But what if that old system was still intact today? In a hypothetical setting, what would happen if the 2008 Presidential ballot featured McCain, Obama, Sarah Palin, and Joe Biden?

Here are a few possible outcomes:

1. Obama wins the presidency and second-place McCain comes grabs the vice position. A charismatic leader gives the nation a sense of change while the gutsy sidekick headlines all foreign policy matters. Hmmm…both seem to offset the other candidate's weakness. This seems too good to be true. According to recent polling data on USAToday.com, this is the most likely scenario since Obama holds a slim lead.

2. McCain picks up the pace in the final week to nab the top spot while Obama settles for VP. People have been questioning McCain’s age, but perhaps four years at the helm will be enough to get things rolling, giving Obama just enough experience to take over when the Maverick turns age 76.

3. In a stunning turn of events, Palin roars to the top of the polls on Election Day to become the first female President of the United States while Obama comes in second to become the first African-American VP. If change is what the American people want, this will surely be enough.

4. McCain wins the top position but Biden gets enough votes to become second in command. Maybe America is not quite ready for change after all…a couple of old white guys are once again running the country.

Schieffer Debate Notes

McCain's debate notes

Lost remote

I thought this was a pretty interesting and helpful article concerning the upcoming election. It talks about a new google mashup for voter information.

The process is rather simple and helpful. Just enter your home address into the box and, with the help of google maps, all your relevant voting information is outlined. This includes everything from how many days left you have left to register by mail to future polling locations. Personally, since this will be my first time voting in a presidential election, I found this information easy to use and extremely helpful. I also liked the connection with google maps which is always a great tool.

ItsHaky Going for Upset, Youth Vote

If Bo ItsHaky is going to knock off perennial election winner, Rosa DeLauro, he needs all the votes he can get, including the young crowd.

"I am very interested in the younger voters. They are the future of this district and this state," said ItsHaky. "I go after the youth vote as much as possible."

The 49 year-old Republican candidate is running for the third congressional district of Connecticut in the United States House or Representatives. His counterpart is Democratic incumbent, DeLauro, who is running for a tenth consecutive term.

For ItsHaky, grabbing the youth vote is more than just getting votes, its about changing the very fabric of Connecticut.

"My main concern is the brain drain, with young people who come here to acquire higher education and not able to be attracted to stay here," said ItsHaky. "I want to reverse that by finding more jobs in Connecticut and more affordable housing."

Originally born in Israel, ItsHaky now resides in Bethany and practices acupuncture in Orange and Cheshire. According to his campaign website, ItsHaky ran for First Selectman in Bethany in 2005 and ran for the Connecticut State Senate 17th District in 2006.

ItsHaky was elected to the Connecticut Republican State Central Committee in 2007, representing the 17th State Senatorial District.

Nevertheless, ItsHaky does not feel that going against the more experienced DeLauro will affect his campaign.

"It doesn't make it harder or easier. I am honored to run against her," said ItsHaky, who was influenced to go into politics after the terrorist attacks in Sept. 11. "I needed to do something on a much larger scale, make an influence on a larger scale."

News Comparison

On Wednesday, Sept. 24, President Bush made a speech to the nation concerning the state of the United States economy. The next day, I compared the coverage of the event by reading a print article in the New Haven Register as well as an online article at CNN.com.

In my opinion, the print article had a bit more information but the online story was more interactive and presentable. The New haven register article was longer and required more reading but it covered the speech in depth. The online article, however, covered a general overview of the speech but also offered a video clip and links to other articles relevant to the topic. Both mediums had a picture of President Bush to go along with the story.