AMPE AT POYNTER 2010 BUILDING MOMENTUM

MIDTERM ELECTION EVE OUTLOOK

The APME (Associated Press Managing Editors Association) begins its Thursday presentation a little after eight a.m. at the stunningly beautiful Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. The first panel is the Midterm Election Eve outlook moderated by AP Special Correspondent David Espo. Panelists are Matthew Corrigan, Political Science Professor at the University of North Florida, and John Bartosek, editor of Politifact.com at the St. Petersburg Times.


Espo spoke of the Democrat and Republican divide and the challenges that face Democrats in the election. He addressed the platforms of both parties and the tactics being employed by each side in order to reach and capture voters. Last week people saw an average 50 senate ads and “it’s moments like this that make you realize it’s time for the election to be over,” says Espo.

But what is causing Florida’s voting season to become so volatile and polluted? Corrigan blames the fact that Florida’s southern political history is meeting tremendous change with new populations transplanting here. He also addresses the fact that so often Florida is considered a “tossup” state in elections, something he says prior voting history proves as untrue. Republicans typically win, with the exception of the 2008 Presidential upset of Obama winning Florida’s vote.

Corrigan speaks of Marco Rubio’s Tea Party Republican bid and how he currently leads the polls. When asked what would become of Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek and Independent Charlie Crist, he believes that Meek could lose and still go on to a higher office at a later time. Crist, however, he isn’t quite sure about. How does the governor, who left his own party, lose the senate race and go on to new endeavors. Does he become a Democrat? The Republicans certainly wouldn’t support him if he came back to their party. Crists’ political future is really up in the air at the moment.

When asked about the future of the Tea Party movement, Corrigan thinks the party will continue to matter after the election. “The idea of a conservative government is really going to hold traction,” he said. In 2012 he believes we will see a repeat of 1964 where a conservative Republican party will be at odds with a moderate Republican party. Bartosek is concerned about what will become of the party because it doesn’t have a definite center for their platforms and there doesn’t seem to be a consistent unity of the party throughout the country.

Rick Scott with not speak to editorial boards citing that he would prefer to “talk to the people”. Bartosek explains that newspaper endorsements of candidates are still being done, they might help the candidates, but he does not really believe that these endorsements affect the general public’s opinion.

But what do people use to make their political decisions and where do they get their information? Corrigan believes that even with social networking, “good ‘ole tv ads make the decision.” Bartosek believes that people are reluctant to become engaged in the election and the ads are a last minute deciding factor along with word of mouth. Ten percent of voters decide their allegiance on the last day which leads to these ads being a huge factor.

What do they think of social media for candidates and its effect on younger generations? Its growth is HUGE. You see a more aggressive campaign and a further reaching one. Corrigan believes that Republicans really learned from their mistakes in the 2008 election and increased their use of social networks.

Governor Charlie Crist spoke to the APME conference and I think it best you let you watch for yourself. (Sorry for any shakes but honestly holding a Flip for 20 minutes straight is a challenge.)

Part One

  


Part Two



Kendrick Meek also spoke:



                                        VIDEO & MULTIMEDIA @ THE NEXT LEVEL

Joshua Trujillo, photojournalist at seattlepi.com started the panel discussion. He introduced himself as a “one man band” something every University of South Florida Mass Communications student has heard day after day. Trujillo spoke of using video to create grab frame images for print. He also considers himself a contrarian with the time investment of video. Taking video with an iphone for that instantaneous quality was also mentioned. Trujillo does question whether they are trying to reinvent a medium that has been in use for quite some time, even if it does have a low viewership.

Val Hallis spoke next about the importance of multimedia journalists. “One of the most important things you can do for your multimedia journalists is to TRAIN them,” Hallis explained. She shared many of the challenges she faced with her attempts to converge. Training and experience were stressed and she revealed that she taught herself how to edit video to stay with the times. If you know the software and have experience you will be efficient at turning out stories quickly. A final point? TIME IS SUPER IMPORTANT.

Danese Kenon staff photographer at the Indianapolis Star showed a piece in which she interviewed twenty two veterans with a two camera setup (Dslr’s and a Sony). The piece will air on a local station, also be available on their website and in print. The funding for the package? It sold for $35,000.