Journalism & Society: Don't Start with a Conclusion, says Street.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Don't Start with a Conclusion, says Street.

WELL? WHAT DID you think of Mayor John Street's presentation?

I will not cloud your judgment with my thoughts. So please click on the comments button below and speak your mind.

Have a voice.

70 comments:

Andy said...: I thought his speech was good. Some students voiced their concerns about how he viewed the media as a "bad" thing, but in his position he dealt with being on the unpleasant side of the media more often than hearing good stories about his administration. He had good advice to offer to students who are looking into journalism as a career, and also prospective politicians. He seems like he can be a bit of a bullheaded and stubborn man, but I think those traits suit him well for the career that he chose.; February 21, 2008 at 3:22 PM
Anonymous said...: I think he responded to all questions in an overly defensive manner and put himself on a pedestal in order to save his own ass.; February 21, 2008 at 3:26 PM
Unknown said...: I agree with Andy that his speech was pretty informative. He had some good points regarding the decorum in which journalists should conduct themselves with. Other than that, I personally felt he was full of sh*t. I think he needs to hide behind a rather boorish bravado and use unnecessarily long words to make himself seem smarter and more in-tune with the situation. I feel he gets far too defensive over questions that don't warrant that strong a response. He also seems to pick and choose questions, and if he gets stuck with a question he's not prepared to answer, he tries to go off topic and make the questioner forget their original inquiry.; February 21, 2008 at 3:29 PM
Anonymous said...: I enjoyed Mayor Street's speech. Even though he is a highly controversial public figure, he has a certain charisma and charm that made the experience feel as though time was moving differently. I think he answered the questions as honestly as he could, and the salient tips he provided would be rather helpful. I would certainly like to hear him speak again.; February 21, 2008 at 3:42 PM
Anonymous said...: I don't feel that Mayor Street tries to act a certain way when speaking, its just his natural personality. Obviously the man has a way about him that compliments his career. We shouldn't assume that he is putting on a show, but instead accept his style and his wealth of knowledge.; February 21, 2008 at 3:46 PM
Anonymous said...: I found him to be very defensive. He also contradicted himself a couple times when talking about the media. He said he's not a person who get bent out of shape about the news becuase he cant control it, but you can cleary tell by his tone that he had a bad opinion about people in the media.; February 21, 2008 at 3:59 PM
Anonymous said...: So Street says that nedia is bad, etc. Has biases. Ok, so this may be true...to some degree.

But then I ask him about the 2005 Time magazine article which republicans, democrats and political reporters all worked together to write the 5 best and 5 worse "big city mayors." Street was named one of the worse. So he's trying to say that everyone in that group had a bias against him? Maybe it's just the truth.

Hyprocrite.

Oh, yea does the media ever get anything right, John? From what you said I guess not.

PS. I was kind of ashamed that most of the class kissed his ass and didn't ask him hard questions.; February 21, 2008 at 4:05 PM
Josh Middleton said...: I really enjoyed Street's talk in class today. I found it apparent that he had an agenda to inform the class in a positive way. He didn't really deserve the bullying he got. It seemed like some people just wanted to get a rise out of him. He was there to speak to us about our careers as journalists, not defend certain negative events that happened during his time as mayor.; February 21, 2008 at 4:13 PM
Anonymous said...: I kind of enjoyed Mayor Street's visit today. Not so much because of what he said, or the information he gave us. It was rather comical, actually. It was mostly because I started to understand what people have been telling me about him for a long time now. The floor was his, and I understand that he wanted his time. But if George said one word to him he said he would put it off til later, but he never actually got back to anything George wanted to hear.; February 21, 2008 at 4:21 PM
Anonymous said...: I kind of enjoyed Mayor Street's visit today. Not so much because of what he said, or the information he gave us. It was rather comical, actually. It was mostly because I started to understand what people have been telling me about him for a long time now. The floor was his, and I understand that he wanted his time. But if George said one word to him he said he would put it off til later, but he never actually got back to anything George wanted to hear.; February 21, 2008 at 4:21 PM
Anonymous said...: He was an interesting man to say the least. His seemed to run around a bit, but he had a wealth of information to say about his opinion of the media which i found informative.; February 21, 2008 at 4:26 PM
Anonymous said...: I found him to be funny. He was highly defensive and seems to like to contradict himself a lot. In his rules for interviews he often repeated himself a lot. I thought the suggestion to go into law school for journalism students was actually a really good idea. Knowing law before writing articles on it would be very helpful.; February 21, 2008 at 4:28 PM
Ariela Rose said...: I'm from MA so this was my first time seeing John Street in action and I think he's a fascinating character. Sure he was defensive about some of the questions he was asked but I think he offered some really valuable advice for interviewing and writing. I think we should have some more guest speakers, it was a fun time!; February 21, 2008 at 4:31 PM
Geo said...: Let's be sure to focus on what he said rather than his public persona.

Broadcast news, he said, is pretty much worthless. The corporate, bottom-line approach to journalism is eroding the quality of reporting, he said. There is a strong cultural bias in the media that distorts stories, he believes.

What did you think of that?

- George (the teacher who wants to ask questions but isn't allowed); February 21, 2008 at 5:08 PM
Anonymous said...: Great presentation. However, I would of preferred better questions to have been asked. Like if he has a myspace.; February 21, 2008 at 5:12 PM
Geo said...: Shoot him an e-mail. He's listed in the Cherry and White pages.

- George (the teacher who suggests you take advantage of all this university's resources, including John Street); February 21, 2008 at 5:18 PM
Anonymous said...: I agreed with his views when it came to Broadcast news and also that the media is bias. Im happy that you made the point that people are commenting on the wrong things when it comes to John Street's presentation. It was a classroom visit this should of been a friendly occasion. You want hard hitting facts if you ask the former mayor infront of 200 people how he feels about being reported as being one of the worst big city your an asshole. This wasnt a press conference or a electoral debate. That shit was very un called for. Then you get mad and call him defensive. Unless you research him and have some hard hitting facts that would support that report your an idiot and your perpetuating the said idea that people are not educated consumers. None of us can even imagine how hard it must be to be the mayor of philadelphia. Take what's important out of the presentation and stop being such a hard ass.; February 21, 2008 at 5:27 PM
Anonymous said...: I have to say I mostly agree with David Hall's comment. Yes, go right ahead and ask your poorly formed, biased questions to the former mayor after he just went on and on about how people in his position dislike that exact thing.

I thought his talk in class today was amazing, just to see his side of things. I thought the advice he gave to us as potential journalists was extremely valuable. The more negative questions that were asked of him basically showcased how "journalists" come to approach him, with conclusions, with agendas. Of course there were a number of intelligent questions, which did indeed some rather long-winded responses, but so what? The guy is the former mayor and has spent a long, long time in public office, talking to all sorts of people.

I'm ranting. His comments on how non-print, broadcast media being useless were pretty profound to me. His comment on their use of sound bites and their ability to be so easily manipulated and removed from the bigger picture at hand was very true, very possible thing that happens, in my opinion.; February 21, 2008 at 5:58 PM
Anonymous said...: I likewise felt that he seemed almost paranoid of the media, with the way he kept defending his actions and pointing fingers at the media. Especially in terms of biasness, but I really dont think even he had a firm hand on his own Ideas. He just kept talking like he was the straight and narrow master of everything political, but I guess once a politician, always a politician.

His points on interviewing people were probably my main interest in this lecture, especially coming from someone like him who has been interviewed as many times as he has. Should be useful in future endeavors.; February 21, 2008 at 6:21 PM
Anonymous said...: I thought he had an agenda. I also thought his excuse for not being more prepared was bull-shit. Hillary lost and my closet caught on fire and my cat crawled into my car dashboard!? I mean if that was my excuse in high school for not doing my shit, everyone would have laughed and not the way he intended. His justification that all the bad articles about him are wrong does little if everything is fake. Is John Street the perfect human that doesn't make mistakes, and at the same time he tells us to make sure to get everything right because we have to get rid of bias and inform the public. Kind of ironic.; February 21, 2008 at 7:25 PM
Anonymous said...: I think that his so-called "bull-shit" story in the beginning was entertaining, and he told it in a way that made it seem like he was talking to a friend. If there was a fire at your house two days before a presentation, would that be the first thing that was on your mind?

Even though he claimed that he was unprepared, he still was able to make a very meaningful speech. A lot of his points were really helpful, like making sure to carry a tape recorder everywhere.

He did get a little defensive on that one question that a girl asked, but I would rather have an eccentric speaker than a painfully polite and boring one.; February 21, 2008 at 8:29 PM
Ben B said...: To be fair, he was asked to discuss what he didn't like about journalists, then a person asks him why he's being so negative about journalists. It's kinda because he was asked......so I don't blame him for getting a bit defensive about that one.

I thought he was a very good public speaker and it was interesting to hear him talk.; February 21, 2008 at 8:50 PM
Anonymous said...: I don't think Street was a very good speaker. I thought that telling us about his house fire was irrelevant. I also thought that the kid who told him that he was listed as one of the worst mayors is an idiot. I thought something was going to go down. He was put in a really tough spot, and did not know what to do. Anyway, as far as his advice on journalism, he pretty much only told us what he has experienced as mayor, he didn't say much about actually BEING a journalist. Whatever, I could take him or leave him. If you want my interest, bring in Cole Hamels!; February 21, 2008 at 9:40 PM
Vita nuova said...: I didn't mind the house story, there's nothing wrong with starting out with an anecdote (whether it's relevant or not- which he thought it was). It humanized him and he made sure to tell it in a lighthearted manner. I think that he focused on his personal experiences because it's what is in his personal sphere, it's what he knows. However, he was too hesitant to mention any personal shortcomings or lack of knowledge, especially with journalism beyond his experience (which he even said you shouldn't be afraid to do...) It's very clear he's had some bad times with the media, which came through loud and clear in his message. I think he wanted to come in so bad because he feels like he can prevent these things from happening by telling young journalists about them. However, his focus on himself had the potential to overshadow his message.; February 21, 2008 at 10:15 PM
Anonymous said...: I thought he was a good public speaker and he raised some interesting points about how journalists often get their stories wrong. I liked his suggestion of using a tape recorder and he gave some good advice but it seemed like he thinks he made no mistakes as being a mayor. He would try to make himself sound good and he was quick to clear his name in bad situations. He seemed like a typical politician who is money and power hungry.; February 21, 2008 at 10:56 PM
Geo said...: Everybody remembers the tape recorder thing.

Do you guys believe the media is elitist, as he said?

Do you feel that the media has a bias? Google "John Street" and read what has been published about him. Think about whether those stories sound like the man you heard today.

- George (the teacher whom Mayor Street implied was an elitist journalist); February 21, 2008 at 11:03 PM
Anonymous said...: I got a lot out of what Mayor Street had to say, personally. I expected him to respond to certain questions in a certain way because...well, he's a politician. He has a reputation he wants to maintain, and I'm sure he wanted his visit to be a positive experience. I really appreciated all of the advice he gave about journalism, I wrote it all down and plan to use it in the future. As for the question asking...I'm sure others in the class did googled Mayor Street beforehand just so they'd know what to expect. But if you're going to make a negative argument about Mayor Street, make sure you've done your homework. Funny thing about media- just because a popular magazine might say one thing, doesn't make it true. I understand everyone has their opinion, and it's not that I think he should be treated differently because he was the Mayor. I do think he should be treated with some respect-and I'm sure he'd respect knowing the public did not just form their opinions from one article they may have read. I just think it's hypocritical to critcize other student's questions when yours may have been pulled from a popular website allows anyone to edit the articles.; February 21, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Anonymous said...: Just another addition to that long entry- I don't believe that the media is any more elitist than those in public office. Journalism is supposed to find the truth, and yes, sometimes it can be embellished but that doesn't mean that all journalists are elitists.; February 21, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Geo said...: Embellished?

Never embellish a story for publication or broadcast.

Ever.

Ever!

- George (the teacher who will freak if he learns that you embellished a story for print or air); February 21, 2008 at 11:56 PM
Anonymous said...: I think the media is definitely biased. Every journalist is a citizen and a voter who believes in some sort of set of ideals. So goes for every editor, every publisher, every CEO, etc...

It's impossible to be unbiased. Hell, writing all about humans is biased. Are we not animals like the rest in the world?

I mean that's not exactly a valid argument, but I'd say most articles, even if they seem objective, are trying to implicate things the author believes in regarding the situation in the article.; February 22, 2008 at 12:04 AM
Anonymous said...: It seemed to me that Street thinks everything wrong that happened to him was the fault of the media. I was hoping someone would've asked him about his comment that the "brothers and sisters run this city" because it would have got really interesting! Even though I don't like the man, I can see how he has lasted so long in public office. Before he opened it up for questions he came across pretty well; but, once people started firing off questions he got way too defensive way too quickly.; February 22, 2008 at 12:33 AM
Marissa said...: I think Street's speech was informative overall. For those of us inexperienced in how to approach a job or even internship interview, his "tips" were definitely helpful. I have an interest in broadcast journalism and when he said there's basically no future in television, and newscasters "wear alot of make-up and only read the news" it was almost a slap in the face. He may be bias of local news stations and how they portrayed him, however what about the future of national news stations?; February 22, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Geo said...: I wanted him to talk about how to improve the state of broadcast news. I think I even tried to ask him.

But he shut me down.

You guys were supposed to pick up the slack on that one.

- George (the teacher who needs to relax, apparently); February 22, 2008 at 11:50 AM
Kristen Mos said...: His speech was informative, NOT an open discussion. He did not pose solutions just told us to handle the responsibility and gave tips to be taken with a grain or ten of salt. I don't think a public official should be teaching journalists what to do. It was an interesting perspective, but it was all his "experienced opinion"

I agree with him that there is an ASTOUNDING amount of "underground" info. AND that knowing the law is essential. I work in an office building and even within our school there are lurking projects and money distribution questions. And that secretaries are IMPORTANT people for contacts.

Some of the speech was obviously planned as meaningless filler, because it is easy to keep repeating yourself than it is to really question and solve problems.

Overall I appreciated his perspective and experience, but he is not a reliable source unless his views are balanced by someone else of similar power and knowledge.; February 22, 2008 at 1:40 PM
Lateef said...: As someone who has over the years grown to dislike John Street very much I was impressed by his speech especially his views on what our generation needs to do as journalists, in fact I would have preferred to hear him say more about the state of journalism like George suggested.

In respect to the statements about him being defensive, we need to realize that at days end the guy is a politician who has had a long and public history of problems with the media. So for him to be hit with questions about how defensive he is around journalists and how bad a guy he is of course he's going to be defensive. If people want to ask him those types of questions they should first make sure that they have all the facts and that they don't ask him in an insulting way and for people to be angry that more questions like that weren't asked makes me think that they might not be in the right field, there is a huge difference between investigative merit and rudeness masked as reporting.

PS. sorry about the ranting but i think it needed to be said; February 22, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Anonymous said...: To be honest, I was more interested in watching professor Miller's reactions. Mayor Street wouldn't let him get a word in and professor Miller's facial expressions to some of the things he was saying and doing were very funny. I have no qualms with Mayor Street but I don't think his presentation was the best. I don't think you should ever walk into a presentation and give an excuse for why you weren't prepared, regardless if it is comical or not. He had some good things to say about journalism, though. I was angry at his comments about broadcast journalism. I think that was really inappropriate, and though I know he was supposed to be telling us about negative aspects of journalism, he was completely offensive toward broadcast journalism. I wonder how many people in the class are going into broadcast journalism, and I hope noone that is listens to him.; February 22, 2008 at 5:54 PM
Anonymous said...: I did not appreciate being shoveled a load of crap. John Street should not be giving rules of journalism. He was obviously trying to protect himself from statement previously made during his terms.; February 22, 2008 at 6:02 PM
Anonymous said...: I did not appreciate being shoveled a load of crap. John Street should not be giving rules of journalism. He was obviously trying to protect himself from statement previously made during his terms.; February 22, 2008 at 6:02 PM
Anonymous said...: I found it pretty crazy how defensive John Street got whenever anyone asked a pressing question. He seemed to contradict himself as well. Also, professor Miller couldn't get a word in without being snapped at. What's that about? And yeah, great job spending half the class talking about being unprepared... what a waste of time.; February 22, 2008 at 6:10 PM
Anonymous said...: John Street was mayor. What did any of you ever do?

George Miller rules.; February 22, 2008 at 6:11 PM
Anonymous said...: I think Street was pretty defensive and I can't take some of his advice seriously but all in all it was a good speech. Also, I liked his story in the beginning because it shows that he's human and not just a cold politician.

Oh and the kid who asked how it feels to be called one of the worst mayors is an idiot.; February 22, 2008 at 6:42 PM
Geo said...: Hey anonymous,

If you would have left your name, I could have given you an A. Bummer.

- George (the teacher who was never mayor); February 22, 2008 at 8:34 PM
MonicaS said...: Having former Mayor John Street come to our class was pretty cool. I have never sat in on a speech by him and to hear him speak in person is totally different than watching him give a speech on TV. He gave the class some pretty interesting advice. ALthough I was aware of a lot of the pointers he gave us, it was nice to hear that I knew what the former mayor of Philly knows. Hm...He seemed to have shrugged away from the truth when he spoke about his views of the media. I definitely noticed when GEO made a face! He had some good things to tell us, but honestly nothing that left a great impression on me. I can't wait for Larry Mendte!; February 22, 2008 at 9:11 PM
Anonymous said...: I'm an idiot.
That's cute.
Wow, that's really a informative critique.
Good luck being a journalist.
"I don't like him, agree with him, he's an idiot..."

But let's remember that Street kept on saying the media is lying, biased, makes stuff up, etc.

So everything he says is accurate? I'm supposed to believe him? Why? I don't believe everything I read/hear, but I definitely don't believe everything a former mayor says either.

In case anyone is interested http://www.time.com/time/press_releases/article/0,8599,1050348,00.html; February 23, 2008 at 2:32 AM
Anonymous said...: Yea im cute i get that from time to time thank you. Sometimes when people are so easily wrong you can use small words like idiot, retard and profanity if you will asshole. My whole point was the fact that you questioned him about the article and expected him not to be defensive. He's human why are you trying to belittle him in a friendly gathering. I would of gotten defensive too. We all know that he has had bad relations with the media and if your paying attention you can see that a question like that might not be appropriate. You can post as many links as you want im not questioning your journalistic point of view, I just feel like you very much so lack common courtesy.; February 23, 2008 at 10:35 AM
Anonymous said...: I enjoy debates, but I'm just saying if you're gonna have to resort to calling someone an asshole or whatever you totally invalidate your arguement.

And "Then you get mad and call him defensive." I never got mad or called him defensive.; February 23, 2008 at 11:29 AM
Geo said...: Focus, people.

The topic is Mayor John Street and his presentation. Not who is or isn't an ***hole.

Seriously ... bias in the media? Anyone?

- George (the diplomatic teacher); February 23, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Anonymous said...: I don't think this was supposed to be a friendly gathering. It was just an honest exchange of information. John Street is not famous for his honesty. The bringing up of the article was keeping a man accountable, who has not been so in the past. I also tried to bring up the misappropriation of funds for the afterschool programming, to which of course he denied. He went on a tangent about how he was in control of everything that had to do with it... that's only more of a reason why he could have made that "mistake." We should realize how honest the people are who are talking to us and not always take them at their word. Bringing up things that aren't so pleasant gets more out of people than a nice, superficial conversation.; February 23, 2008 at 1:35 PM
Anonymous said...: I know that politicians usually give lengthy unnecessary answers but damn we're they right. I never saw some one try to avoid being direct and to the point as much as he did. I felt that he was only there to defend himself. I thought government was not supposed to make us feel skeptical about the media. He practically contradicted our use of being in that class, which I felt was wrong. He provided no details on how media helped out his career or had gotten their details right. He only stood up there and told us how to conform and become quiet journalists that are too afraid of exposing any of the truth.; February 23, 2008 at 2:46 PM
Anonymous said...: Although directed at you it was meant to be a general statement directed towards the people that were so shocked he was defensive. So with that you have a point but my argument still remains the same. What i don't understand is if you don't trust anything the media says in which i believe we all agree with. Then you don't trust anything Street says. So at this point who do you trust. I appreciate the fact that he came to see us and i don't think that if he was asked he would come back. Its a matter of respect. I'm sorry Prof. Miller i know were trying to stick to the issues but what good was there to come out and asking that question. It was asked with negative intensions. Media is very bias but people are still people. Like the anonymous blogger said, "John Street was mayor what have any of you done". Can we show a little respect. O yea and "George Miller rules" damn almost forgot that.; February 23, 2008 at 3:30 PM
Anonymous said...: I didn't get to see him speak (since I am no longer in the class) but I have read all, and i do mean ALL the comments. So I'm wondering, if you (david hall) or anyone else do not trust the media, and you want to go INTO the media, are you saying that we should not trust anything you write?

Street said the media was elitist. Do you think he is wrong? You have to admit that most media is owned by large corporations which represent a few, very rich, very powerful, very ELITE men who only care about profits. Look at where the money in media comes from. Advertising. And ads are not cheap. So again, the ELITE get their ads run, their views expressed and others don't.

Finally, Street claimed media bias. This is particularly true with politicians. When they run for office, you will find both sides of the story. But once they get IN office, people are more concerned about what they are doing WRONG. And while the media is to serve as a check on government, do you not think that constantly reporting mistakes or errors does not negatively affect public image, and therefore his overall effectiveness as a mayor, or politician in general?

I know these are a lot of questions, but I would appreciate answers from anyone up to the challenge.

J111 veteran.; February 23, 2008 at 5:34 PM
Anonymous said...: I, like every other person trusts what I want to/think I should.

I have no way of ever knowing what is true and not true all the time.

Sometimes it may be the papers.
Sometimes it may be Street.

Glad that's over.

It was definitely nice to see him come nonetheless. He definitely said some interesting things about what to do properly as journalist (show up on time, bring a tape recorder, be candid, etc etc,).

Donnie I think you make a great point. If we don't trust things we read/hear we kind of indirectly tell people not to trust us (sorta). It's a really tricky situation. How can we change those thoughts? Of course what we write/say may seem unbiased (to us), but filtered through several other eyes may we be biased?

It's hard to communicate our thoughts the same way as when we write them down as when other people read what was written down.; February 23, 2008 at 7:26 PM
K.Gorson said...: I thought it was nice of street to give us tips about journalism, but honestly, is he a journalist? I didn't really want his tips I more so wanted information about how he felt as far is improvements that could be made to journalism.

I think the media can be bias, like we talked about at the start of the semester, its hard to write a paper about the strength of the mets when your a philllies fan. I do think however, that street made it seem as though the media was out to get him. Like he didn't do much wrong it was more so the media that screwed his term.; February 23, 2008 at 8:52 PM
Amanda DiPaolo said...: I was actually offended when Mayor Street said that broadcast journalism wasn’t real journalism. In a sense, maybe it isn’t as hard-hitting but it’s still journalism. Talking to a group of young people who some are aspiring broadcast journalists; I really don’t think that was appropriate. Also, I can see where the media has portrayed him in a negative light at times. I felt he was very abrasive when answering questions. I’m not taking away any of the good he did for the city of Philadelphia, I’m just saying I can see where the media has done him wrong by his attitude and demeanor. On the other hand, Mayor Street gave great advice on becoming a well-informed, prepared journalist.; February 24, 2008 at 4:11 PM
Anonymous said...: David Hall

When I made the point about people not trusting the media that was based on the response received when it was asked in class. There were basically no hands raised when Prof. Miller asked if anyone trust the media.; February 24, 2008 at 5:31 PM
Anonymous said...: I really enjoyed John Street's visit. I found him to be very informative and interesting, I wish we could have had a bit more time to really pick his brain. Although, I doubt whether or not he would be willing to address the class again, since some of the students treated him somewhat rude. I would hope that we can extend a little more decorum with future guests.; February 24, 2008 at 8:49 PM
Anonymous said...: I wish I was there. I probably would have been asked to leave with some of my questions. Folks a politician is not supposed to like us. Everyone around this guy is in jail for pay-to-play. Why? Public safety is in the gutter. Why? Why did his house catch on fire? Rip him apart. Go for the jugular. Don't be nice. My first question, "How did you get away with not paying any gas bills?"
Street has a bias against the media. I wish I was there. I would have loved to see him glare at me.
Paul Klein (fomer J1111 student); February 25, 2008 at 11:23 AM
Anonymous said...: I think that even though John Street appeared to have some biases he gave really good information. No matter what we think about him, he knows how people in his position deal with journalists. So when we want to go interview someone like him it's going to be important to get as much info. from them as we can so we can write something that will be useful and interesting to our readers. He was telling us how to do it.; February 25, 2008 at 10:19 PM
Anonymous said...: I loved the visit with John Street. He's way nicer than I thought and I learned a great deal of things that I was oblivious to before his visit.; February 25, 2008 at 11:02 PM
Anonymous said...: I enjoyed John Street's visit. I thought he gave some good tips toward interviewing and handling media. It's true that he holds bias, but isn't it up to an individual to weed through another person's bias and form their own opinion?; February 26, 2008 at 12:18 AM
Anonymous said...: His "tips" are probably, "be nice to the politician while said politician pulls the wool over your eyes;" or pick pockets you. If you listen to Street you will never get the dirt. You will not be the gatekeepers and you will be doing a disservice to your communities. "Mr Street, why did the feds bug your office." "Mr Street, why were you using a police officer to keep your space in line for a iPhone while people were dying." Mr Street why are all your friends in jail for pay-to-play while you now work for Temple?" I wanted to take his class. It would have been money wasted because he would have given me a "F", or I would have been thrown out. He is a politian, a very smooth talker. Don't believe everything that comes out of his mouth.
Paul Klein (former J1111); February 26, 2008 at 1:49 PM
DanSigg said...: Being a product of Montgomery County i was a little disappointed that he didn't show it any love. He neglected to inform of his ties with the Conshohocken and Norristown. But with all that said his information was mildly informative. He pretty much just talked about the basics that is common sense. He was also a little to cocky for my likings also. I could really care less if he ran 14 times for office and won 14 times, that makes him look worse because he obviously should have plenty of experience in politics and he allowed Philadelphia to go down the wrong path.; February 27, 2008 at 1:48 PM
Alex said...: I thought this was an interesting meeting, it was a good introduction to the way that people who want to avoid speaking about certain things find ways to do so even under scrutiny. I felt that Mr. Street had some interesting points about the journalism word but in general its seemed he was merely attacking the majority of the buissness due to some personal agenda created by his mistreatment in the media,; February 27, 2008 at 11:33 PM
Anonymous said...: I was the first anonymous.
I figured since I already commented that my name would have just shown up.

so about that A...; February 28, 2008 at 12:30 AM
B Harg. said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; February 28, 2008 at 6:49 AM
B Harg. said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; February 28, 2008 at 6:50 AM
B Harg. said...: (no comment on Mr. Mayor besides he was clearly hug/love deprived as a child)

Geo-
I was impressed with how responsive this semesters class is to your post. Then, I realized that a lot of these post were you? Hilarious. Furthermore, I wouldn't be suprised if the "anonymous" person who wrote "George Miller rules" was you, but since one can never be sure- way to go Zach, I'd claim it too if I were you!
-None other, FG

ps: Why couldn't we get any cool speakers that caused a debate between students? Geesh.; February 28, 2008 at 7:01 AM
Anonymous said...: (I write this as a non-biased, non-fan/non-hater of Mr. Street.)

I think he is very intelligent, I also think his speech was engaging, he never lost my attention. He had no errors in physical presentation. However, I felt like his 50 minute monologue was full of a whole bunch of nothing. I'm not even sure if HE knows what message he was trying to send...; February 28, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Anonymous said...: everybody is biased about everything. people are biased on what they like, what food they eat, etc. the media will always be biased. once you form an opinion about something, you dont let it go, not that easily.; March 3, 2008 at 5:09 PM
Anonymous said...: Really thought that John Street gave a very good speech to any journalists hoping to make it in today's world. For every person nice person who is willing to give you whatever interviews and information you want, there is going to be someone like John Street who is going to be difficult. Based solely off that I felt like his speech was very worthwhile because it is a very good look in how to handle someone like this. He gave many important tips, which to me meant know your subjects and their tendencies. I mean in class the tape-recorder debate came up and in several of my classes I have heard to not bring tape recorders, but John Street wants you to have one because he is naturally skeptical of journalists and wants to make sure that he is not misquoted. Therefore it seems like Street was trying to help us out, although it was sort of backhanded during his speech. I am glad that he came to class, just so we could see the opposite side of journalism because you know it will happen eventually.; March 4, 2008 at 8:41 PM