PLEASE SHARE YOUR thoughts on today's guest, Sam Katz, and his views on the media.Was he on target? Did he inspire you? Scare you? Depress you?
What about his thoughts on the way the media handled the bugging scandal?And how did his appearance differ from our visit from Mayor Street? Were there similarities?
16 comments:
I really enjoyed hearing Sam Katz talk today. He wasn't really evasive like Street, and he pretty much talked to us in an honest manner, without sugar coating things too much. I found that the fact that he has changed parties multiple times actually made me respect him more as a politician, because he's been on both sides of the argument, so to speak, and really that's the way a lot of people are.
I also thought it was interesting how both Katz and Street both had a similar view of the media (a negative one), but Katz seemed to take it a lot less personally than Street. He was also a lot less defensive in general. I liked how he listened to questions and answered them without trying to change the nature of the question.
Good pick!
Sam Katz and John Street should have their own sitcom.
It would be like Perfect Strangers.
I enjoyed Sam Katz's presentation and his humor. I agree with Rachel that Katz was honest throughout his speech. Not only did he tell us what he thought about the media and journalism, but also his on beliefs about controversial issues and the 2008 election. Despite the taboo of talking about politics, I think his input was beneficial to our own choices.
I enjoyed Katz's speech a lot today. My favorite guests so far have been the politicians. I thought he was extremely funny, well spoken and had a lot of great things to say. I disagreed with his stance on Obama, though. I found it strange that he says he should be President - then said he wasn't sure if he could handle the job. Not the best of endorsements.
I loved Sam Katz. He doesn't bullshit like John Street does.
At one point, he said "I feel obliged to respond to that question..." which was the opposite of how Street handled our Q&A.
I think that if he had been as straight-foward as he was today about why he was a republican, and just in general, then he would have had a better chance of winning the mayoral election (the second one) against John Street.
I agree with him about the press getting caught up in the "theater" of politics rather than focusing on what politicians say or do. You see it all the time on TV.
Excellent choice :)
I don't think he meant that Obama couldn't handle the job though. Its true that almost all politicians say things initially and then it turns out that they may not be able to fulfill everything they said they would do, and I think he was just acknowledging that.
I really liked Katz's speech overall. He was not defensive at all like Street was and he had a sense of humor. Also, he answered questions fully and didn't brush any questions off or try to change the subject.
I felt Sam Katz was inspiring because he was so honest and straight forward. The whole time he spoke he had a calm, clear, and intellectual manner of speaking. He didn't try to win us over either. He just shared his experience, opinions, and answers to our questions in a peer to peer manner. (Street's performance in our class was just that a performance.)
I was really happy with Katzs' speech. I agree with mostly everyone else about him. I was very surprised with how honest he was. I think Street could have been a lot better of a speaker if he was more honest. I felt I learned a lot from Katz's speech. Good choice!
I liked Sam Katz a lot he was very honest and even shared his personal opinions... unlike Mr.Street. He wasn't defensive, and he was not embarrassed or regretful about the number of times he has run for office and lost. He didn't need to demand respect like John Street because he is someone that is very easy to respect. But I do think he is a little distrustful of the media, especially after the bugging scandal. I think he felt that the media pointed the blame on him and his campaign when the bugging device was found. I liked what he had to say though. It's hard to find a politician who is that honest and professional, along with being humorous and personable. I think he was the best guest yet! Keep them coming!
I would like to thank George Miller for inviting me to his Journalism class at Temple University today and to his many students for their patience, interest and intelligent questions and ideas. I haven't been invited to attend many such student forums since losing the Mayoral election in 2003--such is the fortune of coming in #2--but I welcome this opportunity and appreciated the interaction. I also was extremely pleased that so many students felt compelled or inspired to write in their thoughts on this blog site. You all should understand that there are significant differences between people who compete for offices like Mayor, Governor and President. John Street and I are very different people but we both wanted something better for our city. He had the experience of over 28 years as a Councilman, President of Council and Mayor and that shaped and impacted his relationship with journalists and the media. I only had the experience of four campaigns and a lot of time as a staff person. The number of cuts and bruises each of us experienced along the path of our careers was therefore quite different as it relates to the media.
I wish everyone in Mr. Miller's class the best in the pursuit of your goals as journalists or whatever your professional choice. I hope you all will try to separate your biases and personal feelings from the way you do job by challenging your assumptions and preconceived notions. By asking thoughtful and well researched questions and drilling down beyond the pat answers and spin doctoring of the PR pros, you will have the best chance of being excellent at what you do. Excellence should be the standard you impose on yourselves and your colleagues.
Thank you again.
Sam Katz
bravo sir!
I really enjoyed Mr. Katz honesty to fill us in on whatever we asked. His occasionally witty comments absolutely added a lot to his character. Being a New Jersey resident, I had not heard of either John Street or Sam Katz before attending Temple. I had no views on any person of political standing in Philadelphia.
After witnessing both speak to our class, I can at least admit one thing personally... and that is that Mr. Katz is a more down to earth person and more open than Mr. Street. That's not to say that Mr. Street is none of those, I just felt that he has put himself in a defensive role. Yes, the class was VERY harsh on Street, which I feel might have had a biased edge to it. Mr. Katz on the other hand, didn't have any beef for the class to attack him on.
Anywho, it was a pleasure and I applaud Professor Miller on having these great city representatives attend our class. It's been an eventful and fun experience.
I really enjoyed Sam Katz's lecture today. I can honestly say I sat still with a smile on my face the whole time.
Even though I am not a journalism major, I do agree with his stand points on the new emerging media.
def one of the best speakers in the class so far, the fact that he was so easily relatable made it even better. Great guy with a great personality, knows how to truly open up to his audience. Hard to believe that someone of his ranking could still be so down to earth. I never really paid any attention to politics even thought ive lived in Philly me whole life, but now im starting to have a reaction to what is going on around me, especially after being to actually compare up close and personal Katz and Street
i felt as though sam katz came across as very genuine. Unlike John Street, who seems like he can't ever turn off the politician. I really enjoyed it. i thought that it was great that he actually opened up, and even gave his bias on some issues. John Street just ripped into "his" rules for journalists. His thoughts on the bug scandal was really unexpected. I was really surprised to find out he has switched political parties many times. even though i am a dem, i think he's right about how philly really needs a 2 party system, even for the sake of keeping each other in check. I liked Street too, because that was a real learning experience in itself, but i felt that sam gave his honest opinion about it all.
I was extremely impressed with Mr. Katz. It's rare to find someone that can point out the strengths of their adversaries, and I believe that's why he would have been a great Mayor if he had been elected. He seemed very honest, forthcoming, and patient- not to mention he interacted well with the class. A lot of what he said got through to me, and I really liked what he said about "taking the theatrics" from the politicians in order to form an opinion based on content. I've been conflicted about the election, and wasn't even sure if I wanted to vote because I wasn't sure how to form an opinion on the candidates. No one has ever quite put it so well into words, like he did. It's too bad he doesn't teach a class at Temple. I also liked what he said about Obama- that he wasn't sure what would happen after the election, but that he wants what Obama stands for to at least have a chance. Great speaker.
I think Sam Katz was cool and all... He went to Gompers Elem.!!!
Haha!
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