Featured
Programs
Know
Your Government Conference 2007
Politics
and the Media
The excitement
of voting is building for Alison Zeller. The Pierce County 17-year
old is taking her vote seriously and is looking forward to the next
election when she’ll be able to cast her first ballot. Zeller,
along with more than 200 teens from across the state, gathered in
Olympia for the 2007 4-H Know Your Government Conference, to learn
how media impacts voter outcome. “I like learning about biases,
how to dig deeper and look at several news sources so I can decide
for myself who is the best candidate,” said Zeller.
4-H’ers
took on the roles of reporters, editors, producers, photographers,
and researchers while working on issues for television, radio, newspapers,
and magazines. Different media were geared at both conservative
and liberal populations. John Harris, a 17-year old from Kittitas
County, became a producer at conservative mock radio station FARM.
“It’s interesting to know that news has certain guidelines
but stations also know who their audience is and how to attract
listeners,” said Harris, now in his ninth year of 4-H.
Political analyst
Ron Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan, encouraged teens
to get information from a variety of sources. “Read broadly,”
said Reagan. “If you’re liberal, pick a conservative
publication, and vice versa. You might be surprised that the other
side makes some good points,” he added.
Washington
State 4-H Teen Leadership Coordinator Jan Klein said delegates selected
a local issue to work on prior to the conference sponsored by Microsoft.
“Teens got to take a new look at media and the messages it
can convey,” said Klein. “They will be stronger in making
educated decisions about what they read and hear,” Klein added.
State lawmakers
had an opportunity to meet with their youth constituents at a legislative
luncheon sponsored by Chevron. Whitney Fernald, 17, of Yakima County
appreciated being able to talk with the decision makers. “Legislators
like to hear youth opinions and they value input from us,”
said Fernald who has served twice as a legislative page. Teens also
gave lawmakers on-camera interview opportunities that they were
able to use as podcasts on their web sites. Podcasts from the Know
Your Government conference are also on the 4-H web site at http://4-hnews.blogspot.com/search/label/Government.
Students from
Lincoln County were honored for their work with local displaced
youth. The 4-H Know Your Government Extra club was formed to encourage
teens to learn about active versus passive citizenship. The Chevron
Community Pride Award recognized the youth for improving the quality
of life for others. 4-H’ers assembled backpacks for kids taken
from their homes due to violence or drugs and met with county commissioners
and state representatives to learn more about community involvement
and how the media covers issues in government.
Delegate Alison
Zeller thinks the media will assist her when she goes to the polls
next year. “I enjoy research and gathering information,”
explained Zeller. “It’s exciting that my opinion and
my vote can have a big impact.” |
