The field trip to "Democracy Now" was very educational for media majors, especially those interested in television. The "behind the scenes" experience really allowed students to observe how news shows or live shows in general are conducted. I observed on the table in the station, a schedule of what questions the news anchor are supposed to ask the guests. It was interesting to see how right before the show they were still editing the clip they were going to be showing on the news program that day. The sound booth also looked very interesting. Everyone working there seemed friendly and surprisingly more relaxed than one would expect a news team to be, especially minutes before a broadcast.
It was also interesting to watch the guests enter and watch the show from behind the glass wall while it was going on and also from the monitor.
The show was running too long at the end because one guest spoke too long, but that is the nature of the news business. The most important part of the trip, in my opinion, was being told stories and personal experiences from Amy Goodman, the award winning anchor of the show. She told of a time when her and her cameraman went to an island off the coast of Indonesia to expose the massacre of the natives by Indonesian soldiers armed with U.S. military guns. The guns were given to the Indonesian army in exchange for the U.S. to continue their "shoe" business in Indonesia. The massacres were going on without the American public knowing. Amy Goodwin and her cameraman were the only Americans that knew and were held at gun point for interfering. They later escaped and once back in the U.S. held a press conference, exposing the whole cover up.The only reason they survived was because of her quick wit. This story proved that one person standing up for the truth can still make a difference.
