Blog: Lovely Words of an Intern

 By: Jennifer Regan

As many of the interns here at the Fox News Channel know, being an intern can be frightening yet the most exhilarating experience they could ever have. If you really want to sit and think about it being an intern is probably the best time of your career. Well the beginning of a good start at least. This is my second internship here at Fox News. It is the best part of my semester. I came into my first internship not really knowing what exactly I wanted to do. I knew that my interest was (and still is) in Entertainment and Sports. Don’t get me wrong I like news too, but those really hold a big interest in my life. So I was placed on the morning show, Fox and Friends. I have already been here for 2 months and I absolutely love it. I hate that I am only here two days a week but, in those two days I do so much! I arrive at the building at 4:15; I have a set schedule of my tasks, in a particular order. Once the show starts I basically run around like a lunatic, but I love it! I have to print the headlines for the anchors, rundowns for the control room and studio, and greet the guests. It’s great. When the show is slow is doesn’t feel right. I like the fast past atmosphere, not because it goes by quick but I feel helpful that way. After the show is over, like everyday, everyone must attend a pitch meeting for the show. Here executive producers, senior producers, writers, PA’s, and interns for the show come together to pitch ideas. At first when I heard about this my heart stopped. I probably wouldn’t be voted the number one most outgoing person; I do tend to be a little shy. However since working at Fox and Friends I have really opened up more. The pitch meetings are really interesting to be apart of. I believe that I have gotten fairly better since I first started. I say that because I now learned what type of stories are right and what are wrong, what is good for that time of the morning and etc and of course how to pitch them. My point of this blog isn’t to bore your eyes off with my life story, it’s to show that being an intern on Fox and Friends really helped me improve on myself. I’ve been given a lot of opportunities to network with everyone that works in this building. I am getting a deeper side of what producing is all about. I’ve learned to really put yourself out there and do anything you get a chance to do. I believe that even if you do something you have never done before, push yourself to do something that seems of a challenge. Do it because you will most likely end up surprising yourself if you just try.

Blog: Somethin’ For Nothin’

Somethin’ for Nothin’

Running Free

By: Elle Tansey

In my opinion nothing tops the excitement of watching athletes cross the finish line of the NYC Marathon. The pure dedication and months of training all came together for the 43,000 racers this Sunday. Their adrenaline and endorphins were surely passed along to the thousands cheering fans in Central Park as they proudly received their medals.  It is a tradition for me to watch the annual marathon and it is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Usually a few celebrities participate, but in the sea of motion it was quite hard to point out Ed Norton and Alanis Morrisette this year. 

                I spoke with some runners after the race and learned of a great program surrounding this event called Medals 4 Mettle.  This organization allows marathon finishers from all over the world to donate their hard earned medals to recipients who are dealing with disease, handicaps or any similar challenge.  These recipients may not be able to physically run a marathon but they are certainly in their own marathon to continue to courageously live their lives. So many great causes and people surround the NYC Marathon every year and if you aren’t planning on running perhaps you could share the experience from the sidewalk next year.

FNCU Intern Experience

By Brian Donnelly

  Typically, college students have a choice when looking for internships. Pick a big-name company and be a gofer all semester long or a smaller name company and get practical experience in the field. I had that choice this summer when I was offered two internships on either end of the spectrum, at least that’s what I thought.

  I had it backwards thinking I would become Fox’s next gofer – you know, Fox News Channel, where, by the grace of some computer glitch or act of divine intervention, I am interning this fall. To my continued surprise and elation, I have yet to go on a coffee run, and instead, I’m working with the best of both and loving every minute of it.

  Typical intern tasks, like transcribing video, are no joy ride. But everything else I do more than balances things out. I have written two articles for the health website, gone on video shoots with my department’s producers, had a small hand in putting our weekly webisode together, and written my own weekly sports blog for the intern webpage. I have the chance to learn all of the essential tools of the news-media trade while getting national exposure for my writing on a major news website – 20,000 clicks on my first article baby, yeah!

  Besides all of that, the producers, writers, editors, video editors, cameramen and on-air talent that I work with in the Health Department have been nothing but pleasant, professional and patient, creating a positive environment to work and grow in.    

  Recently, one such experience reaffirmed for me why I want to make news my career. One of the health producers, interviewed four doctors around the city for a website video feature and I went along for the ride. We hit each spot, set up the cameras, shot the interviews and moved on. However, the moments in between were those that I took the most from. Whether it was talking with the PR person, learning how to control an interview by observing my producer in action, or taking notes on how to make the most of my internship from everyone (even the docs had a few nuggets of wisdom for me), my eyes and ears were open and the reporter inside of me – I like to call him Clark Kent – was alive. 

  I had many expectations of what it would be like to intern for the almighty Fox News Channel. To say that it’s nothing like what I expected isn’t fair because I didn’t really know what to expect. Some people told me to dress to impress, while others said I should be the one to bust Hannity and O’Reilly with the inside scoop on their “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.” Considering this blog is being posted on the website, I’ll let you guess which piece of advice I listened to.

  But I’ll end on this note. At the end of long, sometimes demanding days interning at Fox, I always look forward to getting up and doing it again. Every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, when I push through the revolving door and step outside, I look back at the bold face news ticker running the day’s top stories along the front of the building and I’m full of hope that this fall semester internship isn’t the last time I walk back through that revolving door.

Blog: New Jersey: A Battleground State?

November 1, 2009

New Jersey: A Battleground State?

Christopher Snyder- FNC ’09 Intern

Election Day 2009 is increasingly becoming a litmus test to see what direction Americans are moving towards for the mid-term Congressional elections next year. There are only two couple gubernatorial elections on November 3^rd: Virginia and New Jersey. Media coverage is primarily focusing on New Jersey due to Virginia’s race seeming to be wrapped up with GOP candidate Bob McDonnell expected to win the governorship in the Old Dominion State. No matter who wins each electoral contest, it is certain that pundits as well as supporters of both Republicans and Democrats will be spinning the result in their favor. No one could have predicted that New Jersey would become the center stage for a tight political contest this election year.

New Jersey has become a three-way contest in the race for governor. Current incumbent Democrat Jon Corzine is seeking re-election after his first term. The governor is dealing with low approval ratings due to an extreme hike in property taxes, along with a significant budget crisis. Corzine’s pitch to voters is that he is the only candidate capable of taking New Jersey out of a recession and creating new jobs within the state.

His main challenger is Republican Christopher Christie. A former United States district attorney, Christie’s message throughout the entire campaign is that in his former position, he was able to dramatically curb corruption in government. If elected governor, Christie proclaims he could achieve the same results.

In addition to the main party candidates, independent Christopher Daggett is a viable player in this race. Daggett has been selling himself as the true reformer for New Jersey as he would not be connected to any political influence from the Republican and Democratic Parties. These candidates all hope to be elected as New Jersey governor.

Opinion polling continues to show the governor’s race as a toss-up. A recent Quinnipiac University Poll released on November 2^nd shows Christie leading Corzine 42 percent to 40 percent with Daggett receiving 12 percent. Initially throughout a majority of the year, Christie was leading in the contest by up to 15 percent; however, the current governor was able to close the gap. The actual voter support that Daggett receives on Election Day will be influential in determining who will be the state’s next governor, Christie or Corzine. This demonstrates how influential the third party candidate, Daggett, is in this gubernatorial contest.

Recent visits by high profile politicians for both Corzine and Christie, such as President Obama and Senator John McCain, demonstrate how crucial this vote in New Jersey is for the political direction of the United States. The Democratic Party believes that if Corzine loses to Christie it could prove to be a symbolic setback for them as they have gained politically since the 2006 mid-term elections, whereas the Republican Party views a win in New Jersey as helping to increase morale with supporters to show that Republicans are capable of winning elections, even in the primarily Democratic northeast.

Turnout will be key to either candidate’s victory in New Jersey. A major factor in this determination is the constant bombardment of negative campaign ads from both Corzine and Christie. Each night, voters have to experience these attack ads which are primarily insults on the opposing candidates and don’t truly inform the voter. November 3^rd’s result will be determined on whether voters were not completely turned off by the constant attacks by the politicians on their rivals to go out and vote.

For the first time in many decades, New Jersey has become a battleground election state. Usually, analysts and pundits are able to determine who could possibly edge out a victory. However, in this race, it’s not possible. On November 4^th, the day after the poll, Americans will get a glimpse on how voters are approving of the current direction of our country.

Source:

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0139660720091102?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=11604

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1299.xml?ReleaseID=1391

Blog: The News Hangover

The News Hangover: Ouch, head hurts

By: Michael McBain

President Obama declared swine flu as a national emergency Friday night.  This means one thing: Panic!  Buy the plastic suits and dispose of all pork products; better yet, send them all to me.  Seriously though, about 1,000 have died already so be sure to monitor your health and wash your hands, just don’t go overboard.     

Sarah Palin will be on Oprah!  I don’t know about you but I’m totally DVR’ing this (I don’t have DVR but can you feel my excitement).  The highly anticipated interview

airs Nov. 16 discussing Palin’s book, which for some reason I don’t see making Oprah’s book club…  Anyway, I’m sure this will be YouTube gold for 2009.  

It’s a bird; it’s a plane; it’s Pay Czar Kenneth Feinberg.  Feinberg will cut compensation in half for 175 employees of the firms that received government aid.  Salaries are expected to drop 90%, but oops, this may cause some problems.  New York Gov. David Patterson said, “That probably cost New York $1 billion.”  Hey, great thinking; that’s how to create a situation, soak the benefactors, and put the burden on everyone else.

The media (NBC, CBS, ABC, and CNN) banned together this past week as the White House tried to prevent Fox News from joining the other four media outlets for an interview with Kenneth Feinberg.  Thanks to backing from the other networks, Fox News was admitted.  This failed cold shoulder probably came from the new think tank, 10-year-olds 4 Democrazy.   

Apple released their redesigned Mac computers hoping to capitalize on the upcoming holiday season.  The iMac will feature a touch based mouse (no buttons or scroll ball), edge-to-edge glass, along with other features I will never be able to enjoy for $1,199.  With upgrades to MacBook laptops and Mac minis as well, let the battle between Mac and PC rage on.

 Internet news 

According to a UCLA study, the internet is altering and enhancing our brain functions.  There are a lot of really big words in the article so just take my word for it.  Right now I am altering your brain!

Google is partnering with music labels to simplify finding, pirating sampling and buying music.  The music industry hopes searches for streaming music from sources like iLike and LaLa amplified by Google will help increase sales.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver, Chad Ochocinco, is launching a Twitter-based news network called “Ochocinco News Network” (OCNN).  He hopes to have other NFL players tweet breaking news to compete with news networks.  Oh Chad, this is as brilliant as my Ochocinco jersey hanging in my closet.

U2 streamed their concert live on YouTube at the Rose Bowl in California Sunday.  FYI.

Blog: Somethin’ for Nothin’

Gratis Glimpse

By: Elle Tansey

My free fun for this week will be compliments of Fox News! I am super excited to be attending a taping of Huckabee tomorrow with my Mom. Having access to so many great television show tapings is definitely a perk to living in New York City. However, if you want to attend a taping of many popular TV shows in the city, be prepared to wait up to a year for tickets -- or try your luck on standby.  

I know that for Saturday Night Live stand-by tickets, you have to arrive by 7 a.m. on the morning of the taping under the "NBC Studios" marquee on the 50th St. side of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Standby tickets are available for either the 8 pm dress rehearsal or the 11:30 pm live show. Obviously stand-by tickets do not guarantee admission but if you’re looking for some spontaneous entertainment, free of charge, it’s worth a shot! 

Now I understand you may be deterred by the thought of a year long wait or the lack of guarantee from standby tickets, but there is good news! While roaming around Times Square doing an MOS yesterday I ran into some eager fans waiting outside the taping of MTV’s “It's On With Alexa Chung.”  This is a new show that has taken over the TRL timeslot and is kind of like a late night talk show for the afternoon set.  The fans outside told me that Alicia Keys, Mario, and Michelle Trachtenberg were on the line up for that day! The bustling line outside also informed me that they only requested free tickets a day in advance via email! So if you are looking to interact with some hot young celebrities or new bands, you might want to check out this taping while you are waiting for tickets to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Blog: Intern’s Insight

Intern’s Insight

Blog: Controversy Surrounds Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize

By: Christopher Snyder

In recent days, news of President Barack Obama winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize has sparked a heated debate in the United States. Everyone from political pundits to ordinary Americans are discussing whether there is justification for Obama winning the international award.

To date there have been two general reactions to this announcement; each coming from different sides of the political spectrum. Supporters of President Obama’s policies so far believe he received the Nobel Peace Prize because of his attempts to restart negotiations on several fronts including the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Settlement as well as nuclear arm talks with North Korea and Iran. Opponents of the president believe that Obama receiving the award is an example of the international community’s bias admiration towards him. They argue that President Obama was nominated only two weeks into his term for the award without any substantial accomplishments to justify his candidacy for the peace prize. These viewpoints demonstrate the wide range of feelings on this issue.

Does Barack Obama deserve to be considered in the same ranks as some of the world greatest politicians and humanitarians such as Mother Theresa, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela? This is the question that most people in the United States and around the world have been asking themselves. PoliticsHome, a polling firm in both the United States and United Kingdom, asked American and British citizens their opinions on President Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Results showed that an average of 57% of those polled did not believe Obama deserved the honor while 27% considered it to be a justified reward. In addition, a clear majority, an average 62% of those polled believed this announcement was based more on politics than his merits.  These results seem to come to the conclusion that at this time, the public believes Obama should not be given the Nobel Peace Prize.

In particular, it’s important to compare three previous presidents who received this honor: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Jimmy Carter. Roosevelt and Wilson were each separately credited for assisting in bringing an end to military conflicts during their presidencies while Carter sought to achieve peaceful solutions to many of the world’s tensions through economic and social development. These former presidents were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize after achieving their goals, not before them.

Perhaps President Obama will be able to achieve the promises he has said so far in his administration, but the public, both at home and abroad believes that the Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded based on actual, physical accomplishments, not speeches.

Source:

http://page.politicshome.com/usa/transatlantic_consensus_obama_did_not_deserve_nobel_prize.html

Blog: Somethin’ For Nothin’

Free Fridays at the MOMA

By: Elle Tansey

On Friday I visited one of my most beloved places in New York City, The Museum of Modern Art. On Fridays from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. admission is FREE to all! A regularly priced ticket is 20$ so Fridays are a great time to stop by this enlightened sanctuary in the middle of Manhattan. I could marvel at the artwork in the MOMA for days but unfortunately I only spent a few hours this time. I was with my brother Liam, a student at Columbia University, who frequently visits the MOMA.  Knowing my taste, Liam directed me straight to the second floor. It was here that we marveled at Claude Monet’s masterpieces. For the first time in the MOMA’s new building a full group of Monet’s late paintings are on display. This must-see exhibit will run until April 12, 2010. If you desire to learn about Monet’s life and incredible art you can further your experience with “Mornings with Monet” on Sunday mornings. Although it is not free, viewing Water Lilies alongside an expert guide definitely sounds like a great opportunity to me. Being that the MOMA is only a few blocks away from the Fox News studios I definitely plan on dropping by for some more free Friday bliss in the near future, you should too!

The News Hangover: Ugh What Happened?

By: Michael McBain

You’ve heard of Bubble Boy, now there’s Balloon Boy.  6-year-old Falcon Heene was believed to have drifted away in a balloon crafted by his father, Richard.  To our relief, Falcon was found hiding in a box in their attic.  As Falcon leaked on a talk show in between puking, he did it for “a show”.  You mean it was a hoax?  Confirmed by researcher, Robert Thomas, Richard staged the balloon incident to stir up media buzz and become famous.  As if naming your son Falcon isn’t bad enough.

White House Communications Director, Anita Dunn, attacked Fox News as GOP propagandists stating we operate as “the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party”.  How did she find out?  Was it the John Boehner and Michael Steele parking spaces?  Or maybe the daily luncheon with Mitch McConnell. They must have spies.

In lieu of having a different Michael Jackson story every week; this one is by far the best.  In 1984 Jackson filmed an infamous Pepsi commercial where he burnt his hair.  Well, those 12 strands are now going for sale at £1,000.  The executive producer of the commercial, Ralph Cohen, held on to them since the incident waiting for the right time.  I guess hair works the same as artwork in terms of value.

James Dyson, owner of that soothing British voice, presenter of the Dyson vacuum, came out with another wonder.  The bladeless fan.  Bladeless?  Yes that’s right; the “Dyson Air Multiplier Fan” draws air into the base and out through the ring set on top of the base.  A bit pricey at $300, but hey, I heard it can teleport objects to different dimensions.

Michelle Obama has now been immortalized with her own six inch doll.  The doll will sell for $12.99 and comes in three different outfits.  Asked to comment, President Obama vehemently stated, “It’s an action figure!” (not actual quote)

Up and down week for New York sports.  Yankees are up two games to one in the ALCS (suck on that Boston) as A-Rod fiiinally comes through, and the Giants… (cough) moving right along.  Jets lose as well; I’m just waiting for the collapse like their baseball counterpart, Mets.

Oh yeah, it’s snowing already!  I’m not exactly sure how global warming works, but I can follow context clues, and I’m almost positive it does not include snow in October.  It truly is an Inconvenient Truth.

Internet news

Miley Cyrus quit Twitter!  Why Miley, why would you do this?  At least she went out like a G with a rap saying she wants her private life back.  I’ve been consoling my 22-year-old roommate, Paul, ever since.  It’s not your fault bud; it’s not your fault.

Want to warm up your car before you get in?  There’s an app for that.  Directed Electronics is working on an iPhone app which will automatically start your car.

Actor and P.I.R. host (if you don’t know that acronym you’ve clearly never been home sick), Drew Carey, is currently bidding for the Twitter name “@drew”.  The name is held by Drew Olanoff who has been diagnosed with cancer.  If Carey reaches 1 million followers he will donate $1 million to LIVESTRONG.  Follow Carey at “@drewfromtv”.

O.K. that’s all, go take a nap and sleep it off.