By ANTHONY BOTTAN
Hot-stove topics like the faltering economy, the war in Iraq and rising oil prices have caught the attention of even the youngest Americans, including the students at Valley Stream North High School.
To inform and educate the student body at North, students in Christy Mansfield's third period journalism class are writing news articles on the presidential candidates' stand on the economy, the war, education and foreign policy. They then will distribute the articles to social studies classes at North for discussion and debate.
The Valley Stream Central High School District is hosting a mock election on Oct. 31, and Principal Clifford Odell said he hopes the articles will help students decide who they want as their next president. "It's been a good experience and it helps students become aware of certain issues," Odell said. "It will help them make an informed decision on Oct. 31."
Some of Mansfield's aspiring journalists, like Nicole Dipaoli, 16, said that her research on the candidates' education platforms helped her make an informed decision on whom she agreed with. "Before this class, I didn't know anything about the election," she said.
Others, like Angelica Razack, 17, said she had a predilection toward democratic viewpoints, only because she knew very little about Republican standpoints. "When I first thought of Republicans, I thought of burning books. I figured Democrats were more liberal," Razack said. "I wanted to vanquish my ignorance."
The students used the candidates' Web sites, as well as ontheissue.org and about.com, to compile their facts for the articles. One of the problems students encountered, Mansfield said, was writing objectively. Michael Nicastro, 17, said that was one of his hardest tasks when the class was writing its piece on the candidates' educational platforms. "I wanted to put my opinion in it," Nicastro said. "It's hard to be objective with something you didn't agree with."
Though Nicastro was too young to be involved in the last election, he said this year's election might be the country's most important. "The economy is in shambles and we need leadership in government," he said. "They won't be able to do everything, but it's about making the first step." He added that even though he hopes Barack Obama wins because the country has been run by a Republican for the last eight years, he thinks that Obama won't be able to do everything he wants.
Another problem students faced while writing their articles was deciphering factual information from opinionated propaganda on the Web sites they visited and news articles they read. "When researching, I look for direct quotes," Dipaoli said. "I feel that anyone who is reporting is picking a side. You have to listen to the candidates' speak."
Razack said that a lot of the information she read was misleading because both candidates tip-toed around the questions they were asked. "Eighty percent is propaganda," she said. "Most of it is mudslinging. They don't answer the questions. It's annoying and immature."
Some of Mansfield's students said they were disappointed with the presidential debate -- which they were assigned to watch for homework -- because they felt the candidates had specific points they wanted to make, regardless of the question asked. Students were in agreement that their peers should be informed on the issues because the decisions made by the new president during the next four years, they said, will impact them greatly. "These decisions will affect our generation," Dipaoli said. "It's important to know who's running our country."
Razack agreed. "People don't watch the news and don't even know why they hate Bush," she said. "It's important to know what we're getting ourselves into."
Mansfield said she took a classroom poll on where students stood on the political spectrum, and most, she said, leaned toward the left. "We did the best we could, but it still came out to the left," she said. Regardless, Mansfield said the students researched together and culled what made it into final copy.
Overall, she said, got a good taste of what life as a journalist is about. "This classroom turned into a newsroom," she said.
