J.J. Green

The National Security Correspondent for WTOP radio among many other broadcast positions. This was thankfully not the first time that I spent an hour and a half learning entirely new information about the world that we live in. He impacted me not only with a healthy fear of the people around me, but a great understanding of the values and morals of the United States.

J.J. Green spends his days focusing on the safety of the United States. He studies it, he's mastered it, he knows all about it. He is a wealth of knowledge, like I've never seen before. He has so many interesting stories and accomplishments under his belt!

He has completely scared me out of my mind about the idea of terrorists, their capabilities, and how the cyber world has made it easier than ever to attack other countries.

J.J. spoke a lot about the issues he covered in the past, but he also shed some light on a couple very real situations that are threatening our very existence. There were four Americans killed near Somalia, the Gulf of Aden is now a pirate hot spot. There are also reports of multiple hostage and terrorist situations in the Middle East. But...Pirates? Really? Even more disturbing is the idea that the mentor to some of the most disturbed terrorists of our time is not only alive, but is still practicing his beliefs in Yemen.

The world has become an extremely scary place, and J.J. Green will be the type of man that saves us from it!

I finally found an internship! I started at Stars and Stripes newspaper on Friday! (Please visit www.stripes.com!)

It was so cool. I even had the opportunity to meet Howard Witt, the managing editor of the paper.

His website can be found here: http://howardwitt.com/index.html

He has done a lot of amazing work and research.

Sharon Moores, a former editor, said "The Stars and Stripes newspaper is published overseas, therefore most of the reporters are overseas as well -- Europe, Japan, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq. There are a couple of Pentagon reporters in the D.C. office, but most of the journalists there are editors. They edit the stories and design and lay out the pages. Editing gives you a great idea of story construction and what makes a good piece; layout and design are all about presentation of the paper, how to sell it, how to make it look interesting to a passerby. There are several editions of the paper -- Europe, Mideast, and a couple of Pacific editions -- so there are several deadlines from 2:45 to 8 p.m."

It is such an incredible newsroom. I attended the "Page 1" meeting - which is where the cover page for every edition is discussed. I was able to see a lot of their personalities shine through, and most of them were REALLY funny! I couldn't help but be a little weery of the puffy eyes, overwhelming smell of coffee, and the amount of fully caffeinated sodas in the conference room. It was a very...strange...flashforward to my future - I still don't know how I feel about that!

This is going to be one of the greatest experiences of my life - the man who is setting my entire internship up (Sean Moores) is literally making sure I will see EVERY aspect of the newspaper business. I will be editing, shadowing, and even writing!

Tip 1) Never give up - especially in the city. It's taken me 3 weeks to find another internship (my first one didn't work out), but I found an INCREDIBLE internship. Just...make sure you keep looking.

Tip 2) Use every available resource! I received this internship from a NEIGHBOR.

Tip 3) Keep business cards FOREVER. I've received over 20 business cards, and I've made sure to keep every last one! I've even e-mailed a few of our speakers to keep in contact.

I woke up this morning at 5:30, just like I have done all week. Expecting a great experience for the day, a potentially life changing moment, or even better - a job opportunity ;). I did not, however, expect anything that unfolded this morning. I knew I was going to meet Bob Schieffer, long time news anchor and reporter for CBS. I knew I may have the opportunity to speak with him, get an autograph, maybe ask a question, or even get a picture with him- I did not know that I'd have the chance to do all THREE!

His speech was absolutely INCREDIBLE! He spoke about a time when Lyndon B. Johnson was campaigning for Senator, and he remembers seeing him come down in a helicopter. It was the first time he had ever seen a helicopter, and LBJ was using a megaphone to announce himself - and it scared 11 yr. old Schieffer to death! He said "I didn't know if it was God, or a Monster, or what it was!"

He moved on to politics for a little while and spoke about the cost of politics, elected officials not knowing each other like they did back in the day (when they'd actually meet after hours TOGETHER), and redistricting - which he believes completely erases the chance for compromise. He said that we really should be watching politics in May when the debt ceiling will be discussed.

He then moved onto life in general, and the idea of following a passion. Here's a few of his quotes:

"All I've ever wanted to be is what I am today."

"You have one trip to planet Earth, and iti s your
life...Whatever it is you decide to be - it's YOUR decision."

"Don't be afraid to stretch. Don't be afraid to reach."

"Pick something you enjoy, get good at it, and the success
will come by itself!"

"I'm a reporter, my first question is always, "Why?"

Then he took questions from the crowd, and introduced his assistant. She was extremely young, and very accomplished for her age. She gave a few great tips, such as:

• Use Alumni
  
• Meet everyone you can at your internships, and stay in contact with them.


• Take what you can, even if it's not exactly what you want.


• Offer yourself, even if it's a long shot.

Overall, I'd have to say I learned more this week than I have all semester! Tomorrow I begin my internship at Stars and Stripes! Wish me luck! <3

I didn't think it was possible for this experience to get any better than it already was, but it HAS!

This week alone, I met Dave Martin from CBS, Donna Leinwand from USA Today, and Thomas Clare from Kirkland and Ellis law firm! The contacts that Iris Krasnow has are just incredible!

David Martin is a journalist from CBS on security and national defense matters. His average day usually includes a three mile walk around the Pentagon! He is also on the evening news, sometimes. He spoke with us about the everchanging world of journalism, and how the platforms of many of today's television shows will have to change in the near future. He is a firm believer that the youth of America is taking over! I'll gladly partake in this takeover! :)

Donna Leinwand, a reporter for USA Today, was another guest speaker this week. She was especially exciting because her "beat" for the past few years has been crime and disaster. She went to Haiti during their disaster, and showed us pictures and told stories of the things she had to see. I saw pictures of dead men lying in the road, a hole in a cemetary full of dead and only half-dead bodies. It was absolutely disgusting, but she was there the entire time reporting the things she was seeing. Without her there, we never would have seen these things. Her gag reflex, and reporting skills, are absolutely phenomenal. It truly made me want to explore this aspect of journalism a LOT more.

Last,but not least, we saw Thomas Clare. He's a lawyer at the Kirkland and Ellis lawfirm and he gave a big speech on defamation and libel laws. As an aspiring journalist, it was really great to learn the lines that cannot be crossed. Many reporters seem to believe that due to the nature of their work, they're allowed to break laws to get information - but this is very untrue. There are very particular laws and cases that determine how far a journalist can go, and exactly where they cannot.

I learned a lot of extremely valuable information this week. I cannot wait to see what is yet to come. My next post is about Bob Schieffer!

This week has been amazing! On Tuesday, my class went to National Geographic in the city! We had a round table sort of conference with the Senior Film Editor at Nat Geo! Above, he is holding a fake seal used in the 1999 Great White movie that National Geographic released on the Jaws anniversary. Those of us who were outgoing actually had the opportunity to hold it, so tip 1 for the day is - get yourself out there! Don't be shy!


The seal was made out of three boogie boards in South Africa and then a camera was placed inside the hole on the head. This seal was made so that a photographer could get a shot of the Great White hopping out of the water after a seal.




We saw the video that was inside the seal's head, and the shark approached with such speed! He was up, out, and gone!




This man literally has the job of a LIFETIME. He is incredible. I immediately wanted his job, but so did everyone else in the class. Which brings up tip 2 about world at this time - in most cases there is just ONE job, and 500 people who want it. A program like the Washington Semester Program at American University is the type of program that could put you at the top of that list!




The program has provided me with such incredible experiences. I'm currently having trouble finding (another) internship. My professor, Gil Klein, is literally working around the clock for ME. He's using every contact he has, and on the phone yesterday he said "I have people ALL over the city keeping their eye out for you!"

The other day, I was wondering through the city, searching for Washingtonian Magazine. I must have looked completely LOST because a man approached me and said "Honey, what are you looking for?" - - Everyone is willing to help, so tip 3 for today is to ACCEPT it. Some people are complete weirdos, but you can usually tell before they approach you. :)

Have a great weekend!

One of the best things you can do in this city is explore. If you're given a day off, a very rare and momentus occasion, you shouldn't spend it inside. You shouldn't spend it on Tenley campus, you shouldn't even spend it on Main campus - you should spend it in the city. It's such a gorgeous place, and there's never too much to see! Each museum can be seen 10 times before you've even seen all it has to offer, and even then it doesn't get "old"!

Today, I pretty much had a day off, and I'm in the city! I have an interview with Lou Barletta, Congressman and U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania. He's an amazing man - I voted for him ;).

I took a walk from the Washington Monument to 15th and G streets. I'm currently sitting in a Starbucks, enjoying some jazz and the smell of coffee. Seems so cliche - young blogger, blogging from a coffee shop. I needed a break from the cold!

The view from this streetview coffee shop is priceless. There is the National Press Club down the road, the Treasury building right down the street, I can see the monument from the front steps, the capital if I try hard enough. It's incredible. From my bedroom window at Moravian College, I see a sorority house and a fire escape - how ever could I trade that view? It could contribute to my perception.

It's not all peachy keen in the city - there's a homeless man talking to himself behind me, wait now he's right next to me - but that's OK! Because I couldn't experience this anywhere else!

Everyday I realize more and more how incredible this city is, but no matter how much I write about it - there's nothing better than experiencing it for yourself.

SO GET HERE, ALREADY! :)

Well! I've had quite the week here at American University. Yesterday was a very long day, as classes were spread out quite a bit. In the morning, my Journalism class met with our professor Gil Klein. He is a very established man who once served as the President of the National Press Club - and yes, he's my PROFESSOR. It's crazy what this school can offer. He gave us a brief overview of the Constitution because at 2:30, Vaughn Ververs, political journalist for MSNBC.com, came and spoke to us about politics and political journalism.

He is pictured above in blue with AR, myself, Kaela, and Jack.

He first worked on the Presidential Campaign for Pat Buchanan, then found a job working for TheHotline - which was a news company that sent out a 25 page fax every morning to those who requested it. He left TheHotline for a short time to work for CBS and Fox News Sunday. He returned to TheHotline for a little while, but left again to work for Politico. He now works for MSNBC.com as a political editor - and to think, he didn't have any idea "what he wanted to be when he grew up" - and now he's exactly what I want to be when I grow up!

After he left, our class headed into the city around 7:00 p.m. to see the Kalb Report - because Gil Klein is one of the Associate Producers of the show! It was very interesting and an extremely eye opening experience - especially with Bill Keller and Dean Baquet from the New York Times on the show! I actually sat in balcony seating - which is where the women sat back when the National Press Club was an all male club!

Washington is such a historical city! I'm not going to lie - I thought I was going to be robbed at some point because I heard it's not a great place at night, but it was really really safe! There were police everywhere.

Tips:

1) Weigh your options when it comes to commuting - sometimes money isn't worth the amount of time you spend waiting around for class!

2) Prepare for the extra expenses - the metro, food, and random everyday items will add up!

3) DON'T SKIP ANYTHING. You're only cheating yourself by spending your time elsewhere.