War, wind farms, Obama and MTV: Street Team '08 concludes

I posted my final video for MTV News' (EMMY AWARD-WINNING!) Choose or Lose Street Team '08, a Knight Foundation initiative that used 51 citizen journalists (hate that term) to cover the youth movement during the election.

This project was rewarding, though sometimes frustrating. But looking back on it, it provided me with skills, insight and ideas that I never had before. I can edit a video like a whiz, our Election Day-tweets were posted on Times' Square HD board and I interviewed Ralph Nader. Pretty cool.

Here are some highlights, in no particular order:

• I saw Barack Obama speak three times, including his first (and only) visit to Kansas, the state where his mother was from. Also twice in Kansas City, including a rally with 75,000 people, where I got patted down by Secret Service.
• I embedded with the 1st Infantry Division's Dagger Brigade, as they trained to go to Iraq at Fort Irwin, Calif. I saw first-hand how our troops train for war, reported from the back of a Humvee and had front row seats to some intense combat simulation. I was also invited to embed with them in Iraq, but that looks unlikely.
• Great interview with author Tom Frank, who wrote "What's the Matter with Kansas?" and "The Wrecking Crew." Tom, if you're reading, I'll buy you a beer next time you're in Lawrence.
  
• Ralph Nader came to Lawrence to speak. I didn't do a story on him for MTV, but I got to interview him for LJWorld.com's Schoolhouse Talk blog.
• My MTV blog, Making Kansas Count, was named one of the state's top political blogs by The Washington Post's Chris Cilizza.
• I contributed an article on guerilla journalism to Harvard University's Nieman Reports.
• I met tons of exciting, engaged young people who are working hard (on both sides of the aisle) to make Kansas a better place. Most impressive, I think, are the kids at Greensburg High School, who are rebuilding their town as America's first all-green city.
• Daily Kos linked to a story I did on State Sen. Donald Betts, who was running for Congress at age 30. He, however, got smoked in the general election.

So it's been a long, crazy 11 months. Many thanks to MTV for choosing me to report on Kansas, and major props to my fellow Street Teamers, who were a source of support (both technically and emotionally).

Sarah Palin, secession, CNN and me

CNN's Rick Sanchez did a lengthy story today about Sarah Palin, and her husband Todd's involvement with the secessionist group, the Alaska Independence Party. Sanchez interviewed a Salon.com reporter who has completed an investigation into the matter.

As is turns out, I sent Sanchez a note on Twitter last week, about the story I had just completed for MTV's Street Team '08...about the Palins and the AIF. I take full credit for the CNN story. You're welcome, Rick.

Where was Biden's announcement?

There's no way Joe Biden and his people would try to overshadow Obama on this day...but given how the Obama camp told voters about the Biden choice, shouldn't Biden's people be doing a similar thing?

While "he" updated his Facebook profile, the only change on Biden's MySpace profile is the profile photo; there have been no comments posted since January. "His" Twitter account is silent.

Maybe it's because Biden was out of the race and is suddenly jumping back in. Or maybe it's because Biden is now part of the Obama brand. But it's a fractured media world, and I would have thought Biden would be announcing the news in some way, shape or form on the Internets.

Obama made news media look silly

I was supposed to have my annual review on Friday. But it got pushed back because everyone in the newsroom was clutching their phones, waiting for Barack Obama to txt us his choice for vice prsdnt. When KMBC suggested Evan Bayh was the choice, we wondered what happened to Kathleen Sebelius.

We knew Obama had to announce the v.p. choice before his speech in Springfield today, but we kind of figured it would be during a time where we could report on it as it happened.

You had poor Wolf Blitzer standing in his Situation Room, speculating. Kansas City news reporters staking out a company that produces political signs. You had reporters in Kansas staking out Sebelius. We all thought Obama's media machine would come through.

Well, it turned out it was Obama's NEW media machine that took the helm, sending a text message that woke me up at 2:48 a.m. CST to announce Joe Biden is the choice. (By the way, I predicted this months ago neener neener)

Obama made us all look silly. He bypassed the news media by letting people know the v.p. choice in an expressly modern way. It's akin to Twittering the choice, or announcing it via Facebook. It was immediate, it was direct and kept Obama in the news all Friday as people discussed who his choice could be. One commenter at Daily Kos said the speculation allowed McCain to "marinate" in the question, keeping his seven houses in the news.

Is it strange that Obama bypassed the media? Today's front pages were almost devoid of Biden news, though the Journal-World, NY Post got it. The Times didn't. The Wall Street Journal didn't. The Tribune speculated. However, a late-breaking AP story quoted an anonymous source saying Biden was the choice.

Bottom line, is it's fascinating how Obama's play to the people gave the message directly to them, at a time when only bloggers and barflies could learn and disseminate the news.

Though not all bloggers appreciated the "3 a.m. phone call:"

Nieman Reports, featuring me

I got my copy of the Nieman Reports today. The one that I contributed to. Yep. I wrote a story about my experiences covering Kansas for MTV's Street Team '08, and how the Web provides a conundrum for citizen reporters, who are not only correspondents, but pundits, as well.

For folks like me, who work at mainstream media outlets, it's a quandary...while this type of guerilla journalism allows for punditry, we walk a fine line of fact vs. opinion. I'll post the link once it's online.

It's pretty cool to see my byline next to the likes of John Harris. Liz Nord, queen bee of ST08, also contributed.

Represent! Another tale from Kansas

KU junior Clarissa Unger is the only college student elected to represent Kansas at the DNC. Here's my latest MTV piece, telling her story:

Me and the Washington Post

Chris Cillizza, who writes The Fix blog for the Washington Post, was looking for the country's top political blogs, state-by-state. And who did he pick for Kansas? Yep, me.

It's pretty exciting, but I'm certain there was a lack of representation from the Sunflower State. Nonetheless, I've got some work to do to live up to my new-found title as one of the best political blogs in the state. I can't say that I believe that yet; there are some really good ones out there, like Blue Tide Rising, Kansas Voice and Evolving in Kansas. I've had a tough time finding more conservative blogs in the state. Weird, I think, since the only blue spot is here in Lawrence. Nonetheless, I strive to do better, and I think I'll continue to improve my reportage and blogging, especially when I'm finished with the semester.

A tip of the cap the Brian Rich, our Street Teamer from Idaho.

Live Vlogging: A summary

Whoa. Yesterday was pretty cool. I live vlogged all day long, using a sweet Nokia N95 phone sent to me by MTV, and using software from Flixster to upload live to the Web. When it worked, it was amazing. But there were a few glitches in the Matrix, and I'd guess the majority of my interviews are zooming around in cyberspace somewhere. But the ones I posted were good, and the energy in the caucus was amazing. Not to mention how innovative this project was.

Every Street Team member in a Super Tuesday state was blogging, vlogging and reporting throughout the day. We had streaming coverage from our states all day long. It was off-the-cuff, it was raw, it was good, fun journalism. Not even CNN or NBC can say they did what we did. I didn't see them in Kansas, that's for sure.

Check out ChooseOrLose.com for our coverage, but be aware that the videos are being archived offline on Friday, Feb. 8.

More to come!

A throw-away question

Tonight Sen. Clinton held a national town hall meeting, where she answered one question per Super Tuesday state; all the states were linked up via satellite, and supporters met at central locations. Here in Kansas, people gathered in Wichita. Originally they were supposed to meet at a bar and grill, but I believed they moved to a theater.

Anyway, for the first time in my life, I watched the Hallmark Channel, which broadcast one hour of the Senator's give-and-take with fawning supporters. And at 9 p.m. on the dot, Hallmark switched back to its programming. And I still hadn't heard the question that Kansas would ask.

So I rushed back to my room and visited Clinton's Web site, which was streaming the remainder of the program. Finally, it was Kansas' turn.

And what a strange question it was. Last week I was on a conference call with Sen. Clinton's main backers here in Kansas, and they said they'd have to think of back up questions in case all the good ones -- you know, health care, the war, education, etc. -- were taken. Well, they were.

Kansas asked the dubious and curious question of how Sen. Clinton would tackle a national rail system, a la the Bullet Train in Japan or EuroStar in Europe. Seriously?

Clinton was overjoyed at this question (and all the others, for that matter). The Giants fan said she loved trains (!) and would definitely consider looking into creating a national rail system. *Sigh*

I, for one, was not surprised this square state didn't make it into the broadcast. I don't know how they organized it, but it may have something to do with delegates, because North Dakota and Delaware were two other states that didn't make it on-air.

I like trains -- my friend Blair and I took a lovely Amtrack ride from Chicago to Ann Arbor once. But I'm not sure that's the question on everybody's minds this presidential race.

I guess I'll find out tomorrow, when I'm live vlogging Super Tuesday!

Obama zings Cheney

I covered two Obama rallies on Jan. 28, in El Dorado, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo. The KCMO rally was much more laid back, and my camera work was pretty bad, as I was distracted by CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, who was standing next to me. She's not ugly.

Anyway, Sen. Obama rallied the crowd, saying how there would be no Bush or Cheney on the next ballot. He drew lots of laughs with reference to how and he and Cheney are distant relations. Say hey, Obama.

Did Dennis Kucinich die?

Because this AP article reads like an obituary. Kucinich has quit the race for president. I kind of feel bad for the guy, because he really put his money where his mouth is. Kucinich was always a long-shot, but you could tell he really believed in what he said. He was never given a fair shake by the media. If you ever watched him during a debate, standing off on the far end of the podium, he'd patiently wait for a question to come his way, then pounce on it and sound intelligent. That is, unless a moderator confronted him about aliens. Low blow, Tim Russert.

Bill Clinton is mad

Bill Clinton is mad as hell and he's not going to take it. The former president has a fire in his belly as of late, and he's going after reporters and Barack Obama. And I think he's hurting his wife's campaign.

This campaign should not be about Bill Clinton. It's about Hillary Clinton. President Clinton wasn't very visible up until a few months ago, and now he's taken center stage. Early in the campaign, when things were still civil among the Democratic rivals, President Clinton would give speeches, but he stayed out of the spotlight, allowing his wife to tout her experience and other attributes.

Now he's all over the the TV, and all over the map. Whether he's slinging mud at Obama or chastising reporters, the president is taking the focus away from the issues his wife needs to promote to be successful in this race.

MTV! MTV!

I've been cutting back on my blogging lately for a number of reasons, but I thought I'd revive the Web Stained Wretch to tell my reader (there's more than one?) that I've been named one of 51 MTV News correspondents for the 2008 election. I'll be covering Kansas for Street Team '08, a band of citizen journalists from across the country, including DC. I'm pretty excited about this opportunity to tell the story of young people in Kansas.

The stories will be uploaded to think.mtv.com, the main Choose or Lose portal. They'll also be broadcast via MTV Mobile and, get this, the AP Online Video Network.

So if any Kansans out there have issues or stories they want to be told, drop me a line. As the dictionary would say, w00t!