Media Participation Project

For my Media Participation Project I decided to shadow and interview a journalist. 

On November 15th, I had the privilege of shadowing Mr. William E. Gibson (Bill Gibson) at the United States Capitol Building. Mr. Gibson works the Sun-Sentinel and the Orlando Sentinel, both of which are owned by the Tribune company. He has been in the field of journalism for thirty-seven years and knows the Capitol building like the back of his hand.

Interview

Gibson obtained his Undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas and went to Columbia University for Graduate school. I asked him what was the craziest or most interesting story he's ever covered and he said, "The Elian Gonzalez story. It just went on for months and it was really intense to cover." If you don't know about Elian Gonzalez, read here. As a Miami native, I know how intense this was even though I was very young when all this went on. His favorite interview was when he interviewed Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office. The interview dealt with an immigration issue, which is a huge topic that Floridians love to read about. (I had to admit to Mr. Gibson that I was a bit jealous that he had the opportunity to interview Ronald Reagan.)

His most recent inspiration was brought by Yoani Sánchez, a Cuban blogger that visited the United States and promoted her strong opinions on the Freedom of the Press. Sanchez actively blogs in Cuba, despite the conditions placed by the Castro brothers. Gibson found her passion for Freedom of the Press very inspiring. His media role model was William Allen White who was the editor of a small Kansas newspaper and Pulitzer prize winner for a series of editorials. The Journalism school at the University of Kansas was named after him and there is a quote of his painted on one of the walls of the Capitol. 

Shadowing

Mr. Gibson and I met at the Capitol's Visitor Center at around 1:30pm on Friday. We went into the Capitol and he gave me a very thorough tour of the Capitol. I had never been inside the Capitol before, so this was a big deal for me. He went in with his Press badge and I was given a Press Escort badge. I felt as official as can be. He showed me all the different rooms where the press works from. The Capitol has different sections for the print media and the broadcast media. (Spoiler: The press conference room looks bigger on television.) 

The Senate was not in session, but I was still able to go inside and see the desks where the Senators sit at. It was remarkable. The important moments of history that the walls of this room had witnessed were beyond me. I thought the Senate was great until I walked into the House. How they fit that many chairs into one room is beyond me. Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD) were going at it when we walked into the House. Each of them were very passionate about their point of view on Obamacare and how it's working or not. 

We checked the Press Release wall, but there weren't any that day. Fridays are pretty quiet inside the Capitol, so there wasn't much going on. Mr. Gibson was kind enough to show me dome of Capitol and that was the most beautiful architecture I have ever seen in my life. The painting on the top of the dome was so beautiful and the artwork that went around the room were key moments in history. We also saw the "lobbies" where Lobbyists roam around and work their magic. Overall, I had a lovely day. It was such a wonderful experience to see the Capitol from the point of view of the press. Those press rooms are madness even when nothing seems to be going on. 

At the end of the tour I asked Mr. Gibson if he had any words for upcoming journalists and he said, "Well, the standards of values and ethics have really evolved because of digital era and it's compromised the news a lot. Newspapers are fighting to survive so they are more into marketing than actual coverage."

I'd like to thank Mr. Gibson for taking time out of his day to show me around the Capitol and answer all the questions I had for him.

-Tiffany Lorente