In The Spin Room

By Mitchell Lewis

The media/spin room was huge. It was a gym with really high ceilings. The walls were lined with TV booths separated by dark blue curtains. Wiring was everywhere!  The middle of the room was filled with rows and rows of tables covered with white cloths. An aisle divided the tables with a raised floor covering all the wiring running to people's computers and phone lines.

It felt busy all the time. Everyone was running around. You could tell that everyone had a goal and purpose. No one was lounging around. Everyone had something they were trying to accomplish. It was a room full of people gathering information and distributing it as quickly as possible.

During the debate, the room was quiet. You might hear a few laughs if a candidate made a funny remark, but other than that, all eyes were on the giant TVs stationed on the tables throughout the room. Some people handed out papers to the media during the debate. Mostly the papers were from the McCain campaign.

At the end of the debate, surrogates representing each candidate came out from the debate hall to talk to the media. Journalists surrounded each one to get his or her take on what happened. Senator Joseph Lieberman had one of the biggest crowds around him. Lieberman is a Democrat turned Independent who supports McCain. He is a Senator from Connecticut and was Al Gore's Vice Presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket in 2000. I was not able to break through the crowd to get to him

It's hard to do, but when you finally get a surrogate's attention and get to ask a question, you get their entire attention. They give you the answers you need.

When people first started coming into the spin room after the debate, you could feel the anticipation in the room building. Everyone had a job to do and they had to do it quickly. Everyone was intent on getting the job done. I had a midnight deadline and only about 30 minutes to get the quotes for my story! I still had to write it and email it in so it could be posted before 1 a.m.

For me the excitement was all about being there. My favorite part of the whole day was talking to the students on campus before the debate. They talked about things that meant something to me. What they said made more sense to me than what the surrogates said. The students talked about what people my age are really worried about now. I'm not worried about what kind of job I'm going to have when I'm out of college. I'm worried about getting INTO college and being able to afford it. I'm worried about the environment and the kinds of things Hofstra's students talked to me about today.

I don't want to keep using the word exciting, but the whole experience was just that. Exciting and intense.

This was the final debate before Election Day on November 4. That's less than THREE  weeks away!

PHOTO: The Press Room at the 3rd Presidential Debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, on October 15, 2008. Photo by Kid Reporter Mitchell Lewis.

Comments

[Madison Hartke-Weber, Kid Reporter]

I agree with Mitchell that I have lots of concerns too about going to college and how I can afford it, since colleges are getting so expensive. The thing I really noticed during the debate was when the candidates talked about education, especially since they talked about the public schools in Washington, DC, which is where I am a student. They both said how bad our schools are, which I didn't like to hear. There are actually some really good schools, like mine, and also some really bad schools that are struggling to get better. You can't just say that all the schools are bad, and expect that more tests will fix everything. Politicians should talk to real students before they make any decisions about how to make our schools better.

[jacob]

It sounds like the debate was exciting and interesting too! Thanks for telling about it.

[Rebecca]

I think It would b so cool to be there when that happend.

[Kayla- Kid Reporter]

I agree with Mitchell that sometimes it can be a challenge to meet the deadline on time. I also love the feeling of making your way through an enthusiastic crowd. I wonder how Mitchell managed to make it through all of the cords though, (because I can barely make it past a few.)

[Alex and Paul]

Pretty dang cool, the debate was!

[Allie (Kids Reporter)]

The debate sounds like it was a lot of fun! I can only imagine how many people must have been there and you're really lucky that you got to be there to see it all happening!

[Mrs. Burkes]

I think it would have been exciting to be in the spin room, however, it would have been nice to read what Q&A's you reported on.

[Kayley]

I think that it would be crazy to be in the spin room. It would be really crowded, but it would be fun and cool

[Jake]

I agree with Mitchell that it can be challenging to get to the debate on time with all the people in the room. I also liked the enthuasing feeling you get when john McCain, and l Barrack Obama go on stage because I am a McCain and Palin fan and they rule. I still dont see how Mitch got it through the crowd.

[gardner]

i think that it would have be exciting becuase, well i would just like to be there controling all the equipment.

[Savannah]

I thought the article was informative and it was like I was there. He/she said it was very busy I believe it! My favorite part of the article was when he/she said the election was in three weeks can't wait!!!!!

[Daniel]

that Dabate sounds like it was intense can't wait to see what happens next!

[Stephanie]

That debate must have een interesting! All the people,crowds,and equipment!

[Jordan]

IT WAS COOL AND EXITING FOR THE LAST DEBATE. WHEN I READ THE ARTICLE, IT WAS LIKE I WAS IN THE DEBATE.

[josh]

it was good

[Taylor]

I think it would have been cool to be in the spin room. The article made it seem like you were actually there.

[Gabriel]

Dang this was cool!

[michelle]

man i like it i wish i was really there!! election in three weeks!!

[hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii]

Go Obama gogogogogogogogogogogo go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go gog go go g o

[.jkdsfjbhuai wrhu]

I kinda agree with mitch but people mak mistakes and you might not aleays be on time

[Morgan]

i will be watching the last debate on television to inform my parent on what obama had to say. i wish i could vote!!!!!

[cabshen]

I love debate, i wish i was there!!!!

[Booggly]

I wish i could've seen the debate live, you're so lucky!!!!!!!!!!!

[Helena]

I hope John McCain wins. I don't like Obama very much. He said a lot of things that he was going to do with the bank and the bank calculated. It is impossible.

[Helena (again)]

I think Mithchell was very desriptive.