Listen Up Adults, the Kids Are Talking
When you're done reviewing Mitt Romney's victory last night in Michigan from the likes of The Washington Post, Google News, or your favorite blog, you should turn to one more authority on this presidential race: kids.
Education publishing company Scholastic has deployed its "Kid Reporters" to write, photograph, and blog about the 2008 presidential campaign. You can read what they have to say about the Michigan primary here.
You also can read 12-year-old Elizabeth Conway's review of Republican Mike Huckabee's "Huckaburger." (She notes that "a deep-fried pickle—a specialty of Arkansas—may have offset the nutritional value of the vegetables.")
Or, learn what really happens behind closed doors in a caucus, courtesy of three Iowa students. ("Trouble started right away," the story says.)
Also, read about Kid Reporter Mariam El Hasan's conversation with Republican Fred Thompson, on what it means to be a conservative. (Thompson notes that he, too, was once a "little person.")
You should even take note of the real-world experience these kid reporters are getting. And that experience includes getting the cold shoulder from their sources. Take Iowa 4th-grader Sydney Rieckhoff, who is famous enough that her reporting has made CNN, but who was brushed off by former first daughter Chelsea Clinton. Said Sen. Hillary Clinton's daughter, according to the press account: “I’m sorry, I don’t talk to the press and that applies to you, unfortunately. Even though I think you’re cute." Which, of course, catapulted Sydney to even greater fame, including an appearance in the New York Times.
