>> kathleen duffy, tell us where we are, and what we're doing. >> we are in -- >> how long have you been in town and what have you been doing? >> we will be here two weeks, and we are here to listen from people like you and everyone of us experience here in dc >> tell me something you have heard or someone you have talked to in the last couple of days that has made an impact on you. >> honestly, everytime it is always impressive when someone speaks to us. they talk about the difference between the media at in the 1970's and the media today and how much it has changed and how influenced by

the public. and what is your home town? >> manhattan, new york. >> why did you go from the east to west in school? >> i wanted a change. i thought it would broaden my horizons and give me a idea of everything that is out there. >> thank you for opening this. everybody feel free to go to the microphone. i want to go to melissa over here. unfortunately met earlier this year. >> i am at miami dade college, and i'm hoping that -- >> what have you learned during the last couple of weeks? >> so far we have only been here for a week. we will be here a week. we have had a lot of interactions with journalists, more specifically, and the congressmen that have gone to speak with us. it is interesting to see how the media relies on the politicians and the politics relies on the

media, so it is a nice interesting change. >> have you changed your mind about anything since you have been here? >> have opened up my horizons toward political journalism and i know how many fact you need to know and how many things i need to be aware of. i will be hitting the books pretty soon. >> yes, ma'am, what is your name? >> sarah from the university of st. thomas, minnesota. >> where are you from? >> i am from minnesota. i did not prove too far away. >> why are you here? >> i am here because i eventually want to end up with a career here. being here has made me driven to come here even more. i actually am considering even transferring to a college over here in general. >> why? what is driving you? >> this city has so many opportunities. you can get internships everywhere. there are so many museums that

you can go and learn and is free -- and it is free. even this program as taught me that you can be walking around and find somebody that can give you insight into their life. >> i did not mean to interrupt you. what have you learned? who has impressed you? who have made an impact on you? >> juan williams yesterday. he was one of the most inspirational speakers. he had a lot to say that -- there have been so many speakers. it is all coming at me. >> what have you done to process all this? with an earlier show, there are a lot of laptops out there. i don't know if you are making notes or --

>> i have notes for every day that i have been here, and we have to do journals, so at the end of the day when i am going back to do my journal, i will review my notes and see what happened during the day because otherwise it is just a lot of facts coming at you all at once. but from the gist of what has happened the last week, it has been a lot of me turning one side of the house, the other side of the house, and what everyone's opinion is on that almost. >> do you think, before i go to another one of your fellow students, we need a fairness doctrine in the media? >> i do not think so. >> why not? >> because you can go out and get a fair media anywhere y go. it can look at one side and the other side is the people that have to look for the fairness within the media, not the media that has to provide it. >> what is your name?

>> john mccarthy, from quinnipiac university, but i reside in ocean town, new jersey? >> where is quinnipiac, and why are you going there? >> it is a school in connecticut, about 6000 undergrads. i arrived at quinnipiac university because of their communications program and decided that was not the position for me. they have a strong communications and business program. i wanted to study sociology and political science. >> what have you learned this last couple of weeks? >> so much. we learned a lot about networking and things like that. we made trips to capitol hill where people are extremely effective -- extremely accepting of view. congressman and senators are -- congressmen and senators are extremely receptive to you. making sure that you see everything that is going on,

very transparent. it is an awesome experience to have. >> how old are you? >> i am 20 years old. >> so you can vote, right? >> so why do you think members of congress might be interested in you? >> because we are their constituents, yes. >> let me ask you the same question about the fairness doctrine. do you think we need one? >> i think the press should be extremely free. i do not think there should be any regulation of the press really to have something like that. i think we should be able to trust in our journalists to properly display the media to us in a neutral light. we should not have to regulate that. the government regulated too much as it is come in my opinion. we can trust in the media to eventually ievolve to a neutral stance. >> your name?

elon am karen from y university in north carolina. we have about 500 undergraduate s.d ban and and what is and 80 be the law school? >> we are all education majors, and we are here to learn about how the education and politics is combined, which is weird because before coming here i knew nothing about politics and i did not care very much and it was all about talking and we're talking about everybody is getting angry and all these people calling in. it kind of bothers me. >> why does it bother you? >> because it does not make sense when you are -- if i was in an argument with you and i am getting all he did an angry, i would not be in a place where i

could listen and find common ground. just like a good marriage or igulatiorelationship with anyb- am talking about my parents' marriage. >> do they have a good marriage? >> yes. when they have a difference of opinion, they sit and talk with each other to make something happen. >> why do you think people get angry? what is the reason? >> we are human, psychology, defensive. we are scared. there are so many things that can go wrong, especially with congressmen. there is so much power that they have. your argument. you get angry, too. >> what is power? >> what is power? >> yes. >> a great question. ambac is everybody that you are talking about is -- to my >> if everybody that you are talking about has it, what do they have? >> there in a place where they can affect how other people

work. >> why do you want to be a teacher? >> because i love children. i understand that is how i know i can make a difference in society. that is how i know i have the power to be able to be here and learn about things. to go to my congressmen and make a difference in the larger society. if i can educate the children, i can educate the world. >> do you think the fairness doctrine would make sense? >> i actually do not know what that is. i'm kind of confused. >> what do you think it is? >> somebody regulating the media? >> would you feel good if all of a sudden you knew there was an organization in washington that would say what is fair and not fair? >> i would like someone to be able to edit the media so we have validity of the media. >> who would you want to do

that? >> that is a really good question. i do not know. >> who would you trust to do that? >> in the system we have in america, i would trust my congressmen. >> you would trustor congressmen to edit the media? but you would trust your congressmen to and did the media? >> yes. >> so if the republicans or democrats are in congress, they would decide what is fair? >> yes. yeah, i do not like how you just said republicans and democrats and tried to go bipartisan. i want to come to common ground and decide what is fair. >> how do you side with people to go into the voting booth, why do you expect them to come together? >> why do i expect them to come

together? >> yes. >> because people like us in here and understand that things are different, and like us in positions and understanding that need to be able to compromise, if that makes sense. >> thank you. thank you very much. [applause] yes, sir. >> i'm alex from -- >> where is that? ambac pennsylvania, a small town called huntington, juniata college. am i why did you decide to spend two weeks in the washington center? >> it seemed like a grim experience to spend two weeks in washington, d.c. i have been to d.c. multiple times but it has always been with my parents and my

relatives. this is my first time exploring an urban center in the nation's capital. it seemed like a great opportunity to learn how my government works. >> what did you learn? >> we have had multiple great speakers. >> got a favorite? >> probably chalk rosenberg, former u.s. attorney. i'm very interested in law. >> when you see a speaker, and i know you have seen a ton of them, what is it that impresses you? and what does not impress you? >> probably be well spoken, two parts in two extremes, using it for his or her own means. >> let's go back to the question we were talking about earlier. does their need to be a fairness doctrine? >> no, i do not think there needs to be a fairness doctrine.

i think it was more necessary when we had only a few networks. when you have multiple sources including cable news, and now you have an internet where you have every viewpoint, you don't necessarily need to regulate by a spirit i also do not believe the government should be regulating the media. i think the media needs to be independent. >> there has been a lot talk this week since the tragedy in arizona about who is to blame. do you point your finger at anybody or anything? >> you cannot really blame or point your finger at a specific group. i think that person, that one person was responsible, and i think there are actions that people could have taken to prevent this great tragedy, but most of all i think we need to look at ourselves and look at the political environment that we created for each other. >> yes, sir. what is your name? >> my name is cory lynch from

quinnipiac university. i am from great falls, virginia. have just stayed home. >> i knew some other students from my own school were going, and i figured three credits, is worth two weeks and it should be informative and useful time. >> what are your impressions about all this? >> it has been very interesting. one of the coolest moments was going to my senators building and walking down the halls and seeing these different names on the different rooms and saying, wow, that is john terry's office, that is this guy's office, and its just cool. that is where they really do their work. that is pretty cool to see. >> if you hear members of congress and the senate every that their big concern is you, their sons and

daughters and their grandsons and daughters, for the future, and that you will be cheated the way people of my generation have laid things out. what is your reaction? or do you think something else? >> i think that is something they have to do because we are the ones who voted the men. i don't know if they're just pandering to us or if they are really voted them in. i do not know if they are just pandering to us or if they are really sincere. one of my concerns about the shooting was how they have a toxic environment and political scene. the people on the left and right, both of them are constantly going at each other and are not able to get a good discourse, actually move forward. if they really cared about their constituents, the need to understand that not all the constituents go with one party, not all their constituents go one way. maybe they can find some common ground. >> you think they need a fairness doctrine, don't you?

and that i feel like we should just see a little more respect -- >> i feel that we should just see a little more respect, humility. and basically where our leaders have responsibility to our political and public figures are able to say, what i said was -- it might have consequences. some people might think this person is really that bad, but they are just trying to serve their constituents as much as me, regardless of what side they are on. >> should we say all public officials need to be humble? >> that is one of those things should not be legislated. that needs to be put into effect by people in -- taking responsibility in getting that tone levels down, getting it to a place where all of us can actually proceed at work as a country together. >> so you have the fairness doctrine and the humble doctrine? >> it is difficult to legislate. >> where are you from?

>> i tend wesley college in denvdelaware. >> how big is it? ambwas it really the first colle in the united states? >> i do not think so. i think it is the oldest private college, i know that. the oldest private college in delaware. and at harvard was up there somewhere. that is private. what has the couple weeks been like for you? >> it has been hectic. we have had to go through a lot. >> tell us what you do every day. where do you live? >> we live in this building, the resident academic facility. we get up in the morning and we come down here. and and what do you do? >> well, today we have all of c- span here. we were watching "washington journal" and everything like that.

most days we have speakers come and then we go to site visit. i know my group is coming to the indian embassy later. >> so what is the you learn in an environment like this? >> on thursday last week we went to the public affairs council. i got to learn about lobbying and how they train people how to lobby. i also got a really good contact and hopefully will be able to find a good grad school and hopefully an internship by going there. >> so you are in this for yourself? >> yeah. i guess in the and it will all benefit society, so -- i mean, it is for me, but i hope -- >> so if you are taking care of, society will be taking care of? >> i want to go to grad school for education, so i hope to benefit from all the teachers and education in the united states.

>> what has disappointed you about what you have seen? >> nothing actually at the washington center so far has disappointed me. what has disappointed me is the news and the media and how they are putting off the shooting in tucson. i yelled at the screen the other day because i saw that that baptist group was going to be at the little girl's funeral. >> why? >> because i hit them. that's because i hate them. >> there from toledo? >> no, topeka, kansas. >> i'm sorry. >> i do not like seeing them or their negative signs. i think it is like what we are talking about, they have been pointing the blame -- republicans are pointing at democrats, democrats are

pointing at republicans, and i think we all just need to come together and be together on this. >> with all the attention of that group, the baptist church in topeka, whatever, who is to blame for that? because every time they come around, we talk about it. >> well, i think it is more that because in topeka, we have a unity boulevard where people will go against them and they have to see that we are united against you. we are doing the in the wings at the little girl's funeral and that is the best thing, to be against them. my name is haley, and i go to suffolk, university. i'm originally from north carolina, vermont. >> what have you learned? >> i wanted to see where the action is, and it has been really eye opening. like other people have mentioned, i actually felt government was very open here.

just going to centers and members of congress' offices. >> it has been opened in what regard? >> open in that despite the event on saturday, it really is the people's house, and we can go see our representatives come and for the most part they took us quite seriously. >> what are you interested in this anyway? >> i am a professional politics maj. i'm not sure that is what i want to continue with, but really just to see the d.c. experience and see where the action is. >> anything disappointing? >> not particularly, except perhaps that some people we have met with seem resigned to the fact that there are irreconcilable differences, which i think is very realistic but it is a bit disappointing to see that people just throw their hands up and think this is where things are and we know that

there is a political will or the good will to pass certain things. >> what is your take on the situation in arizona and the way we have handled it? >> i think it is about who is trying to control the narrative. i was reading that mental-health professionals want to tell the story from that perspective. people who are supportive of the first amendment want to take the story in that direction. of course people who want it to be a reflection of the town in washington also wants control of the narrative. i would say that the tone is important and ideally we would like a civil tone and this kind of brings those concerns to a head. but at the same time we can not necessarily the two did it to anything in particular and that ultimately free speech is where we should be headed. >> why do we need a civil tone? >> because we do have fundamental differences, and in our small group discussions a lot of times debates were quite heated, but at the same time we were able to discuss because we

are able to keep that simple tone -- that civil tone. >> do we need a fairness doctrine? >> no, we can have a hybrid media system. what i do think is that the labels of what is news and what is commentary need to be much clearer. i do not have any problem with a plethora of opinions being out there. but they should be labeled as opinions, as commentary. >> do you have a problem recognizing opinion versus straight news? >> i would like to say i do not personally, but i think there really is a very fine line. often it is blurred intentionally, or unintentionally. >> yes, ma'am? >> i am courtney from florida southern university in lakeland, florida. we are a small methodist school. about 1600 kids, a very tight community. >> what is your major?

>> i am a political science major with a minor in religion. >> why would you put political science? >> in high school i was inspired by programs i was involved in. i worked my way up and found a passion for that. does the knowledge that even young people -- and i have a passion for young people as well, teaching them, that we can to make a difference and that it is possible for us even from maybe not a powerful or the very wealthy background to make our way up into the political field. >> get a wide shot of the room because i want to ask this group -- you to do something i would be interested in finding out. you said you were interested in government in school and being involved in government programs. how many people in here in high

school and now in college have been involved in something that would be a government experience -- a club, the boys/girls nation, all that? put your hand up. almost everybody in the room. this is a group that has been in gauged from the beginning, and i'm sure you have seen people in your school that could care less about things like this. where did you get your interest and government organizations versus those who do not care anything about this? >> my best friend hillary got me involved and said look, its really important. and from the teachers and faculty at my high school in clear water, clear water high. through the knowledge of others, i feel that has helped me, too. >> so a teacher ought to feel good when you say it is a teacher that help you get involved. >> yes. >> how many else in the world would point to the teacher that got you involved and interested in all this.

tell us your story. at i am from cumberland, rhode island. >> why are you here? >> i applied for a fellowship. i was interested to see how washington has changed, how the institutions have changed. people that were collected, where is their continuity vs. dynamic. >> what have you learned? >> it is quite a different place. the media has changed things, but it also gave me the chance to reflect on events that are really formative, and we are the political conscience now. the september 11 tragedy resonated and is still ringing true with the speakers and the museum exhibits. >> what have you seen that the biggest impression? >> there were two pieces in particular. the first was a presentation by professor christina husky from the university of texas law

school. she talked at length about the habeas corpus process for detainees at guantanamo. it showed that these are people that are not liked by the american population. they are not typical criminals, typical people in the sense of that. yet they are still given in most cases the right to habeas corpus. it shows a commitment to civil institutions and the rule of law. >> have you been to washington before? >> yes, i have. >> are you going to run for congress callin? >> absolutely not. my grandfather was a labor lobbyist, and i have seen the

place change quite a bit. some of it is systemic. the idea of using the filibuster for a motion to adjourn to use the bathroom. it really changes the civil discourse. i think the same thing happened in districts. we are gen. -- we're gerrymandering to such an extreme. >> you have undoubtedly heard it on television and read it on newspapers that people are saying people your age are in trouble based on what my generation and others have done to this country with the expenditure money. are you worried? >> absolutely. even beyond the expenditure of money is the environmental degradation. it really leaves, what is the next chapter? right now i think that chapter is really blank. that may be one of the forces in addition to mounting debt. the economy which to economic

growth. >> i'm not going to ask you whether you are a democrat and republican. how many in this room consider themselves completely independent of any political party? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. a whole bunch of you back here. we ought to find out why. where are you from? and that i am from close above. i live in boston and i go to -- >> why did you go to the united states from close above? >> because i had to. i came here as a refugee and was seeking freedom. >> what status do you have in the united states? > are you a green card holder? spam that i am a u.s. citizen now. >> --

>> i am a u.s. citizen now. >> would you have anything to say to americans who were born in this country, raised in this country, and based on the experience that you have? >> i would like them to know to appreciate the freedom that they have. i would like them to take responsibility to help countries that are in need, places like darfur, cashmere, senegal, third world countries who really need other people's help. i appreciate that i am in washington and i get to see places like the white house or congress where decisions are made to help people lives. >> what is the best thing in the united states and what is the bestthing you do not like? >> there are a lot of things i like. i like that the united states is involved in some particular

major issues around the world, and i like to see more involvement in other countries, other countries and power to influence change and freedom around the world. >> what do you like? >> i cannot really say. >> thank you. yes, ma'am? >> i am from bradley university. >> in peoria, illinois. >> i am from northern chicago. >> what brings you to the washington center? >> i have loved the sea for as long as i remember, and i wanted to i've the opportunity to expand my horizons. >> why? >> i started college in the fall of 2007, so it was about the time the primaries started. i started canvassing and going door-to-door and volunteering with local campaigns. i love to talk to people. hearing their stories of what issues affect them.

it was not so much the issue itself, but it was how their lives have changed because things have happened. >> have you changed your mind about anything since you have been here? >> not particularly. over the past few years -- i do not want to say i am cynical, but i have lost that now leave mine said i had when i was younger. i think it comes down to really looking at all sides and all possible angles to understand an issue and understand that there is a solution and we have to figure out there are multiple solutions. >> so you were here when the tragedy in arizona happened. what was your first reaction to that, and what has happened to your thinking since then? >> i was shocked because i do not understand how someone can target an individual like that that wants to do good. i think every person that runs

for office has this idea that they are going to serve people. to attack someone or individuals like that, where we can possibly improve the situation of others, it is hard to understand. i still do not understand why someone would ever do that. >> yes, ma'am? >> good morning. i am originally from jamaica and i go to school at suffolk university in boston, massachusetts. >> why did you come to washington for two weeks? >> because i wanted to know more about how the american government runs in general because i was not as aware of it as i thought i was. >> are you a jamaican citizen? >> i will always be a jamaican citizen because i was born there, and we do not have dual citizenship. >> what do you think about what

you have learned? >> i do not think it as -- i think the system is a lot better than in my country because the people have a lot more rights. at the same time, there is a lot of corruption in it, but is still a lot better than in my own country. >> where do you see corruption? >> not really corruption, but things are twisted so they seemed the way a lot of politicians will present things. one of the speaker's earlier today was saying they were calling the obama health care, they were twisting things to what it is not, and it makes the people, you know, kind of pushes them to one side and it makes people view something in a way they are not supposed to and they do not know as much about it because the people they

elected are not presenting it in a way that is truthful. >> did every speaker that you listened to in the last couple of weeks tell you the truth? >> some of them tried to. i think they didn't really do it, not that they really did not want to in some cases, but maybe they did not know the answer and they did not want to, like, say something that might hurt their career in the future, i guess. >> their career in the future they were worried about. >> i am sarah nicholson, from bradley university in peoria. >> what have you learned? >> i have learned that i did not know as much as i thought i did. i can pass on that information to people who do not have this opportunity. >> you learn that you didn't know as much as you thought you did. give us an example.

>> one of the things that i think i have learned the most is the redistricting process and how really politically has been. in my political science classes, the view that i have taken -- they touched on it, touched on gerrymandering and reapportionment. illinois is a state that retained our democratic governor, so i am interested to see how that will play out in the future as we go through that process. but i didn't really know or understand the full scope of the issue and tone this week. >> was there a moment where you said i did not know that and now i do? >> it is a continual learning process. i do not think i have ever had an aha or light bulb moment because i continue to expand on the knowledge that i have. >> so if we get a fairness doctrine, should be calling you to run that? >> i think the fairness doctrine is a secondary issue. i think the primary issue is the

citizens not seeking out alternative sources of information. not taking it upon themselves to know as much as they can. as an english major, i am taught to navigate alternative points of view so i cannot take everything at face value. one of the things i am attempting to do is to tell my friends, if you watch one side you have to watch the other to get the full truth. the fairness doctrine is a secondary issue, not the primary issue at hand. >> yes, sir. >> my name is george hurley, a political science major from california. >> anything you want to comment on? >> i would just say that a theme we have been experiencing the last few days is it fair and open debate, vigorous debate. i am definitely a proponent of that. i was the one that asked about

the fairness doctrine to congressman pence. i do not think that we need to have that. we have the new media, as bob schieffer pointed out to us on monday, the old media vs. new media concept, and we can search out and really come up with our own opinion and search out the fact of what is important to us, how it pertains rather than somebody feeding us, this is what you need to know because we think so. >> why do you think so many people -- and all my life it has happened. want to point tthe finger at the other side and say they need to cool their jets? >> i think somebody brought up earlier that it is about power. whoever controls the spotlight, if you will, they have the greatest chance to influence other people, whether that be

here in the united states or abroad. finger-pointing is kind of a human nature kind of thing. >> have you seen something in the past two weeks that was a high point? >> all the speakers have been, at the least, i opening. i have learned something from them, whether it is drawing attention, the spotlight being on them so they espouse their personal beliefs and their personal agendas, even if they were -- >> there is a theory in this society because of the mtv generation moving so fast, they cannot sit still very long, you all have sat still for two weeks, seven or eight hours a day. some of you have long faces at the moment, but that is my problem. you do, you sit there all day

and do this. what is it about this idea that we have that you will not sit still for something like this. am i think sometimes the media portrays that, dr. >> i think sometimes the media portrays that, and that perception leads to people being less interested in politics because they do not believe they have a voice because they have this public perception or this older generation perception on them that they are wrong or somehow they are not living up to the expectation of the older generation. i think that is a terrible mischaracterization of young people in the united states. >> yes, ma'am? >> i am from bergen community college in new jersey. >> what have you learned? >> i have learned that everyone in washington carries around their constitution. [laughter] >> have you got one yet? >> i have. >> why do you think they carry the constitution? >> i think it is important that

we know our rights. i feel like officials as opposed to getting involved with the process and really knowing what your rights, be able to point that out to your congressmen. >> why are you interested in all this stuff? >> interested in entering the legal profession, so i wanted to explore more of the inner workings in washington. i was very impressed -- one of the stand of moments for me was when i was able to walk into my senator's office and really feel like a constituent. when you are able to experience that, walking in and knowing that they are there to listen to you, seeing what you have to say, hopefully it will solve the problems that exist for us. >> let's say that the president called you into the oval office and after you get over the fright, which anybody would, if you could tell him one thing that you wanted him to do as president, what would it be?

>> a very tough question. there are so many things. >> what issue matters to you the most? >> i think right now with the new elected congress being majority republican, he should definitely emphasize compromise and really -- we always talk about bipartisanship -- but really i would like to see that inaction in progress. i think we have not seen that before. that would be great to see them working together on solving our issues. >> yes, ma'am. >> good morning. i'm from the owners college of miami dade college. >> what is the commerce college of miami dade? >> it is -- what does the honors college of miami date? >> you are denied unfortunately or either accepted. you remain in the program or not, you can be unfortunately

kicked out. >> i have read there are 172,000 students at miami dade. >> i believe it is 200,000 or something higher. >> tell them to update their wikipedia site. is that the biggest college in america? >> in america, yes. >> what does it feel like being part of that college? >> it is definitely an honor, especially after dr. padrone was named the the part of education. >> what have you learned this past couple of weeks? >> we have only been here a week. we got here sunday. we definitely have huge sleep deprivation. definitely how politics and media are definitely intertwined.

i'm an international relations major, so how the major was talking about foreign-policy with secretary of state hillary clinton. i was in all about it. we have a lot more events coming up, but that moment was my high point. >> so we have been talking about the fairness doctrine and the idea of fairness. should we have the government do that? >> i definitely do not think so. every person in this room has an opinion, a point of view, and it should be up to the constituents to decide what poised to take on certain media. everybody is going to have a different opinion. we are human. by putting out that doctrine, you will have one person regulating everything, and that is definitely going to go against the first amendment, freedom of speech. that is not going to be ok. >> what is your number one

source of news? >> "the washington post." >> on the web from miami? >> yes. >> sir? >> i am from bradley university and i live in illinois, south of chicago. >> we have heard a lot from bradley. three of you have spoken. why did you come for our two weeks to the washington center? >> i have always had an interest in politics. even though it is not directly related to my major -- i'm an entrepreneur ship major -- it is about elected officials having the power. >> how did you get elected student body president? >> well, i served on the senate fort two years, a senator for my dorm, then i became -- i decided

to run for president. >> why did you get involved in the senate? >> honestly, i was looking for a way to get involved on campus. the current president and approached me as i was a freshman and told me to run. i came back all excited iwith a petition a half hour later, all filled out, and i got elected. there were nine people running for the seat i got. it was inspired to get elected. >> is not always the case, but i think if you find you go around washington, most of the people around working on staff have had similar experience when there have been involved in the government related organizations in schools, so why are you interested and oa lot of your classmates might not be? >> that is a tough question. i am in a fraternity as well, and i looked around and see a lot of guys are doing a lot in a lot of guys are ok with not

doing it. some people might do it in one way, and that is perfectly acceptable, and other people might do it in another way. >> let's assume you're on your way to a life in public service. are you going to run for congress? >> i do not know. i do not know if that is in my career planner or something that i'm going to do. >> after seeing what people here do all the time, could you do that? >> i think it would be rough having to deal with the criticism a lot of them go through, especially with the politics where if you vote one way you are demonize, if you vote another way, it is not a very nice environment to be in. but that is the price they paid to represent and help every citizen of the united states. >> thank you, mr. president. >> i am originally from south connecticut, but i go to school at clark university.

>> what is clark university like? >> pretty much as liberal as you can get some times. its about 2000 students from our school, but it is very diverse. >> does that make you a liberal? >> no. i am one of the few that could probably say they are a moderate. its really interesting coming from a more conservative family to moving to such a liberal environment. >> what is the difference between being a liberal and being a moderate? >> i tend to believe that everyone has to consider taking both sides. i really think it is the responsibility of the consumer to decide -- to decide for both sides of the story and make their own personal opinion and not categorize themselves too much. >> what would you guess you would be doing in 10 years? >> hopefully practicing law or running for local office. >> why? >> i think politics, every

aspect of it affects some aspect of our lives. i think it runs everything that we're involved in, and either through studying the concrete this -- the concreteness of the lot in media issues and local politics, that is a way to make a difference. >> should we kill you in for the fairness doctrine? >> no. like i said, -- should we count you in for the fairness doctrine? >> no. with growing technology, there are so many ways to get the technology -- the information out there, it is possible for us to figure it out ourselves. >> yes, ma'am? >> suffolk university, boston. >> what brings you to town? >> i am a criminal justice major and i want to go to law school and the criminal law. i wanted to broaden my horizons because i know a lot of people

here are really into politics and things like that. i am started to get into politics, but -- >> what does politics mean to you? >> just what we have been doing. i am an independent so i like to hear both sides, republican and democrat. i want to hear different views from people because i do not really have a firm grip on either side. >> during the last couple of weeks, which side makes more sense to you? >> you know what, i honestly could not tell you. i think i'm going to stay registered as an independent. in the class discussions that we have, i know both sides at least in my class are really passionate on where they stand, and it is interesting to be able to hear both sides. as far as -- i agree with a lot of conservative ideas, but i agree with a lot of liberal ideas that have been said. >> who has impressed you most?

>> probably christine husky. she is defending detainees at guantanamo bay, and it was interesting to hear her take on the criticism she has been getting for that, not only as a lawyer but as a woman. it was really inspiring to hear that. >> can i get you to take a position on the fairness doctrine? a good idea to have someone in government to tell us what is the balance? >> no, i would definitely not go with the fairness doctrine. i believe the media the way it is now, clearly is biased and all network news and things like that, but i feel that if we tell them what to say or what to do, it will bring more bias. so i think the way it is going is great, but i also think there needs to be a distinction between what is news and what is opinion. >> what is your first choice

every day for your news source? do you turn the computer on first? do you listen to radio? watch television? >> the internet. >> what is the first site you go to? >> my computer is logging on as aol, so i guess i get my news from aol. >> what have you learned? >> lots of things. >> tell us some. just one. >> the way that the media is able to spur on partisanship, especially among liberals. it is very interesting. >> spurt it on? >> i think that tested becomes -- it has spurred on partisanship especially within congress. people nowadays often go for the most right or -- i would not say

most left -- a democrat or republican speaking to them in rather radical ways, failing to engage in other forms of information or other opinions has led to obviously the increase in partisanship and a failure to understand both sides, and that facilitates what i believe is closed minded this. >> we are running out of time. mike smith, a come up for a minute and tell us about -- >> my name is monique madden. at miami dade college. >> what have you learned? >> it was interested to hear about the age of classic journalism, pleading for reporters to be accurate with their sources and with the

actual true journalism that we should have. >> i am going to ask the rest of you standing, come up to the microphone, and tell me where you are from. i will ask you one quick question so you can all get involved. >> i'm a political science major at miami dade honors college. >> what have you learned? >> i have learned something about the city. what i found most interesting is you have so many beautiful things, beautiful monuments, and you looked just that way and you see how the streets are, how the people are living, and how the housing is, and that is what i found most interesting about the sea in general. >> are you surprised? >> yes, very surprised. >> what school do you go to? >> i go to miami dade college comedy honors college. what i have learned this week, i have learned the different perspectives from the speakers that we have been having.

it is great. knowledge within relations to the media, and -- >> have you changed your mind? >> for a few moments, i have have realized -- i have realized that sometimes you need to go over some aspect in some fields that may not relate to your major. >> yes, ma'am, our last speaker. your name? >> my name is niki de notes, el on university in north carolina. earlier this week we went to the american association of teacher education. we learn about new initiatives that i previously had not heard of.

i would really love to encourage to invite my senators to come and talk to the school of education and level with us because the legislation and bills that are going out argued important will affect us as future teachers. >> mike smith is the president of this organization -- not of you, but the washington center. with a minute left, you are in your new building. what is going on, and the kids who are watching this thing, or parents, how can they get involved in this program? >> first of all, i really impressed with all of your responses. you have been listening to people for the past two weeks and is a wonderful thing to see you on the spot with someone as prominent as brian lamb, who is well known and the well you responded was very exceptional. our programs are now 35 years

old, but these one and two week's seminars that we have run our -- going for a full experience of interning in congress or the white house or cnn and other agencies. people can get involved by deciding that they would like to be exposed to leadership, they would like to learn about public policy and how it is formulated, sometimes implemented, sometimes not implemented. to be advancing their own professional interests through work-force development. actually interning or coming and experiencing a seminar like this so that you can go back and make your own communities better places. >> right here is the website, twc.edu. 25 of you participated. it was all about letting you have a chance to tell us what

your thinking. give yourselves a big hand. thank you all. >> for a dbe copy of this program, call 1-877-662-7726. portrait -- for freeze transcripts are give us your comment, business -- visit us at q&a.org. >> it is time to update your video for c-span student cam competition. the deadline is this thursday. so send your 5 to 8 minute documentary program to c-span.

is washington,me d.c.: through my lands. -- through my lens. >> c-span is a problem -- a nonprofit company. coming up on "washington journal, we will take your questions and comments. after that, a couple of programs commemorating martin luther king jr.'s birthday, with attorney general eric holder. later, a forum with former elected officials and a representative from the naacp on his legacy. this morning on "washington journal, a preview of the house agenda with mike lillis. then jon shure. then we will talk with have a pillar of the corporation of national --