Spring Break
KSU student's iReports land her a TV appearance
Nicole Stempak
Issue date: 9/30/08 Section: News
Katy Brown's eight minutes of fame were up Saturday evening. The freshman magazine journalism major appeared on CNN's "Rowland Martin" show to discuss Friday's presidential debate.
Brown, a member of College Republicans, said CNN asked participants in advance to submit a list of the top three things each person wanted to hear during the debate. Her list included the war, immigration and nuclear weapons.
She said they spent most of the time on the show discussing what wasn't mentioned during the debate and why the topics they submitted should have been discussed.
"He (Martin) just wanted to get a vibe from the real people instead of the political super stars," Brown said.
There were four people in Brown's segment. She was the only student.
Brown said she thinks she was chosen because of her popularity as an iReporter for CNN.
"I guess because of my age difference and my ability to cause some feedback from people, they decided to bring me to New York and do a live session," she said.
iReporters, Brown explained, are people who send videos of themselves stating their opinions on a wide range of topics.
She chose politics, and she first submitted a video when Republican presidential candidate John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Soon after, CNN contacted Brown, asking her for more.
She has submitted a total of 14 videos, according to her profile on iReport. Of those, 10 have aired on CNN, including a debate between Brown and a graduate student in Georgia. Brown's profile can be found at www.ireport.com/people/kbrown0419.
Despite her familiarity in front of the camera, she still can't believe she was on national television Saturday.
"It hasn't hit me yet," she said.
Contact student politics reporter Nicole Stempak at nstempak@kent.edu.
Brown, a member of College Republicans, said CNN asked participants in advance to submit a list of the top three things each person wanted to hear during the debate. Her list included the war, immigration and nuclear weapons.
She said they spent most of the time on the show discussing what wasn't mentioned during the debate and why the topics they submitted should have been discussed.
"He (Martin) just wanted to get a vibe from the real people instead of the political super stars," Brown said.
There were four people in Brown's segment. She was the only student.
Brown said she thinks she was chosen because of her popularity as an iReporter for CNN.
"I guess because of my age difference and my ability to cause some feedback from people, they decided to bring me to New York and do a live session," she said.
iReporters, Brown explained, are people who send videos of themselves stating their opinions on a wide range of topics.
She chose politics, and she first submitted a video when Republican presidential candidate John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Soon after, CNN contacted Brown, asking her for more.
She has submitted a total of 14 videos, according to her profile on iReport. Of those, 10 have aired on CNN, including a debate between Brown and a graduate student in Georgia. Brown's profile can be found at www.ireport.com/people/kbrown0419.
Despite her familiarity in front of the camera, she still can't believe she was on national television Saturday.
"It hasn't hit me yet," she said.
Contact student politics reporter Nicole Stempak at nstempak@kent.edu.
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