According to a nationwide poll based on telephone interviews with 515 Democrats, 519 Republicans and 550 independents, more than 8 out of 10 Democrats said they wanted to see former First Lady and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to run for president in 2016.
On the Republican side, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is losing support, as 41% said they would rather him not run for presidency and 31% said they would want him to. The remaining percentage were people who did not know enough about the governor to take a side. In the beginning, it was predicted that Governor Christie would be winning the favor of the Republicans. It is clearly not so anymore, based on the results of the poll. No Republican candidate currently has enough support for a presidential run.
The poll was incomplete in many areas because of a lack of knowledge by the public. This is why accurate information is so necessary to have when polling. Uneducated opinions and poll choices can dramatically sway the outcome of the article's subject. As journalists, we must be smart as to where we get our results from--if the people that make up our sample in polls are making their opinions based on true facts that they are aware of. There are so many aspects of a person's decision that must be taken into account. For example, with this poll, it is possible that many people who said that they wanted Clinton to run for office in 2016 did so only because they want to see a woman in office, not because they necessarily agree with her platform. This would make the conclusion that people support Clinton's views less accurate.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Poll says business leaders believe that knowledge trumps college pedigree
A telephone survey with 623 U.S. business leaders asked them to rank the level of importance of four different factors companies look for when hiring. These four categories were: the amount of knowledge the candidate has in the field, the candidate's applied skills in the field, the candidate's college or university major, and where the candidate received his or her college degree. The sample for the business leader study was nationally representative of businesses in the United States.
The survey was then conducted on average American adults, and it was discovered that the American adult population generally agrees with the opinions of business leaders in terms of the importance of knowledge and applied skills in the field. About eight in 10 U.S. adults believed that knowledge and applied skills in the field were very important factors to consider when they looked for qualifications to hire a candidate.
The average American, however, rates the candidate's college major and where the candidate received his or her degree as higher in importance than business leaders do. Nearly half of U.S. adults surveyed said that a candidate's college or university major is very important to hiring managers, and 30% said that where the candidate received his or her college degree is very important.
The conclusions drawn from the findings of this survey are that the business leaders claim that where a person gets a college degree and what their major is isn't as important as their level of skill and knowledge in a particular field when it comes to hiring for jobs. Nowadays, colleges are becoming more and more competitive and high school students are having to work harder and harder to be the applicant that these colleges are looking to accept. The workplace is as ruthless as ever, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a suitable job. Applicants to colleges and applicants to jobs both need qualifications, and many people these days work hard at making their application or resume the perfect, cookie-cutter shaped application that these people are looking for. However, they fail to realize the importance of experience. It is now experience that will distinguish you from other candidates for a college or a job. The experience you have will be what marks you as a potentially successful candidate.
The survey was then conducted on average American adults, and it was discovered that the American adult population generally agrees with the opinions of business leaders in terms of the importance of knowledge and applied skills in the field. About eight in 10 U.S. adults believed that knowledge and applied skills in the field were very important factors to consider when they looked for qualifications to hire a candidate.
The average American, however, rates the candidate's college major and where the candidate received his or her degree as higher in importance than business leaders do. Nearly half of U.S. adults surveyed said that a candidate's college or university major is very important to hiring managers, and 30% said that where the candidate received his or her college degree is very important.
The conclusions drawn from the findings of this survey are that the business leaders claim that where a person gets a college degree and what their major is isn't as important as their level of skill and knowledge in a particular field when it comes to hiring for jobs. Nowadays, colleges are becoming more and more competitive and high school students are having to work harder and harder to be the applicant that these colleges are looking to accept. The workplace is as ruthless as ever, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a suitable job. Applicants to colleges and applicants to jobs both need qualifications, and many people these days work hard at making their application or resume the perfect, cookie-cutter shaped application that these people are looking for. However, they fail to realize the importance of experience. It is now experience that will distinguish you from other candidates for a college or a job. The experience you have will be what marks you as a potentially successful candidate.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Response to "Gender diversity on Sunday news shows"
There was an article in the Washington Post about gender diversity on Sunday news shows. Two dozen women's organizations had collaborated to write a letter to Media Matters for America explaining how they believed it was unfair that women were not being asked to speak on important issues that pertain directly to their gender. "There are qualified women to speak on issues affecting all Americans, including national security, economic growth, climate change, education and many others," the article said.
The article offered statistical information such as the fact that women made up a mere 17 percent of Congress in 2008, a percentage which increased only very slightly in 2013, when women made up 18.3 percent of Congress. For the past decade or so, the percentage of women reporters have been at a deadlock of 38 percent.
The choices of which news stories to cover and which to exclude from daily publications have bias in and of themselves. For example, there are some stories that only women would think to publish, like stories advocating equal pay for women in the workplace, or women's health, or family counseling. This is why it is necessary to have women in the newsrooms. While I don't agree with replacing perfectly adequate males in some professions with women just for the sake of creating more diversity, I do think it necessary to have the voice of women heard loud enough for the world to understand that there are two sides to each story--from the men's perspective and the women's. I think the solution is not to get rid of the already existing spots occupied by males, but rather to create more room for the women to freely utilize their capabilities in each profession.
The article offered statistical information such as the fact that women made up a mere 17 percent of Congress in 2008, a percentage which increased only very slightly in 2013, when women made up 18.3 percent of Congress. For the past decade or so, the percentage of women reporters have been at a deadlock of 38 percent.
The choices of which news stories to cover and which to exclude from daily publications have bias in and of themselves. For example, there are some stories that only women would think to publish, like stories advocating equal pay for women in the workplace, or women's health, or family counseling. This is why it is necessary to have women in the newsrooms. While I don't agree with replacing perfectly adequate males in some professions with women just for the sake of creating more diversity, I do think it necessary to have the voice of women heard loud enough for the world to understand that there are two sides to each story--from the men's perspective and the women's. I think the solution is not to get rid of the already existing spots occupied by males, but rather to create more room for the women to freely utilize their capabilities in each profession.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Stereotypes
Stereotypes are everywhere in the world. Being an Asian teenager and attending one of the most prestigious high schools in the country, I have been labeled with some of these stereotypes. One of the most common ones is that all Asians are smart. While this may seem like a flattering and admirable stereotype, the way it is being used by teens puts a very negative label on the way Asians are viewed in the world today.
It is true that Asians have historically had revolutionary ideas about science, society, education, technology, and just life in general that have contributed significantly to their uniquely advanced ways of life. But summing all of that up with a generalization such as "all Asians are smart" means that all of the efforts and work of these Asian people are lost in the shadows. Simply stating race and genetics as the reason for Asian advancement hides the fact that Asian people have actually worked very hard and pondered very deeply to get to their level of sophisticated thinking and development.
In America, where many Asian immigrants now populate schools and learn among actual American children, many Asian students have worked their way up to the top academic levels in schools. Many people use the stereotype that all Asians are smart as an explanation for this. But these Asian children didn't inherit success from their genes--nobody is born successful. They achieved because they studied, worked hard, and learned to think deeply. Generalizing every Asian student's success with the stereotype that all Asians are just naturally smart makes it seem like they never have to work for anything, that they spin out good grades and success stories from their genetic code.
Like anyone else in the world, Asians have achieved success through hard work and ambition. And though Asians may all have a natural ambition to do whatever it takes to excel and strive for the best, only the ones who are willing to put in the work actually get there. We don't have a secret ingredient in our DNA that ensures natural success or intelligence. Like every other person on the planet, we must be willing to work hard in order to achieve success.
Asian people are not successful because they are Asian. The ones that are intelligent and successful are so because they have worked for it.
It is true that Asians have historically had revolutionary ideas about science, society, education, technology, and just life in general that have contributed significantly to their uniquely advanced ways of life. But summing all of that up with a generalization such as "all Asians are smart" means that all of the efforts and work of these Asian people are lost in the shadows. Simply stating race and genetics as the reason for Asian advancement hides the fact that Asian people have actually worked very hard and pondered very deeply to get to their level of sophisticated thinking and development.
In America, where many Asian immigrants now populate schools and learn among actual American children, many Asian students have worked their way up to the top academic levels in schools. Many people use the stereotype that all Asians are smart as an explanation for this. But these Asian children didn't inherit success from their genes--nobody is born successful. They achieved because they studied, worked hard, and learned to think deeply. Generalizing every Asian student's success with the stereotype that all Asians are just naturally smart makes it seem like they never have to work for anything, that they spin out good grades and success stories from their genetic code.
Like anyone else in the world, Asians have achieved success through hard work and ambition. And though Asians may all have a natural ambition to do whatever it takes to excel and strive for the best, only the ones who are willing to put in the work actually get there. We don't have a secret ingredient in our DNA that ensures natural success or intelligence. Like every other person on the planet, we must be willing to work hard in order to achieve success.
Asian people are not successful because they are Asian. The ones that are intelligent and successful are so because they have worked for it.
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