C-SPAN Civics Bus Visits JMU

Following class this afternoon, several of my classmates and I flocked across the Quad and boarded the C-SPAN Civics Bus, which was parked in front of Wilson Hall today as part of James Madison Week. The inside of the bus was pretty impressive, complete with all sorts of technical equipment that was definitely appealing to a SMAD digital video major like myself. There was even a soundproof interview/edit room in the back of the bus. We were escorted onto the bus and sat down on a couch that faced two large flat-screens. The presenter proceeded to show us a split-screen that demonstrated the difference between C-SPAN's unbiased, non-commentated coverage as compared to the presentations of the same story as presented by other popular news networks, including CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, in which these stations used split panels in order to emphasize certain aspects of stories. She also showed us C-SPAN coverage of the steroid hearings from several years ago. The sneak peek into the bus was really cool, and it was neat to have an opportunity to take a behind the scenes look and realize that there's more to C-SPAN than just the seemingly neverending telecasts of Congressional hearings.