Ed Wasserman

Before Ed Wasserman came to FIU I read his bio, an interview, and a couple of stories he wrote for the Herald.  He was an obviously interesting guy who valued his own opinion, which I respect.  Also, since he is a researcher, it was clear he was smart.  I was interested to hear what he'd have to say to a bunch of college student about Ethics, and what way he would take to get through to us.  
When he started his speech I couldn't really follow him.  I didn't really know where it was going but I figured it was his introduction to the point.  But as I struggled to listen, more and more I realized I had no idea what the guy was talking about.  For a brief moment he started to give the example of a college student who did a story on her professor and fellow classmates without them knowing, and I thought he had finally started on ethics.  But he left that subject quickly and continued to spit out wordy sentences really fast.  I sat there for 45 minutes completely confused.
Maybe I'm an idiot.  Maybe he spoke too fast.  All I know is I was actively listening, and  he was saying something of possible substance, and somewhere in between we were lost in translation.

Arnold Markowitz

After watching Arnold Markowitz struggle in a tough interview, even with all of his experience, it made me think about what I would have done.  Before he entered the house of the step-grandfather who just lost his grandchild hours before, he offered condolences.  I know that I would do the same, and it would probably be before I said anything else.  I wouldn't be able to ask someone for the favor of interviewing them before showing them that I sympathize with their situation.  I think the best thing to say would be something along the lines of: "Mr/Mrs. _____, I'm Elizabeth Velez from the Beacon.  I can't imagine what you're going through right now, but I'm hoping you would give me a couple of minutes to talk about what happened."  However, after Markowitz gets the interview, he mentions the organization that helps people overcome the loss of a murdered child.  I found the mention of the word "murder" to be a step to far, even as someone who was just watching the interview.  It wasn't offensive, just too shocking for the moment.  I learned from that to keep the human side to a minimum, and mostly stick to the interview you came for.