Political Discussion From High Schooler's POV

For Mike Fishman and Rachael Hanna, politics is a vital part of their lives.

The Belmont High School juniors read newspapers, check websites and discuss the issues of the day with their families and each other on a regular basis.

So it seemed only fitting that they bring their passion for chatting about what's going on in the world to a larger audience through their show, "Straight Talk," aired on Belmont Media Center's public access television station.

"We want to convey a broader focus to our audience than just the 'here and now'," said Mike.

"We're trying to bring simplicity to complicated issues and present people with enough information to form their own opinions on a given topic," he said.

That's why they named their show "Straight Talk" – because it presents "straight out" facts, he said.

A close examination of politicians and the news of the day – both global and local – are necessary in a town like Belmont, Rachael believes.

"This is a small town and a tight community," she said. "You can get closed out of the broader world if you don't get out in some way."

 Modern political life in America has become more difficult to follow, Mike said. "For the past several years, both parties use rhetoric that contains lies."

Although he said he knows it can be hard, Mike maintains we as Americans have a duty to closely follow that we're voting for – regardless of whether they are Democrat or Republican.

"Those letters 'D' or 'R' following their names mean nothing," he said. "They tell very little about where a politician stands on issues."

Mike became familiar with the station when he was the cameraman for his brother, Ilya, a few years ago when she had a show with one of his friends.

"I found it extremely interesting and thought I might like to have a show, too," Mike said. "When the opportunity arose, I convinced Rachael to join me."

When Mike asked if she wanted to work with him on a show concerning politics, Rachael said it took her just one second to answer: "Absolutely!"

Mike and Rachael, both 16, began airing Straight Talk their freshmen year and have been producing it ever since.

Friends since first grade, they base the monthly half-hour show on what is current news or on topics that they deem overdue for discussion.

"When the news was filed with reports about the immigration law in Arizona, the war in Iraq was overshadowed for quite a while," said Mike by way of describing an issue that was buried during attention being paid to a "hot issue."

In the past few weeks, they filmed a show on the controversy surrounding a mosque being built near Ground Zero that will air throughout the month on Wednesday and Friday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Their discussion on the topic included an analysis of what is legal versus what is moral and culturally sensitive.

"There is no right or wrong answer here but a lot of shades of gray," said Mike.

"This is the kind of topic we discuss on our show by first presenting the facts and then discussing it."

So often, Rachael said, she and Mike agree on issues, so they try to show the other point of view.

That's why it's interesting to have guests on their show that they did more often for the past two years.

Last year, Rachael's family had a German exchange student living with them who was on the show, providing an international point-of-view on various subjects.

When people disagree with what they're saying, Mike said he finds the shows more interesting because he knows they've accomplished and encouraged debate.

"A lot of people disagree with our facts on certain topics," Rachael said. "That's OK with us if it means they went out and did their own homework."

The goal of "Straight Talk", Mike said, is to encourage people to do their own research on political issues.

"We want our community to be informed; know what's going on; and learn everything they can before going out to vote nationally or locally," said Mike.