My Interview with Dr. Jane Goodall

Dr. Jane Goodall's name was still fresh in my mind when I first got an email from my editor asking if I would be available for an interview. Just one week before, Dr. Goodall had been the subject of a class conversation.

My classmates and I were to complete an essay discussing the scientific achievements men and women have made in society. Dr. Goodall was one of the scientists we were required to research and discuss.

When I got the message of an opportunity to interview Dr. Goodall, I knew it would be a chance of a lifetime. 

The weekend before my interview, my teacher let me borrow a copy of Dr. Goodall's book, Reason for Hope. I hoped to learn more about her life to better prepare myself to speak to her.

The day before the interview, I prepared the camera, microphone, press pad, questions, tape recorder, and laptop. My interview was in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, about three hours from my home near Detroit. 

The next morning, I met with Dr. Goodall in her hotel lobby. Accompanied with her scheduler and her toy monkey, Mr. H, she greeted me as other hotel guests and employees looked on, surprised to see such a famous face.   After taking a good look at the lobby, Dr. Goodall politely requested that we go up to her hotel room. 

During the elevator ride, I asked Dr. Goodall how she felt to be in Michigan. She expressed concern of the farms she saw on her car ride to the hotel, claiming that most of the farms likely used pesticides. It proved her dedication to the environment.

I set up the camera and microphone and ran a quick audio check. Dr. Goodall waited patiently, placing Mr. H on her bed. 

Mr. H is treated like royalty around Dr. Goodall. He was a gift from Gary Haun, a blind magician who lost his sight in the U.S. Marines. When Haun thought he was giving Goodall a chimp, she handed him the tail.

Since then, Mr. H has been to 53 countries and has been touched by more than 2.5 million people.

I could tell Goodall was passionate by the way she spoke. Her tranquil yet powerful voice proved that she was speaking from her heart. 

At the end of the interview, Dr. Goodall offered some advice.

"You guys who do the news, who talk to people, you have a huge responsibility and a vast influence, so you use it wisely."

Watch the rest of my interview with Dr. Jane Goodall on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website.

 

—Kid Reporter Charlie Kadado

Photo: Kid Reporter Charlie Kadado with Dr. Jane Goodall and Mr. H after their interview in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. (Courtesy Charlie Kadado)

Behind the scenes of the CNBC Republican debate

When I first received the assignment to cover the Republican Debate at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, I didn't know what to expect. I had covered political events and political figures' speeches in the past, but I had never attended a debate.

The day before the CNBC debate, I visited Oakland University for a media meeting. I was given the opportunity to get a look at the “Media Filing Center,” a large auditorium filled with hundreds of desks and workspace for journalists. At the meeting, I found out that members of the media would be listening to the debate through television screens.

When I got home, I prepared the materials I needed: a laptop, camera, microphone, tape recorder, press pad, and credentials.

I arrived at the debate four hours before the start time. I prepared my article, spoke to other journalists, and observed the busy filing center. From campus newspapers to international news stations, hundreds of reporters, anchors, and production crew surrounded the auditorium.

Large lighting structures and cameras were precisely positioned throughout the area. My desk was situated between MSNBC and FOX News. Periodically, a reporter would be given a cue to do a live shot. It was very neat to watch what happened behind the scenes!


At exactly 8 p.m., the debate began. The lights and cameras turned off, but the reporters were still in tune. They carefully watched the debate, taking note of the powerful replies and flaws of each candidate.

When Rick Perry couldn’t name the third department he would eliminate as President, a few reporters laughed, while others took notes of the incident.

As the debate came to an end, members of the press made their way into a small section where the candidates would come and speak to the media. Texas Governor Rick Perry was the first person to arrive.

Producers, reporters, and photojournalists ran towards Perry. The first words that came out of his mouth were, “Whoa, easy.” It just goes to show you how aggressive some journalists’ can be!

After speaking to Perry, former Senator Rick Santorum, and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, I packed up my belongings and headed back home. By the time I left, it was midnight.

The Republican debate showed me how fast-paced the job of a journalist can be. I learned that a journalist has to be a person who can ask tough questions, adjust their fast-paced schedules, and never take “no” for an answer. As my editor told me, “Keep your head on a swivel and keep your eyes and ears open – you never know what you might see or hear!”

Be sure to check out Charlie's story from the CNBC debate! 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: What issues do you think are the most important in the 2012 Presidential election? Let us know in the comments section! 

Photos: Texas Governor Rick Perry takes questions after the CNBC debate in Michigan; a view of the work stations set up backstage at the debate. (Photos courtesy Charlie Kadado)

9/11 from the Perspective of a Young Arab-American

Editor's Note: As a Kid Reporter, Charlie Kadado knows that he must always remain objective in his reporting. But on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, Charlie asked if he could write an opinion piece about growing up as an Arab American in a post-9/11 America. News publications, print and online, often offer editorials or opinion pieces for their readers on current news topics.  This week we felt there was place for Charlie’s opinion piece in our 9/11 special report.

What you're about to read is an editorial, not a reported story like we usually publish. It reflects Charlie's opinion as a kid, not a Scholastic Kid Reporter. 

Terrorism, the Middle East, 9/11. They are words that have come to flow together after the tragic attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. Now on the 10th anniversary, the words have become part of discriminatory and intolerant phrases, full of hate and prejudice.

As a young American Middle Eastern, I was raised to appreciate my heritage, but, at the same time, exhibit my American pride. I am American born, American raised, and a proud American. However, after the attacks on 9/11, my family and I became confused. We were confused by our surroundings, confused by media depictions, and confused by the new misconceptions of our race.

Before the attacks, we were proud to be Americans. We were the kind of people who had an American flag in our front yard, enjoyed the patriotic fireworks on the Fourth of July, and wore American flag lapel pins on our clothing. After the attacks, however, we felt a renewed sense of patriotism. We were not only demonstrating our patriotism, but we began to appreciate our country, appreciate our lives, and appreciate the hard work of the men and women in uniform.

As people came together to help those who lost family members, we watched in admiration. That sense of admiration powered our patriotism.

Unfortunately, our patriotism was not welcome by others. Our patriotism was met with discrimination. We were looked at differently when we walked into the grocery store and when we greeted our neighbors. We were no longer the American patriotic family who lives next door — we became the Arabs who live next door.

I was quite young when the attacks happened, but I can still vaguely remember my father's face and response to the media coverage of the incident. He was surprised by why it happened and how it happened. Like any other American, he was in shock.

As I grew older and learned more about 9/11 in school, I was forced to grow up in a different world. My elementary school was situated in Farmington Hills, Michigan, a diverse neighborhood in Oakland County. My classmates were a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Europeans, and many more cultures. Discrimination has never an issue at my school, but the news headlines, interviews, and opinions were hard to avoid.

Without question, the attacks on September 11th had a tremendous impact on the lives of Arab Americans. Discrimination became an issue that many Arab Americans now faced.

In 2001, my father was a community activist in the Oakland County area. As a precinct delegate, leader of political activities, and business owner, he was shocked by the effect 9/11 had on Arab Americans. Despite his public service, he still encountered discrimination.

Arabs who practiced Islam faced the most prejudice, but Christian-Lebanese families like us faced it, too. Our religion helped us connect with our community and disregard the intolerance.

The 10-year anniversary of 9/11 should be a time to rethink what we say, reestablish how we live, and remember those who died during the terrible attacks. It also should be a time to teach others about what 9/11 meant to the nation.

Teaching young people about 9/11 should also be a time to explain the meaning of discrimination. It is an issue that people should learn at a young age. We must learn that discrimination will get us nowhere. The world will change, people will change, issues will change, but the affects of discrimination will not. It will always be a problem, a problem that is tough to get rid of.

For more Kid Reporter stories about the 10th anniversary of 9/11, check out the 9/11: Ten Years Later Special Report. 

—Kid Reporter Charlie Kadado

Photo: Kid Reporter Charlie Kadado in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy of Charlie Kadado) 

My visit to Fox 2 News

When I first received the email from my Scholastic editor requesting story ideas or possible journalists to interview for the Kid Reporter Tips from the Pros section, the first person I thought of was Lee Thomas.

I watch Lee on TV almost every morning, and I always noticed that his hands and side of his head were completely white. I did some research about him and found out he suffered from vitiligo. Lee’s story signified that there are barriers in life that attempt to keep you from doing the things you love to do best. For Lee, his passion was journalism.

As the day of my interview with Lee approached, I prepared the questions and supplies that I needed. Despite the treacherous road conditions due to snowfall, we headed out to Detroit for the interview.
When I first arrived, I was welcomed by Lee at the door as he was finishing up a few meetings before the nine o’clock show. He then took me into the Fox 2 studio as directors stood across the studio floor putting the show together.

As Lee took his seat for a quick news brief, I had the opportunity to watch what was going on inside the studio: the meteorologist standing in front of the green screen, the traffic reporter putting last minute touches on traffic briefs, producers collecting the latest news, directors looking through papers, and anchors reading their prompters. This made me wonder how much work goes into putting together a broadcast.

When Lee finished the brief, we went into the conference room where I had the opportunity to interview Lee. I learned that Lee has an optimistic and positive attitude and that he really has a motivated character. 

When I asked Lee about what he can tell people who may have barriers in their life, I thought of a barrier that I had. When I was just seven, I was hit by a car in a hit and run accident while I was riding my bike in my subdivision. With surgeries and physical therapy, I completely recovered from the incident. Despite the barriers that stopped me from the things I liked to do best, I learned to be fortunate for what I have. As Lee Thomas told me, “There is no barrier that you cannot overcome.”

—Kid Reporter Charlie Kadado

Photo: Kid Reporter Charlie Kadado interviews Fox 2 News broadcaster Lee Thomas (Photo courtesy Charlie Kadado)