Florida teen reporting his way to the convention

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You may have read the AP article about 15-year-old Noah Gray who has attended a debate and interviewed four of the Democratic candidates for President. In the article Noah expressed his interest in coming to Denver for the convention

Noah wants to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver next August and interview more candidates. Someday he hopes to make documentaries or maybe be involved in journalism.

The article (incorrectly) gave a link to Noah's website which is called Virgin Voting. The site has an amazing video that Noah produced about the 2008 Elections and the importance of youth voting. After watching the video I wanted to know more about Noah. I asked him some questions and he was kind enough to reply.

What first got you into politics?

I started being interested in politics during the 2000 presidential election when George W. Bush ran against Al Gore. I was in third grade at the time and we were doing a unit on the election in school. I remember staying up late with a “scorecard” of states and erasing and changing the colors a lot. At around midnight, my parents told me to go to bed, since it wasn’t going to be over that night. I was “hooked” on the process ever since.

If you had 10 seconds with someone of voting age but said they don’t vote, what would you say?

I would ask them how they could let other people make decisions about their lives for them without them having a say so! I would tell them that it could be them going off to war someday and possibly dying for a cause they don’t believe in!

Who would you most like to meet at the convention?

Any candidate or person in power with a lot of media pull who can help me be successful in getting the attention of 18 to 24 year olds and motivate them to get informed and vote! Also, whoever wins the nomination to be the Democratic presidential candidate, because that would be really cool.

Have you ever been to Denver?

No, I have never been to Denver, but I am really looking forward to going (even though the convention is during the first week of school for me).

When you get older do you see yourself as a reporter or a politician?

I see myself as being more of a reporter or documentary filmmaker than a politician, even though I am excited by politics. I’d like to continue to combine both my passions and cover the political process.

How do you feel about the current state of the media?

I am disappointed about how the media doesn’t give enough coverage to the second and third tier candidates and only focus on who they think will be the frontrunners. I think this influences how people think and vote. I think it is only fair that everyone should have as much information as possible about each candidate so they can make informed decisions. Each candidate should have as much airtime as possible, not just what they can afford – they should all be seen and heard equally. That is what I am trying to do by covering as many candidates as I can (even the Republicans) and asking them all the same questions.

Candidates, news organizations and convention leaders can reach Noah by email (his address can be found on his website). I think it would be a great idea to get him involved to help push more young voters to the polls in November.

We look forward to hearing more about Noah and his quest to go to the convention. And I really think his teachers would excuse him if he has to miss his first week of school.