Covering the Convention in the Style of Thomas Friedman: A Morning's Adventure
At times, as circumstances dictate, we will cover the 2012 Republican National Convention in the style of noted New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. The following reporting is 100% real:
I called for a taxi to pick me up at my hotel this morning at 9 a.m. An hour later, I was still waiting. A full hour! So I called another taxi company. This new cab company not only picked me up within 15 minutes, but sent me text messages to let me know the cab was on the way—a fine example of how social media and smart phones are changing the game in the transportation industry.
On the way in, in the back of the cab, I read the New York Times on my web-enabled smart phone. Thank god for cloud computing and the globalization of information technology. My driver, an African fellow, said he "didn't like traffic." I bet there are some great tools on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the iPad for that.
When we reached my destination I asked for a receipt. And do you know what was on the back of my receipt? An ad for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. What? That guy's been dead for years.
It really makes you think.
This has been: covering the 2012 Republican National Convention in the style of Thomas Friedman. Someone please pay me $75,000 to give a speech.
