Every once in awhile this fall it surprises me that the presidential elections are still a year away, especially when I encounter media coverage of the candidates that reinforces the roles that each has fallen into already. Today The New York Times has an article on Senator Barack Obama's ideas on how he would deal with Iran if elected president. The article's headline falls under the topic headline "If Elected...," suggesting to me that in a race that has heated up earlier than usual, the media have a chance to probe the candidates' views more thoroughly and over a longer period of time. Time will tell if that continues to be true, but for now, I was mostly impressed by the Times' coverage. The article includes detailed responses from the senator, presented in a logical order and with contextual references to his biggest opponent, Senator Hillary Clinton. One thing I would have liked to see done differently, though, is the incorporation of Obama's prior experience in dealing with the conflicts in Iraq and Iran. Clinton's voting history is mentioned a few paragraphs into the article, but Obama's past experience does not come until the end of the article. It would have been more helpful to be reminded of Obama's own history earlier on.

On another note, a Washington Post article really hit home with me today as a keen perception of the struggles faced by 20-somethings trying to make their way into the work force. The article focused on one 29-year-old woman who wants to continue pursuing a public interest career, but her story could be expanded to many of her generation. There are many facts about the trend of pushing off "real" careers with stints at jobs interspersed between graduate degrees, as well as confirmation from someone at the Brookings Institute. The quotes chosen for the article are what really make the piece resonate, though. The woman featured talks about all the fears common to her peers of not wanting to abandon their dreams but feeling unfulfilled with the positions--and salaries--available to them.

A Patriot Ledger article offers a touching story about a 20-something with very different problems: living with prosthetic legs after being injured in a Baghdad blast as a soldier in Iraq. The article interviews the soldier's mother to talk about the book she has just written detailing her family's struggles since his return home. It would have made for a richer story to include quotes from the book or comments from the woman's son or other family members. The article seems a little one-sided with its brief replies from the author. Although the lede says the book was an attempt to help others cope, there is nothing to back this claim up in the rest of the article. Overall, it provides interesting background, but fails to deliver all the details.