Correction Appended
AU students have the opportunity to participate in a youth panel that will discuss the upcoming presidential election that will be filmed and shown on Al-Jazeera English.
The panel will be part of the daily interview show "Riz Khan," and will feature six college-age people from around the country, consisting of two Democrats, two Republicans and two independents.
Khan, the show's host, whose is an AU alumna, said he felt it was important to get young peoples' opinions of issues such as the election.
"If there's a way I can get young people involved, I will do so," he said. "It's always much more refreshing."
Khan will ask the panel a variety of questions about the election, including how important they think the vote is to American young people and how they regard the candidates.
"We want to know what young people think about the election," he said.
Steve Spires, a sophomore in the School of International Service, said he thinks the panel could offer a new insight on young Americans' ideas of politics.
"I think it's a great idea," he said. "It's great to view the election from different perspectives."
Liz Goc, a sophomore in SIS, said she was not sure she had the time or knowledge necessary to be on the panel.
"I wouldn't consider myself informed enough to feel comfortable going on television and talking about it," she said.
James Wright, the show's executive producer, said the network reaches more than 100 million households outside of the United States but is minimally available inside U.S. borders. The network also broadcasts over the Internet.
The Internet provides the network with a large amount of young viewers from the United States, Khan said.
He said he believes this election is particularly important for the United States and the world.
"No matter what your politics, America should be aware that the world outside is watching this election more than any other," Khan said.
While the show is not specifically looking for AU students, students from the university are welcome to apply to be part of the panel. One AU student has already applied to be on the show, Khan said. Although the official application deadline has passed, Wright said AU students may apply online at english.aljazeera.net/programmes/rizkhan.
You can reach this writer at news@theeagleonline.com.
Correction: In "AU students may join youth panel," The Eagle misidentified Al-Jazeera TV show host Riz Khan as an AU alumnus. Khan's wife is an AU alumna. The Eagle regrets the error.
