The Concordiensis cracks national news
Article on Congressman Sweeney draws media interest from Los Angeles to Washington D.C.
Joanna Stern
Issue date: 5/4/06 Section: News
As the story hit the blogs and regional media, Democrats responded to the behavior of Sweeney with statements about his behavior. "What is a 50-year-old congressman doing at a frat party at 1 in the morning cavorting with students 30 years his junior? Teaching them how a bill becomes a law?" Blake Zeff, a spokesman for New York Democrats, said on Friday. The actions of this New York State Republican Congressman and the response of New York Democrats drew national attention as the Associated Press released the story on Friday evening.
The Associated Press story, written by Devlin Barrett, detailed the battle over Sweeney's attendance at the party. "Sweeney stopped by the Alpha Delta Phi party at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., late last Friday, a visit first reported by the college newspaper, the Concordiensis. The paper also printed a photo of the lawmaker posing with students. Local newspapers in the region posted similar photos online," the article reads. The Associated Press story ran in over 200 publications across the nation. Top newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle featured the AP story on their website.
The New York Times featured the story in the New York/Region section on Saturday, April 29. "Party Photographs Put a Congressman on the Defensive," was the headline that ran on Saturday's article which read that Sweeney's "visit was initially reported by the Union College student newspaper, the Concordiensis, which said that witnesses described the congressman as being 'inquisitive and engaging' and 'acting openly intoxicated'."
In response to the national attention of the Concordiensis this week, Tomlin remarked, "I expected some regional attention but not national! It felt great to have people all over the country talking about the Concordiensis." Tomlin, who was contacted by a number of news outlets, said "it was a little overwhelming when everyone was calling."
Kenneth Falcon, who took the pictures that appeared nationwide and across the internet, similarly stated that he was pretty overwhelmed. "The day after it was published, I allowed the Albany Times Union to print them. But the next day it was CNN calling me! I was blown away that it had gotten to CNN." Falcon was offered compensation from top news outlets for the use of his picture, however, he refused the payment. He has also been offered payment for a video that he had taken at the party on his digital camera. Inside Edition and the Daily Show have both continued to express interest in the video. Falcon maintains that he will not release the video footage.
The Associated Press story, written by Devlin Barrett, detailed the battle over Sweeney's attendance at the party. "Sweeney stopped by the Alpha Delta Phi party at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., late last Friday, a visit first reported by the college newspaper, the Concordiensis. The paper also printed a photo of the lawmaker posing with students. Local newspapers in the region posted similar photos online," the article reads. The Associated Press story ran in over 200 publications across the nation. Top newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle featured the AP story on their website.
The New York Times featured the story in the New York/Region section on Saturday, April 29. "Party Photographs Put a Congressman on the Defensive," was the headline that ran on Saturday's article which read that Sweeney's "visit was initially reported by the Union College student newspaper, the Concordiensis, which said that witnesses described the congressman as being 'inquisitive and engaging' and 'acting openly intoxicated'."
In response to the national attention of the Concordiensis this week, Tomlin remarked, "I expected some regional attention but not national! It felt great to have people all over the country talking about the Concordiensis." Tomlin, who was contacted by a number of news outlets, said "it was a little overwhelming when everyone was calling."
Kenneth Falcon, who took the pictures that appeared nationwide and across the internet, similarly stated that he was pretty overwhelmed. "The day after it was published, I allowed the Albany Times Union to print them. But the next day it was CNN calling me! I was blown away that it had gotten to CNN." Falcon was offered compensation from top news outlets for the use of his picture, however, he refused the payment. He has also been offered payment for a video that he had taken at the party on his digital camera. Inside Edition and the Daily Show have both continued to express interest in the video. Falcon maintains that he will not release the video footage.
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