As U.S. Marine Alex Cornell Du Houx '06 heads to Iraq, he now has the distinction of his story being documented on a major television network. The feature, shown on NBC's "Nightly News," aired Sunday night alongside topics such as Saddam Hussein's trial in Iraq.
"It's a good story. It was a take on how people are viewing service to their country that you haven't heard very often on a national basis," Weekend Edition Senior Broadcast Producer Bob Epstein said.
"It was an interesting profile to do, to examine his political beliefs and outspokenness, his sense of duty to his country, and honoring that commitment that he made," he said.
Cornell du Houx, a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, is a former co-president of the Bowdoin College Democrats and is also the development director for the College Democrats of America.
The profile, reported by veteran correspondent Jonathan Alter, focused on Cornell du Houx's military service and deployment in contrast with his political involvement. Alter is also a columnist for Newsweek magazine.
Alter introduced the report as "the story of one Marine in Maine determined to do his duty despite his political point of view."
There was footage both of Cornell du Houx's activities on the Bowdoin campus and his involvement with the Marines.
Not included, however, was any reference to the controversy surrounding the remarks of Daniel Schuberth '06, who is the vice chairman of the Maine Republican Party and national secretary of the College Republican National Committee.
"They recognized through their own analysis of the situation what the story was and what the story wasn't," Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs for Bowdoin Scott Hood said.
"Our view was that the story was that we have a student who is going and doing his duty as he sees it to represent the country, and he's sort of being plucked out of college to do that," he said.
When asked if the College had a role in the omission, Hood responded that he had discussed the issue with the producer of the report.
"I asked them specifically if they were going to be talking about a complete sideshow, which is this comment that Dan Schuberth made for which he subsequently apologized. He said that 'we may mention that and I don't think that's the story.' I said if you're going to do it, then you're going to need to talk to Dan, because he apologized."
"I don't have the power to tell NBC News what to do in any way, shape, or form," Hood said.
"Whenever a news crew comes to this campus, I try to make it a good experience for them."
Epstein said he wasn't aware of the controversy.