The C-SPAN “50 Capitals Tour” bus rolled up to the state Capitol in Bismarck Wednesday (5-16-18).
"C-SPAN is engaging with communities, and interviewing elected officials about what issues are going on in their states," said C-SPAN Marketing Representative Joel Bacon. "We hear from callers all the time, on our 'Washington Journal,' from all over the country. Now we're visiting where they actually live."
C-SPAN interviewed Gov. Doug Burgum while the bus was on the Capitol grounds. The bus is equipped with studio facilities.
Bacon said the bus will also be stopping at a number of middle-and-high schools in North Dakota.
"We're talking to students about the resources C-SPAN has to offer," Bacon said. "Almost 240,000 hours of searchable, free video on-line."
And Bacon said he'll provide information about the "Student Cam" competition.
"It's a 5 to 7 minute video documentary competition," Bacon said. "We do it every year for middle-and-high school students."
Bacon said he hopes people will learn a few things about C-SPAN. One is, C-SPAN is funded through the cable industry, and not through the government.
The second thing is about C-SPAN's mission.
"C-SPAN is not here to tell people what to think," Bacon said. "Rather, it's to allow people to tell us what they think, and to have an unfiltered access to their government."
"We're just trying to hear what your opinions are."