Gnas's article on The Spectator.

KSTP

Major and minor combined will help a future station manager at a TV station

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It has been 17 years and Zack Gnas still remembers a moment in which he became interested in journalism and world affairs. He was sitting in the floor of his living room in his apartment in Gurnee, Ill. His parents, Jesse and Judi, where sitting on the couch. They were all watching a news report on the Gulf War.

As a child Gnas would sit in front of the television and ask his parents many questions regarding current events. Gnas says he had no idea what war was, but he remembers knowing that Saddam Hussein was “the bad guy.”

From a young age Gnas was always interested in reading the newspaper, but most of all his interest was news on television. Today Gnas’s values on objectivity, accuracy and having no bias, is what made him become so interested in television as well as public affairs.

Gnas is a senior in broadcast journalism with a political science minor. He believes that with his major and minor combined he could produce a news show or work as a station manager at a TV channel. Gnas, who grew up in Milwaukee, had some influence from his parents to not become affiliated with any political party. Gnas said he does not feel the need to “jump on the bandwagon," when choosing a political affiliation.

In 2004, at 18 years old, he came to Eau Claire, Wis., for his freshmen year at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. This transition is what helped him re-state the fact that he is a moderate when it comes to politics.

"If I couldn’t say I was moderate or an issue based voter, I would probably say I’m a moderate libertarian." Gnas said.

According to Rebecca Dutkiewicz, his girlfriend of six years, Gnas is very interested in world affairs, she thinks that is the main reason Gnas chose political science as his minor. She also believes that Gnas is open-minded and neutral in politics.

The only affiliations Gnas has are with campus organizations. He is a Towers Hall Council representative and station manager of technical operators at TV 10, an on-campus student television station. He also published an article for UW-Eau Claire’s official student newspaper, The Spectator, on the university’s cafeteria food company, Sodexho, for their improvements on students’ complains.

For the past two years, Gnas has been a Resident Assistant (RA) in Towers North Hall. He said that with this job he was able to show his commitment towards the security and the respect he has for other students, no matter their religion, or political affiliation.

"I was born Catholic and I still go to church out of tradition," Gnas said. "I find commonality in all religions and I respect them."

"I think Zack keeps his opinion to himself," said Amanda Krier, Towers North Hall Director. "He remains neutral so people can approach to him."

Gnas’s roommate, Jeff Kern, says he likes how Gnas can be a friend as well as unbiased when it comes to politics. Krier shares Kern’s opinion, and thinks that Gnas is impartial, but at the same time he is reliable and loyal as an RA

"He embraces multiple opinions," Kern said.

In spring 2007, Gnas was awarded with the Henry Lippold Scholarship which earned him an internship for KSTP – TV, channel 5, for January 2008 in Minneapolis. Gnas believes that, after his graduation in May 2008, he will be more submerged in all the different positions a channel has to offer. Gnas said that he wants to try all the positions so that he can try to know everything about anything.

This summer he worked for WDJT – TV, channel 58, in Milwaukee as an intern in master control. Gnas explains that he likes to continue to learn, especially on world issues. In the future, Gnas believes that being a moderate with a broadcast journalism major complemented with a political science minor, will allow him to pay more attention to newsworthy issues without obscuring a news story with political affiliations.

Zack Gnas at TV 10 (Photo by Claudia Lozano)