Idea File Fall 2024

HOW DO WE STAY OBJECTIVE? HOW DO WE STAY SAFE? One of the biggest concerns that our staff always has at the forefront of our discussion is how to cover both parties. Once we covered President Obama, we immediately kept our eye on Senator McCain’s group in 2008 and Senator Romney’s group in 2012. We were able to attend events for both of them and also for Vice President Mike Pence. It was important for our reporters to show our community that we were covering both sides of the election. The media is often mistrusted in today’s political climate because the public believes journalists fail to listen to their concerns. Challenging conspiracies or unsupported claims is okay, but as a journalist, it is important to still listen to the person you are interviewing. If you ask informed questions, you will hopefully get informed responses. Just remember, you are in the business of journalism, and the candidates you cover are in the business of public relations. If you can cover the voter rather than the candidate, it generally helps in many ways. How? Because the voter is local, part of your community and typically shares the same concerns as anyone who works and studies in your building. Find the local voter and talk to that person. If you plan to cover anything where groups could be hostile towards people of different beliefs or the media covering the event, please keep these thoughts in mind. Students should never go to a rally alone. Always go with a friend, editor or adviser. I have had students who have been part of a media group jeered at for simply being reporters. It was important they knew they were not alone. Above all, remember that this is a tough business. When you attend your first rally or publish your first spread on an election, give yourself room for growth and mistakes. You are covering history, and few people can say they have had the chance to report on a presidential election. By Chris Waugaman

Meet the People. Senator Bernie Sanders addresses the crowd of supporters on March 2, 2020, in Richmond, Virginia. This was Sanders’ second consecutive run for the democratic nomination, though he is an Independent. He previously ran in 2016. Photo by Madison Bailey

On the Campaign Trail. Vice presidential candidate Mike Pence addresses the audience at a rally in August 2016 at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, for presidential candidate Donald Trump. Pence and Trump won the 2016 election. They ran again on the same ticket in 2020. Photo by Kattie Iwanski

IF YOU PLAN TO TAKE PHOTOS, HERE ARE A COUPLE OF SUGGESTIONS: 1. Bring a zoom lens (70-200 mm) and a wide-angle lens (15-30 mm) 4. Never use flash. Security isn’t too kind to big distractions. 5. Try to shoot in manual. The stage

6. Remember, your smartphone has a great camera too. Use your phone to get close-up shots of all that makes a rally visually appealing: signs, logos, crowds, etc. 7. Bring business cards to hand out to anyone who wants to follow your coverage. You never know what kind of connection you might make. 8. Avoid selfies. Remember, you are there to work. You are not there as a fan.

or one with a wide range. You will need the 200 mm distance if you are on the riser. 2. Bring a small, one-step, foldable step stool. This will allow you to shoot above the crowd. 3. Bring multiple SD cards and

will have plenty of lights for the rest of the media, so you should be in good shape. A standard shutter speed setting of 1/125, aperture at f/3.5 and ISO on auto should work. If your f-stop can only go to f/5.6, you could set your ISO to a high number.

batteries. You never want to run out of storage or power on a long day.