Students Get Real-World Reporting Experience on Election Night

As the 2012 presidential election unfolded on November 6, Columbia College Chicago students were on the front lines, covering the breaking political news as it developed and gaining real-life experience as political reporters during the most-watched night of political coverage in four years. From the Chicago Democratic Headquarters to the GOP Headquarters, from hotly contested congressional races in the suburbs to radio updates on state election results, Columbia College students reported on election night news as it occurred.

From 7 p.m. to midnight, campus radio station WCRX-FM, run by the Radio Department, provided live, up to-the-minute election night coverage of the Presidential race and local races. The student team was in the radio booth, on the election party floor and in press box, reporting on all changes to the political landscape.

Seven Journalism students, as part of the “Covering Politics” course, lent their voices and reports to the WCRX coverage as well, from the Obama rally at McCormick Place, national congressional races and on a Illinois House contest on the west side. In addition, they collaborated with Syracuse University and eight other college and university journalism courses across the country to provide election night multimedia stories for the Democracy in Action project via ChicagoTalks.org.

More than 30 student journalists from the Columbia Chronicle reported from locations around the city, including on a second-tier riser next to media outlets including USA Today, Washington Post and CNN at McCormick Place, and contributed photos and reports to the Syracuse University project. The Chronicle website was active all day and night, with updates via live blogs, stories, photos, photo essays and live video reports on UStream from McCormick Place.

Photos: (Top) Kaitlyn Mattson and Tim Shaunnessey, students in the Covering Politics course, filing to ChicagoTalks.org at Obama media center, McCormick Place, evening of Nov. 6. (Credit: Nancy Day)

(Bottom) Journalism student James Foster reports from the media risers at Obama media center, McCormick Place.