My Experience and Lessons Learned

This experience has confirmed that journalism is the field I belong in.  I found it very natural to interact and interview subjects at the campaign rallies.  Lessons I've learned have been recording notes in a reporter notebook as well as record.  I found noting good quotes and the time on the recording so I could reference it quickly when I went to write the story.  Another important lesson is building relationships with campaign staffers.  This paid off when I ran into them again at different rallies.  Once I got to know them, they were much more relaxed when I showed up to work.  They were more flexible with allowing me to roam around outside the media area.  This allowed me to interview people as well as get a different perspective when taking photos.  Earning the trust of  campaign staffer is key because you get access to notable people that normally you would not be able to.

Another lesson I learned was to transcribe my recorded interviews immediately.  I found doing this triggered memories of interesting facts such as how the subject reacted or acted.  I also took a photo each person just in case I needed it with a story or if I wanted to reference it for the story such as descriptions.