Lessons Learned; Reporting & Researching Political Communication

           I truly believe that all group work in college allows one to put “Works well with others” on their resume. One major thing that I’ve learned through my experiences of researching and reporting on political communication is that you need to hold yourself accountable. In the future, when I’m reporting at an event for a news organization, or simply freelancing, I have to take full responsibility of obtaining the best news package possible. Unfortunately in this world, there will always be people that choose to take the low road while you take the high road. Here is a perfect example. Through my experiences in the field this semester, I have also gained a new appreciation for always having a back up plan. Too often in college, the work force and especially politics, people will see someone that takes the initiative to lead and simply do as little as possible.

A traffic jam in Atlanta, Ga. hinders commuters from promptly arriving to their destination on June 2, 2008. Photo by Matt Lemmon.

           Another major lesson that I’ve learned is to ALWAYS show up early to an event. If an event starts at 7 p.m. and you’re thinking about getting there at 6 p.m., go ahead and plan on arriving at 5 p.m. Why? One, this will, hopefully, ensure that you arrive on time, and avoid traffic delays, before any events take place. Two, this will give you ample time to navigate the area where the event is being held to better position yourself for photos and videos. Three, Arriving early to an event will give a reporter a chance to interview people before anything actually happens. These “pre-event” interviews will do some good for a story. How? Well, if a reporter interviews individuals before and after an event, they will have two differing perspectives; one about what the speaker has promised to talk about and another about what they actually said and how    they delivered it.

Ohio Governor John Kasich concludes his Town Hall at Kennesaw State University on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016. During his TownHall, Kasich primarily focused on the national deficit, job creation and common sense legislative regulation. Photo by Samuel Rusch.

           Bring extra batteries and don’t look at your picture as soon as you take it. This will help save battery life and make you, hopefully, realize that you’re not a teenage girl and that you don’t need to immediately look at the picture you just took. Also, spending time looking to see if you captured the perfect image, while still at an event, could result in a missed photo opportunity.

           If you can get a media pass to an event, it only makes sense to do so. Why would you want to stand in line, potentially for hours, when you could get inside, set up your equipment and converse with other reporters and journalists. Researching and reporting about political events and communication isn’t only about telling the story of who, what, when, where, why and how. Attending these events is one of the most effective ways of networking with others in the field.

Bernie Sanders concludes his rally at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. At his rally, Sanders harped on issues such as minimum jail sentencing, college education and marijuana as a class one substance in the eyes of the Federal Government. Photo by Samuel Rusch.

           Once you’ve attended an event or stumbled across some “factual” information, it is imperative that you check your sources for credibility and accuracy. If someone of importance says something that isn’t true, that’s a news story. If you report about something that isn’t true or that didn’t happen, that’s lying. Also, take as many notes as you can and record the entire event if you have the ability to do so. Here is an excellent free resource that makes fact checking easy.