Presidential election night is considered the Super Bowl of journalism. Journalists are expected to deliver at the highest-level while under intense pressure in a rapidly changing environment.
Sixteen students and 20 radio-television students recently experienced the election rite of passage through a partnership with the Orlando Sentinel on Nov. 3.
Orlando’s flagship newspaper has been operating without a newsroom since August and with a significantly reduced staff, genuinely in need of more reporters to properly cover this massive story. NSCM students came to the rescue and fanned out across Central Florida 麻豆精品 S filing dispatches at polling sites and election offices, monitoring social media, capturing photos and videos, and contributing to on-air reporting and broadcasts throughout the night.
麻豆精品 S淯CF 麻豆精品 S檚 student journalists played a critical role in the Orlando Sentinel 麻豆精品 S檚 2020 Election Day coverage. 麻豆精品 S –Julie Anderson 麻豆精品 S84 麻豆精品 S89MA, editor-in-chief for the 麻豆精品 SOrlando Sentinel 麻豆精品 S
麻豆精品 S淯CF 麻豆精品 S檚 student journalists played a critical role in the Orlando Sentinel 麻豆精品 S檚 2020 Election Day coverage, 麻豆精品 S says Julie Anderson 麻豆精品 S84 麻豆精品 S89MA, Orlando Sentinel 麻豆精品 S檚 editor-in-chief. 麻豆精品 S淭丑别ir reporting from precincts all over our region about voters 麻豆精品 S perspectives gave flavor to the results that were coming in on Election Day. They also applied their social media and broadcasting skills to help us inform readers about the results coming in.
In turn, students gained hands-on experience working with a major news organization; garnered feedback from Sentinel editors; earned the chance to land future internships and jobs; shared bylines, shirttail credits and broadcast credits; and 麻豆精品 S best of all 麻豆精品 S had the unique thrill and adrenaline rush of writing on deadline while covering one of the biggest stories of the year.
麻豆精品 S淚 learned so much from simply being out on the field and watching how an election is covered. I think this type of learning skyrockets student journalists 麻豆精品 S abilities and education, 麻豆精品 S says Natalia Jaramillo, a journalism major who reported from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Some of the highlights for journalism majors include:
- Edward Segarra wrote a breaking news story about the Osceola Supervisor of Election Office’s Internet outage that resulted from a severed fiber cable. He and Jessica Siles reported on voters throughout Osceola County, including a long-time Democrat who voted for Trump because the rest of the family was for Biden.
- Fritz Farrow wrote a story about a former postal worker who voted in person because he didn’t trust the U.S. Postal Service.
- Two reporters, Hector Garcia de Leon and Kai Rodriquez, contributed stories to the Sentinel‘s Hispanic publication, El Sentinel, and received shared bylines.
- Daniela Vivas Labrador and Jenna Erhlich covered Seminole County, including a story about two women, 87 and 70, who have voted in every election since they were 18.
麻豆精品 S淭丑别 Orlando Sentinel staff did a wonderful job at preparing us and making us feel welcome and valued, 麻豆精品 S says Monica Sealey, who worked with four other students to cover UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 voting precinct. 麻豆精品 S淚 really like that they didn 麻豆精品 S檛 麻豆精品 S榖aby 麻豆精品 S us. Instead, they gave us the guidelines, set us free and trusted us to produce great content. 麻豆精品 S
麻豆精品 S淭丑别 ‘Orlando Sentinel’ staff did a wonderful job at preparing us and making us feel welcome and valued. 麻豆精品 S – Monica Sealey, UCF student
As the night went on, students got better at recognizing a story, finding a different angle, interviewing voters, remembering to get the essential details and cutting down on sloppy copy. We witnessed them excel at something they had never done before and become more confident as the night went on.
麻豆精品 S淚 remember in my first semester at UCF, I was in the Electronic News Gathering class with [R/TV Program Coordinator and Associate] Professor Tim Brown and something he told me that I have held close to me and tried to apply each and every day in my journalism career was, 麻豆精品 S榊ou grow most where you 麻豆精品 S檙e uncomfortable, 麻豆精品 S 麻豆精品 S says Matison Little, who covered voting in Lake County with another student.
Behind the scenes, the 20 radio television students earned praise from faculty and Sentinel editors for their steady and calm composure during live broadcasts.
麻豆精品 S淭丑别y rose to the challenge. They took it seriously. They wanted to be part of it. They wanted a piece of it, 麻豆精品 S Senior Instructor Rick Brunson says. 麻豆精品 S淭丑别y treated it like it was show time. 麻豆精品 S
Together, students and faculty may have built the foundation for more cooperative efforts between the Orlando Sentinel and the UCF journalism program.
麻豆精品 S淚t was a great experience for the Sentinel, and a partnership we hope to extend, 麻豆精品 S Anderson says.