College Students Cover Election Night Live
Approximately 70 students participated in “Prin at the Polls” on Tuesday evening, delivering five continuous hours of extensive, live coverage of midterm elections. Principia Internet Radio (PIR) provided a learning laboratory where students in political science and mass communication classes collaborated to provide breaking news reports, live call-in opportunities, and analyses and commentaries from elected officials, correspondents for The Christian Science Monitor, and others.
“Students had a remarkable opportunity to share their knowledge in this unique format,” says political science professor Dr. Brian Roberts. “Faculty certainly support, but this is truly a student-run endeavor—from researching particular races to recording 90-second promotional spots on PIR to presenting roundtable discussions on key issues.”
Joan Wesman, a mass communication professor, agrees. “Students in the radio broadcasting class planned the live broadcast and also needed to think on their feet because so much is going on during live programming,” she points out. “They helped one other and learned much from each other and the process.” Students in Paul Wesman’s Public Relation’s course approach the “Prin at the Polls” event as a real client for the class. During the weeks leading up to Election Day, they wrote blog entries, produced video for Facebook, advertised on campus, and tweeted before, during, and after the event. Not surprising, perhaps, they utilized social media more this time than in election coverage two years ago, tapping into its ever-evolving potential.
During the live broadcast, students ran a newsroom near the PIR studio, verified the most recent information on election returns, and relayed confirmed facts to the radio hosts, seniors Cameron Douglas and Lyssa Winslow. “Each student analyst did great research and we had some terrific guests including both Christian Scientists serving in Congress,” Cameron says. “It was a fantastic experience for everyone involved.” Lyssa spoke about the level of energy: “It’s such an exciting and exhilarating night where everyone is engaged. Prin at the Polls is an incredible collaboration between the Political Science and Mass Communication Departments and has definitely been one of my top favorite activities during my four years at Principia.”
The week before the election, Principia hosted pubic, meet-and-greet events on campus with the Democratic and Republican candidates for the 13th Congressional District, which includes Elsah and the area surrounding campus. Then, before the broadcast on Tuesday, "students conducted exit polls in five precincts across Jersey County, interviewing about 800 citizens,” says political science professor John Williams. “Students enjoyed being among the voters and witnessing the election process firsthand.”
“In every national election cycle since 2004, the Political Science and Mass Communication Departments have collaborated to engage students in creating and delivering election night coverage,” Dr. Roberts adds. “It has evolved over time and is a natural fit with our courses. These experiences help students realize similarities between what they’re learning and what is going on outside the school walls.”