2008 Woodie Awards
Election Day is a Valuable Experience for the Future
Jesse White
Issue date: 11/17/05 Section: Entertainment
For many journalism students in Professor Kim Landon's Reporting on Public Affairs class, Election Day is more than just jotting down notes and interviewing candidates.
It's about taking away a valuable experience for the future.
At the beginning of the semester, Landon assigned her students a community, or "beat," to cover, and instructed them to attend a variety of off-campus events. T
hese events include town and village board meetings, school board meetings and the latest being Election Day on Nov. 8.
The purpose of the assignments are to put students in situations they will face as professional journalists, with the aim of generating interesting and professional news stories.
"I was trying to break down students' comfort zones," said Landon, who is an associate professor of public relations and journalism. " I want my students to gain a real understanding of their beat. There is a certain pace, a certain color to Election Night and journalism in general that I want students to experience and become comfortable with."
Victor Skinner, a senior in the PR/J major, seemed optimistic and positive of his experience after covering the race for Oneida County Surrogate Court Judge between Democrat David Murad and Republican Judy L. Plumley.
"It's the whole idea of following the race and seeing the results unfold under your eyes," said Skinner. "You can feel the excitement in the air as the poll numbers are being announced."
Election Day provided the perfect atmosphere and environment for journalism students with highly contested races taking place across Oneida County.
Here are some of the results from the Nov. 8 elections:
Democrat Matt Shannon overcame Republican David Jacobowitz for Whitestown town supervisor.
Republican Earle Reed beat Independence/Conservative candidate Patrick M. Tyksinski for New Hartford town supervisor.
It's about taking away a valuable experience for the future.
At the beginning of the semester, Landon assigned her students a community, or "beat," to cover, and instructed them to attend a variety of off-campus events. T
hese events include town and village board meetings, school board meetings and the latest being Election Day on Nov. 8.
The purpose of the assignments are to put students in situations they will face as professional journalists, with the aim of generating interesting and professional news stories.
"I was trying to break down students' comfort zones," said Landon, who is an associate professor of public relations and journalism. " I want my students to gain a real understanding of their beat. There is a certain pace, a certain color to Election Night and journalism in general that I want students to experience and become comfortable with."
Victor Skinner, a senior in the PR/J major, seemed optimistic and positive of his experience after covering the race for Oneida County Surrogate Court Judge between Democrat David Murad and Republican Judy L. Plumley.
"It's the whole idea of following the race and seeing the results unfold under your eyes," said Skinner. "You can feel the excitement in the air as the poll numbers are being announced."
Election Day provided the perfect atmosphere and environment for journalism students with highly contested races taking place across Oneida County.
Here are some of the results from the Nov. 8 elections:
Democrat Matt Shannon overcame Republican David Jacobowitz for Whitestown town supervisor.
Republican Earle Reed beat Independence/Conservative candidate Patrick M. Tyksinski for New Hartford town supervisor.