This summer, the news was dominated by the twists and turns of the 2024 presidential race, including both parties’ nominating conventions. One set of students at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications had the chance to gain hands-on experience reporting on the RNC and DNC through a master’s program class led by Kari Lydersen, an assistant professor at Medill and leader of the Medill Investigative Lab - Chicago.
Sylvie Kirsch, ’24 MSJ, immediately signed up for the class when she saw it listed. “I knew that this was an unbeatable opportunity,” she said.
In preparation for the convention, the students learned about the history and political significance of Milwaukee, Chicago and the conventions and listened to guest speakers from the worlds of politics and activism. They also spoke with editors from the local news outlets they would be covering the conventions for, which included the Wisconsin State Journal, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader and Native News Online.
Even simply being inside the conventions was an experience for the students.
“The buzz from the delegates and guests within the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee and the United Center in Chicago was electric,” said class member Kaycee Clark-Mellott, ’24 MSJ.
In Milwaukee, Clark-Mellott’s fellow classmate Jonathan Hoffman, ’24 MSJ, saw delegates overwhelmed with emotion and jumping up and down. “It really felt like the RNC was kind of a party for all of them,” he said.
Each convention, he said, had its own kind of “fanfare,” whether it was Hulk Hogan ripping off his shirt to reveal another shirt reading “Trump-Vance” underneath or a performance by singer John Legend.