By: Dr. Eleanor Shember-Critchley
Senior Lecturer, Multimedia Journalism – Manchester Metropolitan University
Dr. Eleanor Shember-Critchley – Senior Lecturer, Multimedia Journalism, Manchester Metropolitan University / https://mmu.academia.edu/
When we mentioned the possibility of covering the US election through the night, our Manchester Met students leapt at the opportunity.
Some were already primed from the 2019 UK election but the acute enthusiasm was also for a story that wasn’t about COVID-19. Students are weary from adapting to the pandemic, the isolation and strange new ways of learning. The election offered a chance to hang out as a team, albeit from home, and experience the rush of covering this story alongside local student reporters. This election also really mattered to them.
Second-year student Niall Hay and Jack Dulhanty, who is in his final year, led on the Texas coverage for Manchester Met. Huge thanks to Lucinda Holt and her Texas Tech University Journalism students for welcoming us so warmly into their busy election schedule.
As polls closed around 11pm UK time, the Manchester Met team grilled TTU students on politics in the state, ‘town vs gown’ in Lubbock County and how election coverage was going. This introduction also served as preparation for two intense rounds of TTU organised Q&As with Democratic and Republican Party representatives. The students felt embedded, as if they were physically there.
The gruelling night was impactful.
“The sense of unreality the Republican representative managed to maintain will stay with me,” said Jack. “I’ve read about that sort of Trump supporter but watching your questions just rebound off of one was kind of surreal.”
The intensity, felt from being (virtually) on the ground, struck Niall:
“One of the main takeaways for me was the sheer scale of their election process, the engagement and affect it was having on wellbeing/friendships.
“Compared to the UK, “the issues that were cropping up (abortion rights, healthcare, gay marriage etc) seemed to be very different. All are somewhat ‘put to bed’ here and aren’t up for much debate. I echo Jack on the contrast between the interactions we had with both parties, the lack of civility and the utter polarisation between the two camps.”
The Manchester Met team have reflected on the fun and invaluable experience gained from working with TTU. The pandemic has challenged traditional reporting practises. What wasn’t anticipated was how a virtual newsroom creates new collaborative opportunities that ups the ambition, quality and depth of coverage.
Let’s do this again soon (but not too soon).
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