NJ College Journalists Reporting Live From Washington: How To Watch
WAYNE, NJ —Along with the major TV networks covering Tuesday's election outside the White House will be two New Jersey student journalists, who are part of an initiative to let emerging reporters step up in this important presidential year.
Alexander Felix and Julia Menn are students at William Paterson University in Wayne, one of the founding colleges behind a new initiative called Student News Live . This project will bring young journalists from at least 120 high schools and colleges together for a 24-hour web broadcast on the election, beginning at noon on Tuesday.
Felix and Menn will give an on-camera report sometime between 1:30 and 2 p.m. Tuesday during the Student News Live broadcast, right from what's called " Pebble Beach " — the designated space where TV news crews broadcast and film their segments outside the White House.
The students took an Amtrak to D.C. on Monday along with Dr. Nick Hirshon, an associate professor of journalism at William Paterson who co-founded Student News Live earlier this year. Patch talked with all three of them on their way to our nation's capital.
Felix, a senior and WPSC-FM host who is majoring in political science, said he felt like the knowledge that he would be reporting live from the White House hadn't "kicked in yet."
"I think this is one of the most important elections, if not the most important election, in my lifetime," he said. "I think it's just a great thing that we'll able to be in D.C. while the election is happening."
Menn, a freshman who is from Germany, said she is looking forward to seeing how the other journalists work and interact with one another.
"The most exciting thing is going to be soaking up the atmosphere and seeing how professional journalists work, how they manage the fast pace on Election Day and getting an insight into that," she said.
Also, Menn said she's looking forward to talking to Felix about their shared experience during this unique opportunity, including what they notice as young people in the journalism field.
"This is a major stepping stone for both of us," she noted.
Hirshon said that he and Student News Live co-founder Rob Quicke of Marshall University wanted to inspire student journalists, while helping them amplify their generation's voice in the political process.
"At the time that we had these discussions, Biden was still the Democratic candidate," Hirshon said. "Rob and I thought, 'younger people feel kind of checked out on this election. They just feel like there's these two very old candidates, that don't really reflect the young people's voice.'"
Two students from West Virginia's Marshall University will also be in Washington for the election.
"We just thought, 'what a wonderful opportunity for our students,'" Hirshon said. "It's an opportunity to show them that they belong."
During their reports, Felix and Menn will talk about what they've noticed during their time in D.C. on Election Day and possibly conduct a few interviews on-site. They plan to appear live on the webcast, and will also produce some reports for later in the program.
Menn can also add perspective about the wider impact of the election, and said it has been a major topic of conversation among her parents, teachers, and friends.
"In my high school, the last two years, we've barely spoken about anything but the election," she said. "It has been a major topic."
She noted that many people in Europe will stay up late to watch election coverage because of how it might impact international affairs, given America's role on the world stage.
"We have a totally different situation, globally speaking, than we had four years ago," Menn said, giving the war in Ukraine as an example.
Before she and Felix go on air Tuesday, there is also a 30-minute roundtable about political disinformation and misinformation, which was pre-recorded, scheduled at 1 p.m. Felix was one of two student hosts for that program, and noted that false and misleading facts can be widely shared on social media if people don't question the truth of the message.
I think a huge problem in the United States is media literacy and people — specifically for my generation, I see it — just are fed whatever the outlet of their choice is, and they go along with it," he said. "I think you always have to be curious, and you always have to question something."
Also speaking about Generation Z and other college-aged Americans, Felix said that he doesn't think young people are as involved in politics as they could be.
"I see a lot of people say, "My vote doesn't matter. What is one vote going to do?" he said. "(But) I think voting is such an incredible thing."
Felix voted early in this election, and he recalled how many different people he saw when he cast his ballot, all together to exercise their right to vote.
"I saw a woman in a wheelchair, and I saw a woman in her uniform from work, carrying her baby," he said. "And they all come together to this one place to do what our country is is about. We have a voice, so we should exercise that voice."
Hirshon said that this will be a valuable learning experience for the White House reporting team, and also a way for young journalists to feel like they belong in a fast-paced job field that is often scrutinized, and carries a risk of being threatened or assaulted.
"Who has the opportunity to say, 'I was reporting from the White House on Election Day?" Hirshon continued. "It is such an incredible opportunity for them, and hopefully when they then go for internships and jobs, it makes them stand out. And makes them less nervous about the next time they have to interview someone famous, or go to some big event."
Along with reports from the 120 U.S. high schools and colleges, the Student News Live broadcast will also include young journalists from Nepal, Ireland, and Spain whose coverage will help fill the overnight hours in the States.
And though this is Student News Live's first major broadcast, Hirshon said he and Quicke hope to give emerging journalists more opportunities to experience what being in the news industry is like.
