Covering the Clintons

March 30, 2008

I had my first shot at covering political figures Bill and Hillary Clinton this week. Both have more national and political prominence than anyone I’ve ever written about. Everything from the actual speeches to the check-ins — where dogs sniffed my bags at one event and a policeman scanned me with a metal detector at the other — was a new and exciting experience.

I loved the crowd’s energy and way of making both events seem larger-than-life. It got me excited about my role as a journalist. Think about it. Only about 2,500 people could be there to see Hillary speak on Saturday at duPont Manual High School in Louisville. So my job, along with photographer Brad Luttrell, was to make sure that everyone else who couldn’t make it could see what the event was like. Here are a few things that didn’t fit in my story.

Representing the Student Vote
Two UK students with a U of L friend stood front and center in the crowd on the floor. Right behind them was a pair from Indiana University, both energetic Clinton supporters. And to the pair’s right were two more UK students who are featured in Brad’s multimedia presentation. I saw other familiar UK faces scattered throughout the crowd.

I talked to many of these people and wish I had room to put more than two of them in my article, because they were all intelligent individuals invested in the election.

Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican or independent, it’s a historic time for the U.S. I was glad to meet students who really care and are making efforts to get informed.

Covering the Political “Higher Ups”
When I heard Bill and Hillary were coming to town, I jumped on the opportunity to see them. Journalists were everywhere, representing print, radio and television. Then there was the traveling press, who had their own special area. Brad and I talked about how awesome it would be to follow a presidential campaign for a paper or wire service. Politics fascinate me, and if I ever got the chance to cover something like that, I’m sure it would be amazing.

I sat next to a reporter from WKU’s student paper, the College Heights Herald. We chatted for a bit about the event, friends and acquaintances we had in common and tips on how to sneak out of the designated press area and interview the crowd on the floor. Sometimes you have to break the rules, and in this case, they weren’t really enforcing them that strictly anyway. It was fun meeting a fellow student journalist, and I’m glad more than one college paper covered the event.

Lessons Learned
Don’t leave backup batteries in the car, especially when covering Hillary Clinton — My voice recorder died less than two minutes after Hillary came on stage. Brad got some of the event on film, which helped. But I was left with just a pen and pad to record her 40-minute speech. I don’t usually use a tape recorder unless I know it’s going to be a long speech where I might need to double-check my notes. It was a bit stressful, but it all worked out.

Pay attention to the crowd and details — This is what makes the event different from every other political rally. People indeed want to know what Hillary said, but they also want to know how she interacted with the foot-stomping, fist-pumping supporters who really want her to win or the protestors who don’t (I only saw one protester at Bill’s speech and none at Hillary’s).

And finally, enjoy the moment — Enjoy every minute of covering something as influential as a presidential candidate coming to town. I hope Barack Obama and John McCain make their way to the Bluegrass soon.

Posted by Juliann Vachon | Filed Under Blog