Journalism Program hosts campaign reporting field trip in Michigan

Seven Georgetown students traveled to Detroit, Michigan for a campaign reporting field trip hosted by the Journalism Program, during the last weekend in October. This trip, ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election where Michigan will be a critical swing state, gave students an opportunity to get on-the-ground campaign reporting experience, while learning about local journalism and the state’s political climate.

While in Michigan, the students received press passes to cover the Kamala Harris campaign rally in Kalamazoo. They also toured the Detroit Free Press newsroom, connected with local political leaders and interviewed voters, gaining insights into Michigan’s electoral dynamics and issues important to its residents.

The trip was organized by veteran campaign reporter and Journalism Program Director Rebecca Sinderbrand, along with Georgetown adjunct professor and CNN Reporter Sarah Mucha. Sinderbrand hopes this trip was the first of many similar experiential learning opportunities provided by the program.

“There’s no way to truly understand the demands and dynamic of campaign reporting without experiencing it firsthand in the final days of an election cycle,” Sinderbrand said, “This is an investment we’re thrilled to make, with – we hope – many more trips to come.”

The student attendees said that the program, from the meetings and interviews to the rally, gave them insight into campaign and political reporting, as well as the election at large. 

“I’ve always been fascinated by the energy of campaign journalism. On the Journalism Program’s recent trip to Michigan, I finally got to immerse myself in that world,” Michael Scime, one of the students, said. “Talking with local reporters, politicians and voters not only gave me new insight on the state of the 2024 presidential race, but taught me important lessons about what it truly takes to succeed as a political journalist.”

The opportunity to interview voters, as well as have conversations with people involved in Michigan politics allowed her to better understand the issues at play in this election, Carolina Bomeny said. Those conversations included a meeting with Michigan Speaker of the House Joe Tate and former director of Michigan for Biden, Tom Kelly.  

“One of the best parts was the off-the-record conversations with politicians and campaign strategists,” Bomeny said. “Those talks gave me a clearer picture of where each campaign is putting its time and money and why, which strategies and issues they believe will drive turnout, and which areas to watch closely as the votes come in.”

These meetings with political experts helped prepare the students with an understanding of Michigan politics, ahead of reporting on Harris’s rally and talking with voters. 

“This trip was a deep dive into Michigan’s political landscape,” Bomeny said. “I learned about how redistricting has reshaped the state, the diverse demographics often grouped into single voting blocs in national coverage, and the local issues driving voters across different counties.”

Covering the rally itself, which featured both Harris and former First Lady Michelle Obama, was a highlight for several students. For Scime, the rally helped augment his understanding of Michigan, following their conversations with local journalists, politicians and campaign advisors.

“The excitement in the room was palpable and very informative on which issues mattered most to these important swing-state voters,” Scime said. “It became very clear we were experiencing a historic moment as the first Black and Asian-American woman to lead a major party ticket took to the stage to argue her case.” 

However, students said it wasn’t just greater conceptual knowledge that they gained from this trip, but experience reporting and photographing from the field. For Izzy Wagener, photo editor at the Georgetown Voice, the Harris rally provided her with an opportunity to explore campaign photojournalism, alongside photographers from top news outlets. 

“I was also able to take photos from the riser reserved for press, where I met other photojournalists and observed their dedication to this work,” Wagener said. 

Students added that getting this chance to report and learn in the field was strengthened by the expertise of Mucha, who accompanied them. Both Scime and Bomeny said that Mucha’s stories from her time as an embed in the 2020 Biden campaign helped solidify their understanding of the craft. 

“As someone who aspires to do what she did, I really took to heart all of her advice on making your way in the industry, developing sources and writing a compelling story,” Scime said. 

Sinderbrand emphasized that all of this ties into the broader vision behind the trip: providing critical experiential learning opportunities and taking the classroom into the field. 

“We hope that this trip represents the first step on a career journey that takes some of these students back to the trail – but regardless of whether their future includes political journalism or not, we hope this experience becomes an indelible memory of their time at Georgetown and this moment in history,” Sinderbrand said.