Location

Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL, USA

Program Description

For media students and political junkies, this is an opportunity like no other. Instead of just watching history unfold at the 2024 Republican and Democratic national conventions, you’ll be in the middle of the action as fully credentialled journalists. You will report and produce stories to bring to life for readers, viewers and listeners across Virginia what’s really happening as the two major parties choose their nominees for president.

Specifically, you’ll follow the Virginia delegations at both conventions, collecting reactions and pulling back the curtain on the national political conventions’ pageantry. As part of this course, we’ll also explore how politicians and journalists interact and analyze how the American political process works.

Serving as multimedia journalists, you’ll produce video, audio and written pieces from both conventions that will be shared with professional news organizations that are members of the Virginia Broadcasters Association. Stories will be made available to the more than 250 radio and television stations for their use on social media, web pages and their broadcasts. In addition, the program will encourage direct partnerships with other local news organizations that want student multimedia journalists to serve as correspondents during the conventions.

Location Description

The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, hosts the Republican National Convention from July 15-18, while Chicago, Illinois, will serve as the location for the Democratic National Convention from Aug. 19-22. Attending and covering both parties’ conventions will be required as part of this program. The conventions offer much more than the speeches that take place each evening inside the arenas. For instance, the state delegations hold breakfast events each day that draw prominent speakers and newsmakers. And other events during the day offer rare glimpses into the campaign process and the details of public policy — all of which are ripe for ambitious, curious journalists and political observers to cover.

Students will work together as a team — and individually — to help inform voters about the major themes, issues and processes that converge at these conventions when the major parties formally select their presidential nominees. To best prepare for navigating this part of the American democratic process, students will be encouraged to attend local and state delegate selection conventions for both parties in Virginia during the spring of 2024 that will help students make connections with Virginia delegates who will go to Milwaukee and Chicago.

At a time of intense interest in American politics and media’s role in covering candidates and campaigns, students will explore first-hand how it all works on the biggest of stages and interview people inside and outside of the process.

Director

Ryan Alessi | alessirt@jmu.edu | School of Media Arts and Design

Accommodations

Accommodations in Milwaukee will be a short-term rental house that sleeps up to 14 in the Shorewood neighborhood for the week of the Republican National Convention. All hotel rooms in Milwaukee and the surrounding area have been reserved or sold out as of June 1, 2023.

Accommodations in Chicago will be six hotel rooms with two double beds in each located in the Calumet Park neighborhood during the week of the Democratic National Convention.

Students will be allocated a weekly meal stipend that will cover approximately 14 meals per week. The Virginia Association of Broadcasters will provide at least one meal at each convention for networking with professional journalists.

Additional Items to Consider

Receiving media credentials requires a background check through the U.S. Senate Press Gallery, so the program director will need to share personal information with the Senate Press Gallery for that process.

Program director will coordinate transportation (using JMU vehicles) from Harrisonburg to Milwaukee and back, then from Harrisonburg to Chicago and back.

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must have a GPA minimum of 2.0.

Open to sophomore, juniors, and seniors.

Media and media production experience is preferred.