Every political election — city, local, state, national — makes for good visual coverage. Get in on the action. Take viewers where they could not ordinarily go. Get to know the politicians. Get to know the issues.

1. B y B r a d l e y W i l s o n , P h . D .
Covering Politics
Visually
JOURNALISM MATTERS
NOW MORE THAN EVER

2. “For politicians, newspapers are today’s history.The reporters are the
primary historians, the observers and recorders of today’s events.
The reporters and their newspapers are going to be around long after
the politician, and it is from their work, in large part,
that the politician’s role will be defined.”
John Henry, political editor of the Houston Chronicle
Communication: Journalism Education Today, Fall 2000

3. 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1984
Gerald Ford and George Bush campaign
in Austin,Texas. Texas Gov. Mark White
Vice presidential candidate Geraldine
Ferraro
Austin City
Council candidate
Hector DeLeon
U.S. Congressman
J.J.Jake Pickle
Ronald Reagan
and George Bush
with U.S. Senator
John Tower and
others in Austin,
Texas.
Political Timeline

4. 1988 1990 1990 1992 2004 2005
Political Timeline
President George Bush U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen President George W. Bush
Texas Speaker Gib Lewis Texas Gov.Ann Richards Presidential candidate H. Ross Perot President Bill Clinton

5. Political Timeline
2008 2008 2014 2015 2018
President Barack Obama
President Barack Obama
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
HUD Secretary Ben Carson
Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke

6. All politics is local.Photo by Gage Skidmore

7. Inside:
hoover high school publications.
4800 aurora avenue .des moines. ia. 50310.
515.242.7313. 1.25.08
v41.i7
Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging
the freedom of speech, or of the
press; or of the right of the people to
peaceably assemble and to petition
the government for a redress of
grievances.
Marching
forward
p.2
Students
choose path
toward military
intelligence
Death.
War. Hope.
p.3
Two girls
overcome
obstacles and
deal with life
struggles
The Eagle
has landed
p.4
Senior Jacob
Jacobi was
recently
honored with
rank of Eagle
Scout
This ain’t
bumper
bowling
p.5
Bowling
team fights
to become
sanctioned
Frank’s
Pizza p.6
A triple-threat
review
The final
countdown
p.7
Scheduling
finals before
winter break
would bring
less stress to
students
Arecord 65,230 (13 percent) of Iowa youth ages 18 to 29 turned out at the
Democratic and Republican caucuses Jan. 3, according to Business Wire.
This number—more than triple the turnout of the 2004 Iowa caucuses—
resulted in overflowing gymnasiums, auditoriums and community centers
across Iowa. Senior Elizabeth Pecora caucused for New Mexico Governor
Bill Richardson (D) at the Monroe Elementary School gym.
“It makes you feel like you’re more than just one vote out of millions,”
Pecora said of the Democratic caucus process.
Junior Emily Harmon, who caucused for Illinois Senator Barack Obama
(D), felt similar.
“You feel like others share your viewpoint, so it makes you stronger in
your position,” Harmon said.
Pecora and Harmon both participated for their first time Jan. 3 in the
Democratic caucus.
Senior Nathan Joy caucused for Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R).
Joy said he was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the night ran.
“It was a lot better than I expected,” Joy said. “I thought it would be long
and boring.” Harmon said her experience “was longer than I thought it would
be.”
Pecora based her support for Richardson on several factors.
“He’s very much for the people; I don’t really trust any of the other
candidates,” Pecora said.
Pecora said Richardson impressed her because he gave detailed goals
and objectives for his campaign platform, which she said differed from her
perception of Obama.
“Obama seems like he’s a lot of talk to me,” Pecora said. “I’ve heard
(Obama’s) speeches but they’re not in detail like I want. [Richardson] says,
‘Yes, we’re going to have problems, but this is how we’re going to fix them.’”
Joy said he was first attracted to Huckabee’s personality.
“He just seemed really sincere, very personable. He didn’t seem to have
anything to hide,” Joy said.
Joy also identified with the former pastor’s position on two issues
important to Joy.
“I really like his standing on families,” Joy said. “He’s also very strong
pro-life. Those issues are probably strongest for me.”
Harmon gave Obama’s emphasis on positive bipartisan relations as one of
the reasons she decided to caucus for the senator.
“I believe he wants to unite the country,” Harmon said. She said that she
would have caucused for Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd (D) if she hadn’t
decided to support Obama.
Pecora, who worked as a paid employee for Richardson after a successful
experience volunteering for the governor, mentioned her concern that some of
her peers don’t put enough research into their caucus decisions.
“I’m afraid that they don’t know what they’re doing, and they get bought
off on things like charisma for Obama,” Pecora said.
Business Wire said that youth 18 to 29 supported Obama and Huckabee
“by the largest margins of any age group.”
Pecora and Joy said they had been planning on caucusing a few months
before caucus night, but Harmon was one of many citizens who made their
decisions just a few days before.
“Initially, I wasn’t planning on caucusing, but after going to the (Jan. 2
Obama) rally and talking to people, I realized it was significant for me to take
part,” Harmon said.
Joy said he hadn’t expected a Huckabee victory.
“I really didn’t think he had a chance at all,” Joy said. “I knew that he’d
been outspent, so I figured the more people showed up, the better chance he
had.”
Pecora said she felt that if young people didn’t take the initiative to caucus,
they would be the ones to suffer.
“If they’re not involved, they’re not standing up for their issues,” she said.
Joy agreed.
“It’s easy to sit back, but if you really want a change, you should go out
and get involved,” he said.
Bea Rendon
opinion editor
Students get first chance to participate
in democratic process by caucusing for
candidates, persuading undecided voters
Raucus with
your CAUCUS
Senior Elizabeth Pecora cheers with other Bill Richardson supporters
at Monroe Elementary School Jan. 3. Pecora became a paid worker
for Richardson after volunteering for government class. “He’s very
much for the people,” Pecora said. RENDON PHOTO
National politics

8. State politics

9. Local politics

10. Campus/Student Politics

11. Don’t forget social media

12. All politics is local
What does the Student Government Association or Student Council really do?
Do they have any authority?
1. Student government
Real decisions that impact students, parents and teachers are made here.And
every decision the school board makes can impact every student.
2. Board of trustees
From waste water treatment to public safety, the city council and the school
district must work together.
3. City council
In some states, the school district budget is controlled at the county level.
Counties also control everything from roads to animal control.
4. County commissioners
State laws on education include how many hours you have to go to school to
what kind of certification your teachers are required to have.
5. State legislature

13. “I’m not sure you should (be covering the impeachment).Anybody
who’s interested in impeachment has a lot of access to many news
outlets and people who are experienced … and who will know more
than you do. Find a way to cover it from the student perspective.”
Nina Totenberg, National Public Radio

14. “Try not to write a single story about the presidential race. It’s going to be
very tempting for you to cover the presidential race. Don’t. Cover the
statehouse. Cover a state representative race. Cover the school board.”
Chuck Todd, Meet the Press

15. “The advantage that you have is that you’re surrounded by
voters. Get that feedback from normal people. (There is) no
substitute for knowing what people are talking about
around the kitchen table at home. ”
Lissandra Villa, Time magazine
Photo by Al Drago

16. ADVICE
FROM
ELECTED
OFFICIALS
PARTNERS & ADVERSARIES
by Elaine Povich
Freedom Forum
Photo by Dirck Halstead
Communication: Journalism Education
Today, Fall 2000

17. Substance
Stop focusing on the game and the ‘score,’ and
focus on the substance.
Facts and figures
Less horse-race, more facts and figures.
Fact-based reporting
More fact-based reporting. Less scandals, politics
and polls.
Cover policy
Despite media pleas for details on policy, they fall
back to simply covering the fights and the
politics.They should trust readers more in their
ability to understand policy.
Be objective
Stop looking exclusively for negative stories — in
spite of the hype, the majority of members are
decent, honest and hard-working.This needs to
be covered to balance coverage.
Cover issues
Cover more objectively on issues and dedicate
less space to politics and inside information.
PhotobyGrantTetmeyer

18. MORE TIPS
From GRIFF SINGER, retired senior lecturer,
the University of Texas at Austin
• Learn to sift out the junk from the real issues.
• Force politicians to answer questions and not just to
give sound-bites.
• Be prepared to ask follow-up questions requiring the
politician to stick to the topic.
• Don’t allow the politician to set the agenda for the
interview or press conference.
• Do your homework.
• If they don’t answer directly, play the angle game too.
Start from another direction to get back to the issue
you want them to address.
• Boycott the photo op situations.
• Get away from the TV cameras and talk to the
candidate in a more quiet setting.

19. Get access.

20. • Wide-angle lens
(16mm)
• High depth of field
• Get in close
• Feel like you’re part
of the action
SIDEBAR

21. “The increased security surrounding political figures during the past 20 years has made it
very difficult for photographers to gain access to them except in highly controlled
situations. No longer can a cameraman move in close to capture an intimate, off-guard
moment. For the most part, hordes of photographers with the same assignment to ‘get the
pic’ are kept behind barricades and controlled by police or hired security personnel as they
wait for an event to be .”
Susan Kismaric
Communication: Journalism Education Today, Fall 2008

22. “The photos that you make are dependent on the relationships you
have.There are a lot of photos made behind the scenes. Having
connections…helps you negotiate better access and angle.
Relationships are absolutely crucial.”
Al Drago, Washington, D.C. photographer
al_drago

24. Joel Quinones, 2012 senior, McKinney
High School (Texas)
Republican presidential candidate Rick
Santorum

25. • Telephoto lens
(200mm)
• Low depth of field
• Stand back and
zoom in on the
action
• Feel like you’re an
observer, in the
audience
SIDEBAR

26. Wide Detail
Medium
Tight
WALLDOWide | Angled | Low | Linking | Depth | Opposite
Photos by Kyle Carter, Emily Blunt and Liza King

27. “It is a great experience to talk with other professionals in the same
field and to learn more about how they got to where they are now.”
Liza King, senior, Richland High School (Missouri)
Communication: Journalism Education Today, Spring 2019

28. Find the story.
Photo by Corey Lowenstein

29. “We have a crisis in local journalism. We lost the local newspaper.Too many
people use cable news as their local news now. I would love for you to have a
great political story in every edition you put out, but make try to make it a local
politics issue.”
Chuck Todd, Meet the Press

30. Photo by Ina Herlihy,The Broadview, Convent of the Sacred
Heart High School (San Francisco)
Photo by Daniel Plassman
Photo by Gage Skidmore
Photo Jordan Nicholas,Wyoming Valley West High School
(Plymouth, Pennsylvania)

31. Photo by Pete SouzaPhotos by Corey Lowenstein

33. Listen for changes from the stump.Security.
Who is there? Why? Student reaction. The media.

34. “Read everything. Read all the news. Wake up. Check every
website. If you know what’s happening, it might give you
the chance to break news. ”
Lissandra Villa, Time magazine

35. By Al Drago
Get the ‘bank’ shot.

36. By Al Drago
Then think outside the box.

37. COVER ISSUES AS WELLAS PEOPLE

38. Pendulum
Elon University

39. HEAD TO
HEAD TO
HEAD TO
HEAD TO...
ONE VOTE
Six governors, five senators, a
secretary of state, a brain surgeon,
a tech CEO and one unapologetic
billionaire—that’s the field of
candidates vying for their parties’
nomination as of January. Forget about
policy proposals and tax cuts—here
are 15 things you need to know about
the people who want your votes
reporting • Pranav Marala
and Ken Dingel
reporting • Pranav Marala
photos • Gage Skidmore, via Flickr;
Creative Commons license CC-BY-SA 2.0
GONNA COME
9
10
11
Are you
eligible
to vote?
If eligible,
are you
registered
to vote?
If
registered,
do you plan
to vote?
64%
36%
YES
NO
21%
YES
79%
NO
13%
MAYBE
29%
YES
58%
NO
1Jan. 20, 2009
First Inauguration
4Dec. 22, 2010
Obama signs the Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell Repeal Act 6Dec. 19, 2012
Named Time Magazine’s
Person of the Year
2Oct. 9, 2009
Obama wins
Nobel Peace Prize
23.1%
21.7%
13.6%
22.6%
no
interest
very
high
interest
high
interest
some
interest
little
interest
Martin O’Malley
fmr. Governor, Maryland;
member of a Celtic
rock band called
O’Malley’s March
Ben Carson
Retired Neurosurgeon;
directed the team that successfully
separated twins conjoined at the
Ted Cruz
Jr. U.S. Senator, Texas;
argued before the Supreme Court nine times, so he
to the justices to remind him of what it’s like to lose
Hillary Clinton
fmr. US Secretary of State;
Won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word or
Non-Musical Album in 1997 for the audio
version of ‘It Takes a Village’
Bernie Sanders
Jr. U.S. Senator, Vermont
Sanders worked as a carpenter,
moving to Vermont in the 1960s
Chris Christie
two-term Governor, New Jersey
he prosecuted more than 130
and lost none
Jeb Bush
fmr. Governor, Florida;
his full name is John Ellis Bush,
and his nickname derives
from his initials, J.E.B.
Carly Fiorina
fmr. CEO, Hewlett-Packard;
enjoys the heavy use emojis;
her staff calls her “obsessed”
Marco Rubio
Jr. US Senator, Florida;
his favorite musical
artist is Nicki Minaj
Mike Huckabee
fmr. Governor, Arkansas;
owns more than 70 bass guitars
Rand Paul
Jr. US Senator, Kentucky;
is an ophthalmologist and still
provides eye surgeries for free
at home and abroad
Rick Santorum
fmr. Senator, Pennsylvania;
his nickname in high school was
“Rooster” because of a cowlick that
stood up at the back of his head
John Kasich
two-term Governor, Ohio
tends to namedrop, referencing
his “...good friend, Bono”
“
““
‘‘
‘‘
‘‘
I would vote for Bernie Sanders
because he actually cares about
the 99% of America and not just
the rich. He actually wants to
make a change and is genuinely
concerned for the future of
America, unlike Donald Trump.
I think her policies are all really good
and she has a good plan for the future
but some of the stuff still needs work if
it were to be implemented in the next
year or so.
Kristine Brown•10
Garrett Dupree•11
Samuel Peck•11
3March 21 2010
Comprehensive health care reform,
dubbed ‘Obamacare,’ passes
one person,
The 2016 presidential election marks the
aspects of the election that matter most to them
Elected in 2008 with hopes
politics and this
Jim Gilmore
fmr. Governor, Virginia;
Was a band geek in high school, serving
as drum major and section leader
18.9%
8
5
‘‘ “No, I don’t think Obama has done a good job.
He didn’t do everything he could. I haven’t
seen very many improvements. College is
still expensive, people are still being killed
and abortion centers are being attacked
when some people aren’t fit for kids.
Shawna Dean•10
‘‘ “
I feel that Obama was an amazing
president and with his time in office
has done many good things for us. He
is a great person who is there for the
people and fights for people’s civil
rights. One thing that he could have
done in office would be to focus a little
less on the people and more toward our
economy and the country.
Matthew Messecar•11
‘‘
“
Devon Tubbs•10
‘‘ “He did his job. He was able to lower the
unemployment rate and get America
out of the recession of 2008 caused
by the housing bubble.Yet, due to
his inaction in the Syrian Civil War, it
helped groups like ISIS expand and
grow both in numbers and in territory.
Donald Trump
Businessperson, Billionaire;
developed the Trump brand, which is used in multiple
industries including real estate, ice cream, menswear,
fragrance, model management, vodka and more
I like Donald Trump because he is a
good businessman. Our country is
drowning in debt and it’s not a powerful
and resourceful as it used to be, Trump
would regulate our spending, imports,
exports and the amount of immigrants
coming in the United States because why
let new people in when we can’t even
take care of the people we have now?
Trump will make America great again.
I think that Obama did a decent job in
office. I believe this because he made
some improvements to the country and
didn’t run this country into the ground
unlike some former presidents. He was
under a lot of fire for being the first black
president and he still managed to improve
the country. I think he could have took
more time to improve his Obamacare
because it was filled with many flaws.
Aug. 5, 2014
Approval rating hits all
time low of 40%
June 26, 2015
Gay marriage legalized
Jan. 12, 2016
Delivers last State of
the Union address
Extremely important
Very important
Moderately important
Not important at all
Economy
Gov.Operations
Healthcare
ForeignAffairs
WealthDistribution
Immigration
RaceRelations
ProLife/Choice
Chris Christie (R)
1.9%
Jeb Bush (R)
1.4%
Rocky De La Fuente (D)
1.4%
Martin O’Malley (D)
1.4%
Jim Gilmore (R)
0.5%
Mike Huckabee (R)
0.5%%
Ben Carson (R)
Bernie Sanders (D)
Donald Trump (R)
Hillary Clinton (D)
Ted Cruz (R)
Marco Rubio (R)
Who Would
You
Vote For?
19%
40%
12%
9%
7.5%
3.8%
Rick Santorum (R)
0.5%
John Kasich (R)
0.5%
Benjamin Soulliere•12
CGSP PRAC
EVERYTHING politics
obama’s presidency in review
2016 candidates student survey
94-95TR SL
May 2, 2011
Osama Bin Laden killed
by SEAL team
Jan. 20, 2013
Obama begins second term7
Oct. 1, 2013
Federal government shuts down
a change is
“In developing the
primaries spread for the
Tesserae yearbook
(Corning-Painted Post
High School (Corning, New
York)), our editors knew it
was important that they
mark the collective
‘moment’ in time with
coverage that looked both
backward and to the
future.” Co-adviser
Michael Simons, MJE

40. “I've always encouraged my students
to cover national, state and especially
local elections. Doing so captures
attitudes and opinions toward topics
that were important to students and
adults at the time. Furthermore, it also
documents the candidates, issues and
events for history. Seek local angles on
national issues, but don't overlook how
people feel about state and local
issues. It's always about serving your
audience.” Adviser Logan Aimone,
MJE

41. Share election photos
http://studentpress.org/nspa/campaign-2020-photo-exchange/

42. RESOURCES
✓GAGE SKIDMORE
✓Thousands of images
available for Creative
Commons use on Flickr.
✓https://www.flickr.com/
photos/gageskidmore/
✓NATIONAL SCHOLASTIC PRESS
ASSOCIATION
✓Campaign 2020 Photo
Exchange — students share
photos
✓http://studentpress.org/nspa/
campaign-2020-photo-
exchange/
✓CJET ONLINE SUPPLEMENT
✓Past articles on election
coverage
✓http://jea.org/wp/home/for-
educators/cjet/onlinesupp/

43. Fall 2000 Fall 2008 Fall 2012 Fall 2016 Spring 2019
Communication:
Journalism Education
Today The magazine of the
Journalism Education Association

44. By Bradley Wilson, Ph.D.
@bradleywilson09
bradleywilson08@gmail.com