SGA election helps create better student journalists

Being a journalist carries a lot of weight. It is my responsibility to communicate important information to the public so people can create be well informed opinions, and then turn around and elect officials to represent them. This applies at the national and local level.

Locally, journalists must cover state and city elections. Without this coverage, citizens in smaller areas would likely know nothing about each candidate. For students who aspire to become professional reporters, acquiring the skills necessary to cover these elections is a vital part of becoming a reliable journalist.  

For student journalists, this means we must cover the executive officer elections for the school’s governing body, the student government association; as this “local news” is what our college community needs to decide who to support.  

Here at Troy University, Troy TrojanVision News has been covering the election process for weeks. We were there at the first SGA exec interest meeting, allowing our viewers to see a room full of potential candidates. Our station hosted the Student Government Association’s annual televised debate, allowing out viewers to hear first-hand from their peers attempting to be on exec. Lastly, our overage has led up to students casting their ballots on Feb. 26, and will continue on as we cover the newly elected exec members for the next school year. 

Five positions are up for grabs: SGA president, executive vice president, vice president of internal affairs, vice president of campus affairs and executive secretary; which are all listed on the Troy website. 

“I think it’s really important for students to come out and vote during this election so they feel like they have a say in what’s happening on campus,” SGA vice president of internal affairs Camryn May stated. 

“Over the past year especially, there’s been a disconnect between SGA and the student body,” she said. “The students have voiced feeling like they don’t know what’s happening in SGA, and I know a lot of the candidates have said that they want to change that this upcoming year if elected.”

On TrojanVision this week, SGA advisor Barbara Patterson said the SGA debate provided the candidates the chance to share their perspectives. 

“We want the candidates running for SGA to have a real-world experience in the debate world, and a real-world experience in being in front of the cameras answering questions,” She said. 

The debate not only provided an opportunity for the candidates to practice their public speaking, but it also provided our station’s staff the chance to experience election reporting. This is not the first time I have covered Troy University’s SGA election, but each time I do, l gain more journalistic insight.  

During this Spring 2020 election I have had to remain very neutral and balanced. Each time I was added to a campaign page on Facebook, I declined the invitation; even if it was from a friend. I have removed myself from situations where people could even perceive bias. It is my responsibility to be fair about the election process.

I hosted the televised debate. I treated each and every candidate the same throughout the process. I remained business professional the entire time and wanted the candidates to trust me. While in the real world I may not be friends with the politicians I am covering, I will have to establish and maintain a business professional rapport, like the one I mentioned earlier. I will also have to remove any possible opinions I have on a politician to cover them fairly. 

This whole SGA election process has allowed myself and my Troy TrojanVision peers to practice our reporting skills. Alongside myself, I have encouraged members of the staff to practice ethical journalism, even at the colligate level.