Special Strand: Election 2024
Get ready for election coverage 2024 with these breakout sessions aimed to help you develop a coverage plan, localize issues and get access to candidates.
General Audience
Documentary screening: The Future is Ours
Two-hour session includes the documentary screening and presentation with Q&A from producer Ed Madison. “The Future is Ours: Gen Z Journalists Speak Out” is a 35-minute documentary that highlights young people’s perspectives on the issues of today. Gen Z is the first digitally native generation. Born in a world where information has never been more accessible, they’re uniquely aware of today’s most pressing problems. In many ways, however, they’re not given a seat at the table. So what are the hopes, concerns, and perspectives of these young people, many of whom will be voting for the first time this year? With the 2024 presidential election just around the corner, “The Future is Ours” showcases the varying viewpoints of a cross-section of high school journalists — their generation’s interpreters.
Ed Madison, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
10 a.m. Friday, Atlanta, Sheraton Ballroom Level (450)
Newsgathering
Go local: Real elections that need your coverage
WIth the demise of so many local news sources, high school media have an opportunity to shine light on candidates who may not be very famous today but may have huge futures -— or cause regret if voters lack reliable information about them. Thousands of offices are up for election this year: Learn how to cover school board, city council, state legislative and other races, whose candidates are among the most media-accessible in politics to print, podcast and video reporters.
Joelle Keene, MJE, Shalhevet High School, Los Angeles
11 a.m. Friday, Brookside, Westin Lobby Level (90)
General Audience
Covering the 2024 elections
How do you make the elections relevant to your high school audience? Learn from a panel of advisers who have experience with robust election coverage from the 2020 cycle.
Ellen Austin, Birch Avenue Creative, Rockford, Illinois
Noon Friday, Empire B, Sheraton Mezzanine Level (105)
General Audience
Live coverage of Election Night 2024
Learn strategies and gain advice to create a live newsroom for the Nov. 5 election returns. Topics include what and where to report election results and how to prepare for these breaking news stories.
Ellen Austin, Birch Avenue Creative, Rockford, Illinois
1 p.m. Friday, Empire B, Sheraton Mezzanine Level (105)
General Audience
Election photography
Photographing candidates, rallies and protests: a guide for young journalists in how to do photo and video coverage of election-related events as well as protests.
Ellen Austin, Birch Avenue Creative, Rockford, Illinois
2 p.m. Friday, Empire B, Sheraton Mezzanine Level (105)
Marketing & Audience Engagement
Not your mama’s Instagram
From the hard-hitting election coverage to more whimsical pop-culture topics, journalists are using Instagram for the storytelling forms our readers crave. We’ll look at the smart ways news organizations — high school, college and the pros — are using Instagram to tell stories.
Amy DeVault, Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas
1 p.m. Saturday, Century Ballroom C, Westin Ballroom Level (768)