Jackson State University’s broadcast, print and social media in the School of Journalism and Media Studies will provide all-night election coverage on two of its campuses on Tuesday, Nov. 8, with appearances by distinguished guests such as JSU adjunct instructor and former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and comments from audiences attending a public watch party.
Live coverage of national and local races during Election Night 2016 will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Election Central inside the Mississippi e-Center@JSU, 1230 Raymond Road. Community participants assembled inside the e-Center will offer their opinions, and there will be live shots and interviews from student journalists of their peers and the SGA president.
JSUTV (Comcast Channel 14), WJSU-FM, the Blue and White Flash student-run newspaper, and TigerTV – a closed-circuit campus channel – will spotlight political newsmakers and explore hot-button issues affecting voters locally, statewide and nationally. Throughout the evening, faculty and staff will provide expert opinions and/or technical support, and the results of JSU’s Institute of Government’s national presidential survey will be unveiled and discussed during the live broadcast.
The 19-question survey is designed to gauge the pulse of faculty, staff and students about the candidates, their support of a particular political party, their opinions on media influence in the race, negative campaigning, etc. It is accessible at www.jsums.edu/electionpoll, and the campus community is urged to participate before the survey closes after Thursday, Nov. 3.
Dr. Elayne H. Anthony, dean of the School of Journalism and Media Studies, said the full night of coverage is significant because it provides a real-life clinic for aspiring journalists and multimedia experts who can add this experience to their résumés.
“We want our students to be part of the political process. We want them to understand how news is covered and what goes on during election night,” Anthony said. “We feel that students will understand the various roles they have to play. This will not be a simulation. On the contrary, students will interview regular newsmakers, ultimately helping them hone their skills.”
[pullquote align=”right”]”This will not be a simulation. On the contrary, students will interview regular newsmakers, ultimately helping them hone their skills.” — Dr. Elayne H. Anthony, dean of the School of Journalism and Media Studies[/pullquote]Although she would prefer that interested constituents experience election coverage in person on campus next Tuesday, Anthony said JSUTV will provide live streaming for those who choose to stay at home. “The community still will be able to witness the convergence between all campus media.” Furthermore, the use of social media in the coverage will be prevalent via Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat.
Eric Walker, senior producer of Jackson State University’s Election Night 2016, said the aim is to give viewers a Mississippi perspective of the voting in all races that impact their lives.
“We’re planning for something that you can’t get anywhere else. We are inviting guests and commentators who you see every day walking down local streets or those you see in grocery stores,” Walker said. “We want to be very personable because we’re going to be covering issues that really matter to us by interviewing people who matter to us.”
Walker, also senior producer-anchor for JSUTV, said a number of special guests will appear throughout the entire evening. Beyond Musgrove, others expected include Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann; candidate and incumbent Congressman Bennie Thompson (via phone), an African-American woman supporter of GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump, as well as community activists discussing women’s issues and Trump’s controversial remarks about them, along with his perceived xenophobia. There also will be an analysis of the immigration policies of the two major political parties, and it’s highly likely that Hillary Clinton’s email scandal will become part of the discussion, too.
“Tuesday night’s coverage will be a massive collaborative effort involving all campus media,” said Walker, sharing that perspectives also will be provided by political professors such as JSU’s Dr. Byron D’Andra Orey and Tougaloo College’s Dr. Stephen Rozman.
In addition, Walker said he expects an interview with the winner of one of the more fiery contests in the area between Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens or his rival, Kenny Griffis. Kitchens claims the race recently has become marred because of interference from outside groups, whom he blames for pouring tens of thousands of dollars into the race that would benefit his opponent.
With this first-of-its-kind expanded broadcast, Anthony agreed that local candidates would not be ignored because “they, too, affect our lives just as much as high-profile national candidates.”
Anthony said viewers looking for accurate and timely election results won’t even need to tune in to any other station. She said her crew would be providing citizen input, in-depth coverage with political luminaries and heavyweights and up-to-the minute vote tallies with help from two of the campus media’s national partners, CNN and the Associated Press.