Media Participation Project: Election Day with the Post

My first legal election day was spent shadowing the Prince George's County writer for The Washington Post! It was quite the experience. I came into contact with the Merrill alum, Arelis Hernandez, at a journalism sponsored by the Asian American Journalist Association. I maintained contact with Hernandez and she graciously allowed me to shadow her on November 4th-- Election Day.

The day began as it usually does for Hernandez. She either takes the train into the DC or PG County Washington Post headquarters. On November 4th, she was working in the DC office. The office was quite modest. Hernandez states that the newsroom hasn't always been this quiet, but technology has allowed for people to communicate silently. I sat behind her desk for an hour watching her interact with her editor as she crafted her article about Prince George's turnout in the election. Her article discussed how crucial PG County's voting turnout would be in Brown's success. While waiting for her editor's response, we discussed a multitude of subjects, ranging from politics to feminism to Beyoncé. More importantly, she offered valuable information that helped in my voting decision.

The second half of the day was spent visiting polling places around PG County. Hernandez goal in visiting polling places was to discover the thought process of voters. The majority of the demographic at the polling places was Black Americans/African Americans. She emphasized the importance of talking to a variety of races, ethnicities, and genders. A diverse group of spokespeople offered for more insight into voting trends within PG County. Interestingly enough, the majority of Hernandez's day wasn't only interviewing people, but it was also interacting with people off the record. This gave her a sense of the community voters so that she could write a more vivid article.

Shadowing Arelis Hernandez of The Washington Post exposed me to the unsettling fact that voters were grossly under informed. The majority of the people that she spoke with voted for Brown, but often times, lacked the proper information to justify their reasoning. Some even explicitly stated that they were voting for Brown solely because they share the same race.

Overall, I discovered that journalism isn't necessarily about the pen-and-paper interview, but rather, about the human interaction between reporter and spokesperson. A deeper sense of understanding between the two allows for a more honest, open interview. The Media Participation Project opened my eyes to the beauty of print journalism.