As the Fourth Estate, journalists play an important role in the democratic process by monitoring those in power and reporting their actions to the public. The information reported allows citizens to become actively involved in their democracy and makes the government more accountable to those they purport to serve.
A key source of power at the university level is the student government. Your campus’s student government association likely is responsible for a percentage of your student fees and makes decisions on behalf of your student body that impact all students.
Because the student government association has the power to alter students’ lives during their college careers, it becomes a key role of the student media to monitor those who serve and report their actions to the student body.
The presentation below, Watchin’ the Dogs: Covering Student Government is the longest standing, most popular presentation I give at the annual college media convention. I gave this specific presentation this month at this year’s ACP/CMA convention in Austin.
Here are some links related to student government coverage that you may find helpful:
If you have questions or comments about the presentation, please write them below in the comments. If you found this presentation helpful, please share it with others.
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