If you are a student journalist or aspiring politician, Ohio and Texas are the places to be. Catie Coleman wrote in a column for the Ohio University at Athens campus newspaper: “With all the visits and press coverage, it feels like OU is at the center of the universe.â€
Coleman describes herself as politically minded, yet she writes that she feels overwhelmed— her campus has already received separate visits from Michelle Obama and Bill and Chelsea Clinton. And if she receives one more campaign flyer, she’s “going to scream.â€
Coleman’s campus newspaper, the Post, has run dozens of news articles, columns, editorials, informational alerts and letters to the editor about the campaign and Tuesday primary, in which democratic voters in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont choose their presidential candidate. Political analysts have predicted that if Hillary Clinton does not do well in Ohio and Texas, her campaign is over. Even if she has enough delegates to keep plugging away, she needs decisive wins to pacify Democrats who are eager to have a party nominee decided. Likewise, Obama wants to crush Clinton in these two big states to clinch the nomination.
The student media have therefore had plenty of campus visits to write about and student interest to keep them motivated. The Post’s endorsement of Barack Obama is the second most viewed article on their website this week, out-viewed only by a breaking news story on the band Arcade Fire playing two upcoming shows.
The articles and columns cover everything from Clinton’s “win at all costs†campaign tactics to campaigns using the Internet to lure the youth vote. Most of the pieces discuss minute policy details on health care, the environment and the Iraq war, revealing that these students have done their homework.
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