Two Student Journalists Cover President Bush's Indianapolis Visit

September 6, 2003

September 6, 2003, Greencastle, Ind. - Two DePauw University students had a Friday they'll never forget. Jon Coffin, a sophomore Media Fellow from Hudson, Ohio, and Nicole Pence, a sophomore from Columbus, Indiana, covered yesterday's Indianapolis visit by President George W. Bush for campus radio station WGRE and the student television operation, D3TV.

The president's first appearance was at a warehouse on the northwestside of Indy. "Surprisingly we managed to get very good access to the event, especially for students," Coffin says, noting that he and Pence had applied for media credentials as soon as Bush's visit was announced. "We were recognized as media as soon as we arrived at the site and were brushed inside ahead of all the spectators. We were able to set up a D3TV camera tripod on the risers with the rest of the mainstream media, including the White House press corps and the local network stations. While we were there, I made a couple 'call in' live reports to WGRE describing the scene. We also filmed some documentary style shots with Nicole for the speech. Then, of course, we filmed the majority of the president's speech, plugging into the pool audio."

The student journalists then made their way to downtown Indianapolis for President Bush's second event, a fund-raiser for his re-election campaign at the Murat Centre. "We weren't allowed to shoot video inside the building, but did have access to pool radio/audio coverage from [Indianapolis radio station] WIBC," Coffin adds. "At this event we were two of perhaps a total of 10 or 15 press members. The exclusive nature of the event was amazing! We listened to Indiana Senator Richard Lugar and the President Bush, but I think the best part of the night was our personal interviews with Mitch Daniels [the former White House Budget Director who is running for Indiana Governor] and Indiana Congressman Mike Pence. I got to ask Daniels about his goals for young people and plans for visiting college campuses in his campaign. We got his answers on video and audio. Nicole also did a video interview with her uncle, Mike Pence, and asked him about the president's speech and the plans for the rest of the congressional session."

Coffin and Pence wrapped up their busy day by picking up audio tapes from the pool coverage at WIBC, where they were given a tour of the Emmis Communications' flagship station's downtown studios. "I was simply amazed that I was given this opportunity in the first place," Coffin says. "It was a little overwhelming to be honest, but at the same time I felt like Nicole and I operated as a professional team. We worked well to get the best coverage we could manage, and as the day went on we seemed to gain confidence and became a little more aggressive. I don't necessarily see myself ending up in journalism professionally, but this experience was still amazing. Who would expect that 19 year old college students would get to cover the president of the United States?"

You can access the Indianapolis Star's coverage of the president's visit by clicking here.

Back