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Auburn students cover Election Day for Associated Press

Auburn University's School of Communication and Journalism (CMJN) students gained hands-on experience in professional journalism on Election Day by working with the Associated Press (AP) to collect and verify results for the 2024 U.S. General Election.

More than 20 Auburn students joined the AP's nationwide student election engagement project, in which 1,300 college students from 195 schools throughout the country applied to work as Vote Entry Operators (VEO), collecting results on national, statewide and local elections from reporters across the country.

The students' work was crucial to the AP's mission to deliver real-time, accurate election updates to its media partners. Students were paid as contractors with eligibility to continue working on AP election coverage in future elections.  

"These students gained an invaluable experience working for such a large, professional group on an historic night of news," Jessica Sparks, assistant professor of journalism at Auburn, said. "This opportunity helped expose them to the dedication journalism organizations have for accuracy and fairness in their work."

Sparks and Brian Delaney, assistant professor of journalism, hosted a newsroom experience on election night for students involved in the program. In Tichenor Hall, students worked alongside each other while enjoying snacks and discussing the news. Students worked past midnight collecting information and verifying it for the news agency.

For more information about Auburn University students' involvement in the student election engagement project, contact Jessica Sparks.

Tags: Students Communication and Journalism