The CCN Democracy, Governance and Elections Reporting Initiative provides resources and facilitates collaboration with student reporting programs at colleges across the country.
How We Can Help
The CCN Democracy, Governance and Elections Reporting Initiative helps faculty at U.S. colleges and universities who are running student reporting programs and want to cover statehouse activity, policy, issues and candidates at every level of local and state politics. We connect program leaders to a community of peers, provide free teaching resources, facilitate collaborative reporting projects, and promote the exceptional work of your students.
How You Can Join
Email Sarah Gamard (sarah.gamard@uvm.edu) to register for upcoming virtual collaboration sessions.
Share your student reporting via email (centerforcommunitynews@gmail.com) for our National Student Reporting News Site.
Classroom Tools and Resources
Assignment: Covering a public meeting (PDF)
Assignment: Covering a budget (PDF)
Assignment: Covering a Government Shutdown (PDF)
Assignment: Covering the effect of tariffs on your community (PDF)
Assignment: Covering Vaccine Policy Changes (PDF)
Assignment: Covering the governor’s opening address to the House and Senate (PDF)
Assignment: Federal Firings and Layoffs: How to Localize and Humanize Stories (PDF)
Assignment: Open records request (PDF)
Assignment: Profiling a local political player (PDF)
Assignment: Reporting with a government data portal (PDF)
All Assignment Templates for Covering Local Government (PDF)
Visual approaches for local government & federal budget cut assignments (PDF)
Visual Journalism Best Practices (PDF)
Best Practices for Student-Led Investigative Reporting (PDF)
Tip Sheet: Covering Your Statehouse (PDF)
Election Assignments
Election Assignment 1: Profiling first-time and/or young voter attitudes on campus
Election Assignment 2: Profiling voter attitudes in underserved communities off-campus
Election Assignment 4: Student-made voter guide project
Election Assignment 5: Pitch a feature story on the 2024 election to your “editor”
Election Assignment 6: Electoral College Project
Election Assignment 7: Profiling Election Challenges Post-Election Day
Election Assignment 8: Covering ballot measures
Election Assignment 9: Changes to voting laws
Election Assignment 10: Covering local voters ahead of a midterm election
Election Assignment 11: Covering redrawn districtsElections & Democracy Program: All Assignment Templates & Handouts (doc)
Template for Voter Guide Candidate Questionnaire - Use for Any Races (Google Form)
Collaborative Election Project: Cross-State Live Blogging on Election Day (PDF)
More Resources
Stay in Touch
Sarah Gamard
Program Manager, CCN Democracy, Governance and Elections Reporting Initiative
sarah.gamard@uvm.edu
Meg Little Reilly
Managing Director, Center for Community News
Meg.little-reilly@uvm.edu