by PJ Heath
Troy University advanced reporting students visited the Alabama State House, Alabama Archives and the Troy University Montgomery campus public radio station last week as part of a hometown reporting project grant from the Alabama Press Association.
The grant provides support for Troy’s advanced reporting students to work under the guidance of their professors, interviewing state lawmakers and writing articles about current legislative efforts to be published in their hometown newspapers.
Although students have participated in the writing portion of the project for the last couple of years, this is the first time since the start of the pandemic students were able to return as a group to the State House.
“Showing students how to cover the statehouse and how significant it is to know who to talk with and how it's done is one of the most profound things I do as a journalism instructor,” said Kyle Gassiott who is teaching the advanced reporting course this spring.
Alex Albritton, a senior multimedia journalism major from Greenville, Alabama, is one of the students who attended the trip.
“I enjoyed my experience going to the State House and seeing firsthand how busy and fast-paced their work life is on a day-to-day basis,” Albritton said. “It was great to explore the archives and discover just how much free information is accessible to anyone.”
The class was given a tour of the Alabama State House, including the House and Senate meeting areas, and spoke with several senators and representatives along the way. Students also had in-person meetings with lawmakers for their upcoming legislative stories.
Jack Anderson, a junior multimedia journalism major from Dothan, Alabama, said he is not usually into keeping up with politics, but he gained a different perspective after the trip.
“It was an interesting experience to observe all the officials operating quickly and being so communicative,” Anderson said.
David Mowery, a political consultant, was the class’ tour guide for the State House portion of the field trip. Mowery is nationally recognized in the field of Public Relations and campaign communications and leads the Mowery Consulting Group, LLC. He granted the students access to high-profile officials and typically off-limit rooms, such as the Senate’s meeting room.
Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth was one of the most notable people the students met during their time at the State House. The students also had the opportunity to speak with Troy’s Director of Government Relations, William Filmore. Filmore previously served as the director of legislative affairs for Gov. Kay Ivey.
Following the State House visit, the advanced reporting class walked over to the Alabama Department of Archives and History where they received archive cards, allowing for access to the Archive’s thousands of official documents.
The class toured the Alabama Radio Museum and walked through the Land of Alabama exhibit, exploring the history, geography and biodiversity of the state.
To wrap up the field trip, the class stopped by Troy’s Montgomery campus and visited its public radio station where they met Carolyn Hutchinson, the public affairs and development manager. Hutchinson discussed various interviewing methodologies and shared anecdotes from her years of working in radio.
“I also believe the radio exhibit gives you a good idea about how much journalism and mass communication has been in the history of the state,” Gassiott said. “The photos in the exhibit, as well as the examples of radio design and this historic audio clips give you a sense of how this medium connected and shaped Alabama.”
PJ Heath is a student in Gassiott’s advanced reporting class.
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