Baruch’s Student Journalists Report from Arizona
Journalism Department trip yields powerful reporting project on 2022 midterm electionsJuly 27, 2022

Students reported on the political situation in Arizona as part of a class in the Weissman School’s Journalism Department (Photo courtesy of Vera Haller).
Students in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences’ Journalism Department traveled to Phoenix, Arizona over the past spring break to produce an impressive package of news stories about the political landscape in the state ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
The trip was for members of a spring semester political reporting class, co-taught by Professors Andrea Gabor and Vera Haller.
“Arizona Under Stress: Growth, Demographics and Democracy”
Students reported on numerous topics including obstacles to the Native American vote, activism among young Latinos, the education culture wars, a worsening housing shortage fueled by a population boom, as well as the costs of the megadrought and efforts to conserve scarce and precious water.
Taken together, the reporting provides a thoughtful glimpse into the daily lives of Arizonans and an overview of the state’s challenges and contradictions.
Preparing Students for Career Success
The trip also gave students an important opportunity to practice concrete journalistic skills, giving them a stronger understanding of what a post-college career in the field will look like – and adding several published articles to their growing portfolios.
The project has been published in Dollars & Sense, the award-winning, student-run online news magazine published by the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions.
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