#3 with #45
As we inaugurate #45, I’ve been looking back at the amazing opportunities I’ve had to cover now three Presidents of the United States and the impact President Barack Obama had on my interest in political journalism.
Donald Trump (Sioux City, IA)
Bill Clinton (Sioux Falls, SD)
Barack Obama (Watertown, SD)
Presidential politics is my favorite. It’s quite amazing to watch our country work at the highest level.
My “journalism career” began during Obama’s first election in 2008.
From being there when he announced then-Senator Joe Biden as his running mate in Springfield outside the old Illinois Capitol building, to stopping by his Senate office the day after he was elected President, and watching him step foot in South Dakota as he visited his 50th state as POTUS.
I also had the privilege to cover a speech by First Lady Michelle Obama on the campaign trail, his opponent John McCain in a visit to Illinois and at the RNC, and visit the Obama White House as a Al Neuharth Free Spirit Scholar.
I feel so fortunate for these experiences at such a young age. Obama was the president of my youth, which sparked my passion of political journalism. Which is interesting since the Columbia Journalism Review called the Obama era as the worst-ever between the President and the Press.
So, now we turn to 45.
It’ll be an interesting, exciting and headline filled 4–8 years.
There are many questions as to what’s to come, especially for journalists. For me, I’ll be tuned to the peaceful transition of power and excited for what’s ahead.
