‘Students feel that the issues they care about are left out of government.’

Caleb Rose, 21, is a senior majoring in journalism and media studies at UW-Milwaukee. Rose has interned for NBC News and WisPolitics, covering the 2024 presidential election cycle. As a young journalist about to graduate and enter the field, Rose has concerns about freedom of the press in the current political climate.

Ethan Ainley: What did you view as your responsibility in covering the election?

Caleb Rose: My responsibility, not just in covering the election, but as a journalist is to be a mediator between institutions of power and the people. That means understanding and interpreting the immense and confusing political jargon that politicians use. It means speaking to individuals to understand their stories and the issues that matter most to them. A journalist needs to help mesh the two together and tell the story. When I was there, it was important for me to spend time engaging with everyday people. I spent time thinking and reflecting through the political rhetoric to understand its meaning and application to the real world.

Ainley: How do you plan to navigate the current political climate as a young journalist starting out in your career?

Rose: It’s definitely difficult. Hearing from lots of different journalists and from my own experience, there can be some hostility within the supporters of Trump against journalists. I have been to multiple Trump rallies and if you approach people with respect, and you are transparent with what you do, they will talk with you and treat you with respect as well. In terms of free press, there’s always a battle between the press and the government. We want more information, and the government wants to hide it. There’s going to be continued attacks on journalistic freedom. Based on what I’ve heard from people at The New York Times, they are seriously worried about journalistic freedoms.

Ainley: Regarding the current political climate, what are you seeing from some of your peers in the news?

Rose: I’m at a local level, so it’s not a huge thing right now. There’s a lot of discomfort, and we’re all a little worried about what’s going on. I have been yelled at multiple times at Trump rallies. A couple of my friends have been spat at, shoved at Trump rallies. I’ve met some wonderful people there, but you do feel a sense of hostility. Every rally Trump will point over to the press areas, and basically say these are horrible people. There’s a buzzing of nervousness under each of us. The hardest thing has been keeping up with the massive number of executive orders that he has placed. That’s not a good or bad thing; it just makes our job difficult. We have to sort all of it out. There’s a lot of work to be done. It’s interesting, it makes the job interesting.

Ainley: Based off a lot of reaction around the election, the public was surprised how quickly the race was called. Do you think the media covered the election accurately, and what more could they have done?

Rose: The media painted it as a horse race. When new numbers came in, they would say this means Harris is ahead in the state, or Trump is ahead in the state. It’s a method that journalism has used for many years that has proven to be inaccurate now. Based on my experience, and talking to Trump supporters, they tend to distrust institutions of power. When you’re a researcher trying to go in and talk to someone it can create a bit of distrust. People are less likely to speak to pollsters about their opinions. Some feel their opinions are less valued by pollsters. Another issue is with the way political news is covered. The news media was pinpointing these places around the map that a candidate visited. My interest is with what they are saying, what legislation they are proposing or how they are going to impact the lives of the citizens if elected. The reason people watch the news is to understand how this affects their lives. The news should be focusing on not just the events, but the issues that underlie them. That’s the shift that needs to happen, not only in election coverage, but in journalism as a whole.

Ainley: What kind of effect do you think the results of this election will have on students’ future involvement with the voting process?

Rose: That is a good question. To be honest with you, I think we will see a rejection of the system. Students feel that the issues they care about are left out of government. We’re going to see a decrease in students voting, which is disappointing to hear. Students experiencing an election where a lot of them voted for the losing candidate has made them feel underrepresented. That’s going to make the numbers go down. We’re now seeing more community organizing, but it’s not so much at the ballot box. Instead, it’s getting out and protesting. I’ve seen tons of people and organizations encouraging citizens to call their representative and ask questions. That has always been an option, but now students are looking for alternative ways to champion their beliefs.