Seven intrepid journalists from the Cheung Kong School of Journalism at Shantou University in China and one academic all-star from the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah made up the Campaign Coverage ’08 team. The team was lead by three teachers from Shantou University.

The team of international student journalists from two starkly different political systems brought a unique and fresh perspective to America’s election-year media coverage. Beginning with the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the Campaign Coverage ’08 team reported news and opinion from inside the Pepsi Center and INVESCO field as well as on the streets. From Denver, the team traveled to Minneapolis and the Excel center for complete coverage of the Repsublican National Convention.

Following the conventions, Campaign Coverage ’08 spread across America in search of key stories; traveled to Phoenix and Chicago in search of the real John McCain and Barack Obama; interviewed voters in battleground states like Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, and Florida; covered key gubernatorial and congressional races; and worked from a newsroom in the heart of Washington, D.C. to file stories with over two-dozen media outlets in China and the United States. All of their activities and stories were filed on a Website dedicated to the project as well.

The project provided a unique opportunity for the students to learn from one another, gain new perspectives along their journey from citizens, campaign staffers, party delegates, and the candidates themselves.