Student journalists get hands-on education covering DNC in Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Some students from Syracuse University in New York got the opportunity of a lifetime this past week. They came to Chicago to report for newspapers and television outlets that couldn't send anyone to cover the Democratic National Convention.

CBS News Chicago tagged along with the students who said the experience was a very big deal for them.

Joel Kaplan, an associate dean for graduate studies at Syracuse, was leading the way for his political reporting class at the Newhouse School of Public Communications to get the scoop at the DNC.

"This is like a preview of political reporting, so I was a little nervous, OK, but they've really come through," Kaplan said.

Among the 10 students in town to report was Luke Radel, a junior at Syracuse. He was reporting for his hometown station in Utica, New York.

"You're pulling back from the national picture and finding local stories that matter to the people," Radel said. "In my community, in my hometown, my friends and neighbors, and it's really cool to hear from them about what it means to have someone on a national stage talking about issues that matter to them."

After they did their interviews, they held a meeting the next day to discuss their stories and what they would do the following day.

One of the students taped a standup, or when a television reporter appears in front of the camera to narrate part of their story. It's a method taught at many schools, including the Newhouse School at Syracuse.

"Syracuse just giving us the opportunity to be here is bigger than anything because I wouldn't have the opportunity to report for states that I'm not from," said incoming senior Ahna Fleming.

Not only were the students reporting for other states, but they also got access to places where many couldn't go, like the main floor of the United Center. Incoming junior Griffin Uribe Brown reported for a newspaper in Alabama and Michigan.

"It's been a little hectic, going back into the media tent to cover both of these states simultaneously, but it's been a really challenging, but interesting opportunity," Uribe Brown said.