Gentry Explored Election Intimidation, State of American Democracy During News21 Fellowship
Getting someone to open up about election intimidation and the death threats they received as a result of their commitment to ensure fair and just elections is no easy task.
However, that was what School of Journalism and Media (J&M) senior Pierce Gentry was tasked to do as he spent his summer conducting in-depth field reporting on the state of American Democracy as part of the Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellowship.
Gentry was one of twenty-nine journalists from across the country that participated in the ten-week reporting fellowship at the Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The final project, Fractured, an examination of the state of American democracy, was officially launched by News21 on Sept. 3 and was made available for free to all media outlets.
Fellows conducted extensive research on the project theme in preparation to report to the News21 newsroom in Phoenix. Gentry was interested in election intimidation before the fellowship, so he leapt at the chance to work alongside other talented journalists to delve deeper into this particular issue.
“We live in a time where there is a lot of misinformation and disinformation,” Gentry said. “I think it is really important right now for journalists to buckle down and do their absolute best to provide unbiased, objective political reporting.”
He said it was incredible to tell the stories of election officials and poll workers—some of which were difficult and unpleasant to recount—to spotlight the importance of those roles in the electoral process and what lawmakers and other groups are doing to increase protections for these workers.
As part of his reporting, he traversed Northern California, interviewing election officials and poll workers for the story. While writing is his primary format for storytelling, Gentry also flexed his multimedia skills through photo, video, and audio.
“Even though it wasn’t a daily news cycle, we were still wanting to get everything as quickly as we could,” Gentry said. “And so that experience is just invaluable, and it’s definitely prepared me for the way the field will be once I graduate.”
Gentry was also able to learn a lot from the News21 editors who were veterans in the industry and had plenty of knowledge to impart to the fellows.
Other fellows came from different backgrounds and varying levels of experience in the industry, which made working on the project enjoyable. Gentry was the sole fellow from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Thanks to a gift from College of Communication and Information alumnus John Williams (`71) and his late wife Patty, Gentry had a tremendous, fully-funded experience and secured many journalistic connections that will benefit him in the future.
When the J&M faculty and staff were deciding which student to recommend this year to participate in a fellowship, Gentry received multiple nominations.
One of his nominators, J&M Distinguished Lecturer Melanie Faizer, has known Gentry since he was a freshman and knew of his goal to become an investigative journalist.
“It was clear that he had that reporter’s instinct and curiosity right from the get go,” Faizer said. “He’s very public and service-minded and has a true passion for news.”
That instinct led him to get involved with The Daily Beacon, an editorially independent student newspaper on the Knoxville campus, where he produced several investigative pieces. He has also honed his reporting skills at WUOT-FM, NPR’s affiliate station in Knoxville, during a spring 2024 practicum.
It was during the practicum that Faizer saw more of Gentrys’ reporting chops. This only further convinced her he was the right choice to take advantage of this summer fellowship, recognizing that the challenging opportunity would make him a better reporter
Gentry said he has always had an interest in politics, and while it can be grueling work, he sees it as something that needs to be done. He is grateful for the numerous hands-on opportunities made available to him as a student to conduct political and in-depth reporting on important public issues.
After that summer experience, Gentry is eager to be back again this fall as a part-time reporter for WUOT-FM. He is looking forward to contributing to the station’s election coverage.
“It’s just important that we hold those in power accountable and get the information out to people who need it to exercise their right to vote,” Gentry said. “I’m just really passionate about that. We’re a fundamental institution for America.”
Gentry Explored Election Intimidation, State of American Democracy During News21 Fellowship written by Ernest Rollins and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.