Wendy S. Loughlin
(315) 443-2785
Under the tutelage of veteran political reporter Charlotte Grimes, Knight Chair in Political Reporting at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, a group of Newhouse students is reporting on Syracuse politics and filing their stories with the school’s news-based website, Democracywise.
Recent topics have included Syracuse mayoral candidates; voting by absentee ballot; election inspectors; registering to vote; and a series of pieces on “Voters’ Voices ’09,” which provides an overview of the local political sentiment going into election season.
“This is real-world experience for the students and their work will enrich political coverage for our elections,” says Grimes. “Democracywise is also meant to be one-stopping shopping for the public to learn about candidates, races and issues.”
An experimental website intended to help people engage in politics and public affairs, Democracywise offers basic knowledge and information—from stories about candidates and issues to a democracy toolkit on the nuts and bolts of registering to vote.
Students reporting for Democracywise this year include Brian Amaral, Abram Brown, Lynette Chen, Steve Doane, Shardé Edwards, Brett LoGiurato, Silvia Milanova, Michelle San Miguel, Dan Scorpio, Jessica Shaw, Chris Shepherd and Julia Terruso.
Liam Migdail-Smith, who reported for Democracywise in spring 2008, maintains and updates the site’s Races & Candidates section, the political calendar and the democracy toolkit, including a growing dictionary of political and government terms.
Grimes spent 20 years as a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, including 12 years with its Washington bureau. She covered the Democratic national conventions of 1984 and 1988, and the Republican national conventions of 1992 and 1996; the Missouri and Southern Illinois congressional delegations; the politics and policy of health care and international trade; the U.S. invasion of Panama; and the United Nations during the first Persian Gulf War, among other stories.
For more information about Democracywise, contact Grimes at (315) 443-2366 or cgrimes@syr.edu.
Some of the earliest memories of joining the Orange family begin the day new students move onto campus. During Syracuse Welcome 2021, faculty and staff are invited to join the Orientation Leaders, Goon Squad and the Office of First-Year and Transfer Programs (FYTP) in continuing the kick-off tradition of greeting and moving new students into their residence halls. A variety of volunteer times…
Horace Campbell, professor of political science and African American Studies in the Maxwell School, was quoted by The LA Times for the article “Who killed Haiti’s president? Plot thickens as Moise’s guards come under scrutiny” as well as in France…
Chris Faricy, associate professor of political science in the Maxwell School, was interviewed by the Wall St. Journal for the article “Democrats Focus on Turning Tax Talk Into Action.” Faricy discussed the possibility of new tax bills, saying, “A lot…
Dana Spiotta, associate professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, was featured in The New York Times for the article “Dana Spiotta Loves Coming Across Jokes in Really Old Books.” Spiotta, whose new novel, Wayward, came out…
Jonathan Martinis, senior director for law and policy at the Burton Blatt Institute was interviewed for The New Yorker article “Britney Spears’s Conservatorship Nightmare.” Martinis provides context for the lack of rights given to those in conservatorships, saying, “The rights…
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
