The Irish Institute at Boston College is pleased to have hosted the Political Journalism Program, which took place in Boston, Massachusetts and Louisville, Kentucky from October 27 – November 6, 2004.  Bringing together ten political journalists in the television and print media, five from Ireland and five from Northern Ireland, this ten-day program examined how U.S. journalists covered the 2004 Presidential Election. 

The group of political journalists had the opportunity to observe the 2004 Presidential Election up-close, as they not only observed the election results with U.S. media experts, but they also attended campaign rallies for both George W. Bush and John Kerry.

The Political Journalism Program featured academic seminars and visits with political experts, election officials, and campaign staff, and included meetings in Boston with Marty Baron, Editor of The Boston Globe; Kevin Cullen, Projects Reporter for The Boston Globe; John Yemma, Political Editor for The Boston Globe; John Donovan, Boston Election Department; Joe Sciacca, Deputy Managing Editor of Politics at The Boston Herald; Ray Howell, President and founder of Howell Communications; David Nyhan, veteran journalist and political analyst; Coleen Marren, News Director of WCVB Channel 5; Professor Lance Morrow, Boston University Department of Journalism; and Professor Andrew Smith, University of New Hampshire, among others.

While in Louisville, they met with Senator Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senator from Kentucky; David Hawpe, the Editorial Page Editor of The Louisville Courier-Journal; Jerry Abramson, Mayor of Louisville; Tim Shaughnessy, Kentucky State Senator; Jack Conway, head of John Kerry’s Presidential Campaign in Kentucky; Hunter Bates, head of George W. Bush’s Presidential campaign in Kentucky; and staff at Public Radio Partnership, Louisville.