For Fox correspondent Carl Cameron, formerly of WMUR-TV in Manchester, the trip north was a homecoming. “Saint Anselm College is committed to the community through access to the political process much the same way Fox is committed to the community in its news coverage. It’s a natural partnership.”

According to Lou Bortone, NHIOP chief of staff and author of the proposal to Fox, the deal was designed to cover all of the college’s hard costs, such as catering, security and overtime. Fox also paid rental fees for the space used. He stressed that “the college did not dip into the operating budget to make this happen.”

Center of the Political Universe—You Are Here
Unlike the traditional hotel venues of other networks, the Saint Anselm/Fox partnership contained a two-way educational component. Besides exclusive access to the “beauty shot” of Alumni Hall, Fox also had immediate access to faculty expertise, young voter perspective, and the resources of the NHIOP. In turn, the college enjoyed unprecedented national exposure and students were immersed in real world politics, media and, of course, deadlines.

Elizabeth Fanning ’04, of Billerica, Mass., returned from Christmas break a week early to volunteer with the Fox crew. She got her first taste of deadline-driven adrenaline when asked to transcribe a reporter’s telecast minutes before air time. “I’m going to miss the chaos,” she admits. From role-playing Gen. Wesley Clark during pre-debate tech rehearsals to assisting anchor Shep Smith at a Gov. Howard Dean rally, she was one of more than 20 student interns who gained experience and gathered a network of professional contacts. Thanks to her new connections, Fanning will likely work for Fox again this summer when the station covers the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

“I always assumed an opportunity like this existed only at big universities,” she said. “But it was here and it was real. It was great to see our community in the spotlight. I’m proud of the way people talked about Saint Anselm.”

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