ATLANTA, Ga — Media from across the country are covering the College Football Playoff and Ohio State’s opportunity for a national championship. But for some journalists, this is all a learning experience.
What You Need To Know
- Jacob Benge is one of five students from The Lantern that are covering Ohio State at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta
- Benge has covered three bowl games as a student
- He says the real-world experience has allowed him to understand the profession better
- The senior hopes to be a beat writer for a college or professional team after college
As Jacob Benge walks into Mercedes Benz Stadium for the first time, he has just a few moments to take it all in before he needs to get to work. Benge is a senior sports editor for The Lantern, the student newspaper at Ohio State, and this is his third time covering a bowl game.
Benge takes a look at Mercedes Benz Stadium for the first time (Spectrum News/Katie Kapusta)
“It’s really fun to make another memory in another place, another stadium to add to the list of the places we’ve been,” Benge said.
Benge is one of five students with the Lantern that made the trip. He takes notes during the open media practice window, and makes sure to get extra videos and pictures, too.
“I’m looking to see who’s practicing, who’s active, who’s taking part in the drills,” he said. “And then on the journalism and media side of things, I definitely want to make sure we get enough good quality videos, good quality photos so that way we have enough content for our stories this week.”
He’s using the skills he’s learned in the classroom in the real world.
“I’m really big on the news value, making sure everything’s of quality,” he said. “Getting things out quickly is great and all, but I want to tell the full story behind all the pictures.”
At media day, he’s making sure to talk to as many players as he can.
Benge talks to a group of Ohio State players at media day (Spectrum News/Katie Kapusta)
“How’s it going, fellas?” he says to a group of OSU football players. “You guys mind if I talk with you guys for a couple of minutes? I’m Jacob Benge with The Lantern, the student newspaper, so I kind of relate a little bit with you guys.”
He said as a student, he tries to take it all in.
“You know being a student at something like this, I realized to absorb the experience, have fun, get what you want out of it but don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Benge said.
Now, as a senior, the journalism and communications major hopes to be a beat writer for a college or professional team after graduation. He says his experience with The Lantern has prepared him for that.
“I’m always grateful for The Lantern and the journalism program at Ohio State because they help create opportunities like these, opportunities like I’ve had in the past,” he said. “Coming into Ohio State if I would have known all this and all the opportunities that I’ve come across, I couldn’t have imagined all of this stuff, so I’m really, really grateful, thankful for it all and I love being at The Lantern and the student paper there.”
