How did a student reporter get a big story the national press ignored?
It turns out that important stories are waiting to be told, if only reporters will ask the questions.
Donald Trump tells so many lies that it’s the truth that is now starting to grab our attention instead. That’s what happened last month when a leaked video showed House Speaker Mike Johnson confirming GOP plans to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Then it happened again when a student reporter tried to learn about a policy that matters to his community: The CHIPS and Science Act.
It turns out that important stories are waiting to be told, if only reporters will ask the questions. Luke Radel, a junior studying broadcast journalism and political science and working as a news reporter at the student-run TV station CitrusTV News at Syracuse University, did just that. He made big news a few days ago when he asked House Speaker Mike Johnson a question about something that mattered to his community.
Radel lives in upstate New York, where the CHIPS Act is bringing billions in investment and tens of thousands of good jobs to the region. The Biden administration legislation is also responsible for the new $100 billion complex by the Micron Company in Syracuse. So Radel thought it might be important to ask Johnson about the future of that legislation, especially since he had listened to Trump denigrate it when he was talking with Joe Rogan.
Luke Radel on assignment earlier this year for CitrusTV, the Syracuse University student-run TV station.
This is the thing about reporting: It actually helps to ask about things that matter. Sure enough, when asked, Johnson said the Republicans would repeal the CHIPS Act. As you can imagine, that set off a firestorm. Immediately, the local congressman, Republican Brandon Williams, walked away from the speaker’s remarks. Within hours, the speaker’s team was in full damage-control mode, even pretending he didn’t hear the question.
Holding Mike Johnson to account has been a challenge for the reporters in Washington since the obscure lawmaker from Louisiana became the surprise speaker in October 2023. At his very first news conference after being nominated for the speakership, Johnson refused to answer reporters questions on his well-known role in Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Johnson’s stonewalling has continued on that key question and many others.
But last week was different. Johnson was asked a direct question by Radel, and he quickly answered:
“I asked @SpeakerJohnson if he’ll try to repeal the CHIPS Act if Trump wins and they have control of Congress.
Johnson’s reply: “I expect that we probably will.”
BREAKING: I asked @SpeakerJohnson if he’ll try to repeal the CHIPS Act if Trump wins and they have control of Congress.
“I expect that we probably will.”@RepWilliams responds: “I will remind him night and day how important the CHIPS Act is.” #NY22 @CitrusTVNews 🚨 pic.twitter.com/tUGwZMNMJM
— Luke Radel (@lukeradel) November 1, 2024
Soon after the news conference ended, Radel posted the video of his interview on social media. It went viral almost immediately. Nearly an hour later, the speaker issued his first formal walk-back, claiming he hadn’t heard Radel’s question correctly and confused repeal with reform.
Really? If that was the case, he might have said so during the news conference. Smartly, Radel quickly posted this photo showing everyone just how close he’d been standing to the speaker when he asked the question.
For the record, this is how close I was to @SpeakerJohnson when he “misheard” my question for @CitrusTVNews. pic.twitter.com/d2vhsAonnu
— Luke Radel (@lukeradel) November 1, 2024
This sort of issues-based coverage has been missing from much of the 2024 campaign particularly from reporters have regular access to the politicians. That’s one reason Radel’s work stands out, as MSNBC’s Michael Steele noted:
“It really was a local reporter doing a job that quite honestly, we don’t see or have not seen the Washington press corps do with these members and the White House from time to time and certainly with the presidential candidates. This local reporter asked an obvious question: ‘OK, what are you going to do with the CHIPS Act?’ The speaker said, ‘Oh, we’re getting rid of it,’ and you had the congressman standing next to him going ‘oh no, you’re not.’ And my chair just dropped.”
I talked to Luke about the whole experience. Even though he’s still in college, he knew he had a big story on his hands. What he wasn’t prepared for was the blowback.
“I don’t think he [Speaker Johnson] was prepared for policy-related questions. I think he was expecting soft-peddled questions,” Radel told me. “Repeal and reform don’t sound anything alike. I was standing about four feet away when he said it. The room was not that loud. To cop out and say that you misread the question that I asked, that feels a little disingenuous”
I sure hope more experienced reporters, the ones who know when the blowback is coming, aren’t ducking hard questions as a result. More likely, though, they’ve just forgotten that journalism is about asking hard questions. They should take a note from Luke Radel.
Jennifer Schulze is a Chicago journalist talking about journalism. You can read her columns at Heartland Signal and here at It’s the Democracy, Stupid. Follow Jennifer on Threads @newsjennifer_schulze, BlueSky @newsjennifer.bsky.social or Twitter/X @NewsJennifer.