Morse, a senior producer with CBS News, shares about her experience leading up to and during the Oct. 1 debate between Republican J.D. Vance and Democrat Tim Walz.
Weeks of hard work go into producing a political debate that will play out on a national and international stage like the Oct. 1 vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News. Scores of people put in long hours to plan and produce an event that’s informative and engaging for voters and among those doing that work this year was Julie Morse ’13, senior producer for CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell and a 2017 recipient of Elon’s Top 10 Under 10 Award.
Today at Elon recently caught up with Morse to learn more about the experience and gather her advice for current Elon students.
What was your initial reaction when you learned you’d be working on the debate?
I was excited and nervous! Working on a debate is an assignment with incredible pressure and reward. It’s also an assignment you don’t even DREAM of when becoming a journalist. As a team, we understood the historic nature of the event. Our goal was to ensure a civil conversation that would be a public service to all Americans. Debates really are a hallmark of our democracy and we wanted to deliver on that promise – I think we did!
What was the most challenging thing in preparing for the broadcast?
The ever-changing news cycle was definitely something we were keeping an eye on – it’s a huge challenge for journalists in general. We had to make sure we were prepared for ANYTHING!
What was your role during the broadcast itself?
During the broadcast, I am sitting in the control room talking to Executive Producer David Reiter about what is coming next. I am also helping Norah O’Donnell with anything she may need throughout the broadcast. Most of my work was done BEFORE the clock hit 9:00:00. We spent weeks with an amazing team of researchers, going over the candidates’ previous debates, speeches, biographies and policy stances. We took all of that information and crafted smart questions that would spark an intelligent conversation. The first draft of questions rarely makes air, so we kept collaborating and improving until debate day!
What was the most memorable part of the experience for you?
Walking onto the debate set for the first time really brought it all home. Also, walking OFF the debate set is something I will always remember. It was hard work and getting to see the positive results of that was extremely rewarding.
What’s something people may not know goes on behind the scenes at a debate and broadcast like this?
It is an enormous team effort. I am a true believer in ‘teamwork makes the dream work’ — and we had an incredible team. Getting to work with great people — especially our moderators, Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan — is such a joy. You become smarter by surrounding yourself with people who have immense knowledge and different life experiences.
Was there a class or experience during your time at Elon that you think prepared you well to contribute to such a high-profile event like this?
I can only name one?! While my classes taught me really important skills, it was my work with the student news show (called Phoenix14 News and Elon Local News when I was a student) that helped me hit the ground running when I started my career. I was at Elon during a presidential election year so we did a number of special broadcasts that got me really into politics. Also, one of the reasons I even got a job at CBS News is because of my internships at “60 Minutes,” CBS Newspath and WUSA. (Fun fact: Two of Morse’s favorite courses at Elon were “60 Minutes Master Class” and “JFK Assassination Through Film.”)
What’s the next big professional milestone on the horizon for you?
Election Night! We will do hours upon hours upon hours of coverage. It is very possible we won’t know the winner on Tuesday, Nov. 7, so like in 2020, Election Night could become Election Week! These nights are super hard and require a lot of preparation but I am so lucky to have a front-row seat to history.
Advice to current Elon students interested in journalism?
The hard work is worth it! I know some of your friends in the business school are probably getting some nice paying jobs before graduation … don’t panic. I graduated without a job. Learn from your communications classmates — my first job came out of a group project. Elon is known for its connections, utilize them. But, it’s important to remember that the people you are networking with are very busy. Maintain those relationships; do not just message someone when you need something.