For these UAlbany student journalists, the Capitol is a classroom

By Sia Patel, Class of '26

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 28, 2026) — On a recent morning, the Legislative Gazette’s office near the state Capitol was crowded with students trading interview notes, editing copy and preparing for another week of statehouse coverage.

The 17 interns in the program’s fall 2026 cohort are the largest group in recent memory, and most of them are from the University at Albany.  

Students in the program are covering the midterm elections, state Assembly and Senate races, court decisions, and policy issues ranging from AI in schools to energy and food insecurity. They are also producing a podcast series and managing social media, all while learning the rhythms of a working newsroom.

The 48-year-old Legislative Gazette offers student journalists the opportunity to gain experience working in the Capitol. Majors among students in this semester’s class include political science, journalism, legal studies, public policy, history and graphic design.  

In the political trenches

For Emily Salazar, a UAlbany junior and the Gazette’s assistant editor, the program has provided real-world experience that connects directly to her career goals.

Salazar, an English major with double minors in journalism and criminal justice, returned this semester after completing an earlier internship with the Gazette. She is now working on her editing skills and helping manage the program’s new cohort page, which will showcase the student reporters, writers and interns who join the newsroom each academic semester.

Zahara Jackson, a UAlbany senior majoring in public policy with a concentration in race, gender and society, also works at the writing center on campus. Interested in politics and social justice, Jackson is excited to explore social issues through a different lens.

“I hope the Legislative Gazette will give me another way of thinking about these topics in the media,” she said.  

This semester, students have been interviewing candidates for the upcoming midterm elections, an experience that has already offered lessons in the different ways politicians interact with the press.  

Tamia Bonner, a UAlbany sophomore majoring in political science, said one candidate she interviewed was “very opinionated,” while another long-tenured lawmaker was “very media-trained” and knew exactly what to say and how to say it.

“It was a very different level of speaking in that interview,” Bonner said.   

Tips from a Gazette grad 

The students also receive advice from those who came before them in the program.

Recently, Caitlin Cordero, a Gazette alumna currently working for Politico, came to the office to answer questions from the students. Cordero, who is also president of the Legislative Correspondents’ Association, explained how working at the Gazette and in the Capitol helped her secure her job.

“This program is invaluable,” Cordero said. “Having the experience of understanding the Legislature and the way things work helped to get my job at Politico because I already kind of had a lay of the land.” 

She encouraged students to build relationships with sources, be persistent and not fear rejection. 

“The worst they can say is 'no',” she said. “It may be awkward for a couple of minutes and then it’s like, OK … it’s more of a reflection on them than you, to be quite honest.”

Students also asked about shadowing professional reporters, something the program has arranged in past semesters. Several said they would welcome the chance to follow legislative reporters, TV crews or other Capitol journalists as they work.  

For now, the students are focused on their own stories, interviewing candidates, filing public records requests and learning how to turn complex policy into accessible news.  

As Salazar put it, the experience is a bridge to the professional world: “What we’re learning here gives us direct experience that will help us in our future careers.”