Journalists from around the world covering convention - Los Angeles Local News, Weather, and Traffic

The news world has descended on Tampa for the Republican National Convention.

"It definitely feels like there are as many journalists as delegates," said delegate Judy Crocker.

They're telling the stories of participants like her.

"I'm with thousands and thousands of like minded people all really excited to see Mitt Romney get the nomination so it's been great," she said.

Thousands are working the political beat.

"I used to work at Time Magazine, and I used to work at the Washington Post," said Caitlin Thompson of WNYC Radio.

Now citizen journalists tell stories alongside the pros.

"It runs the gamut. You're going to have the high-paid talent in front of the cameras with the pretty lights.  The nice thing about an event like this is you get a broad mix.  You get a lot of people just starting out, you get a lot of student journalists and you get your pros and they're just lining up side by side," Thompson said.

"It's great to be back in Tampa," said Geraldo Rivera.

For Rivera, the RNC in Tampa means covering family.

"First, my mom in Sarasota is greatly relieved the storm didn't wipe out her beach in Siesta Key.  I think the Occupy Tampa people are also relieved," he said.

Inside the Tampa Convention Center, it's divider after divider, and you'll find journalists from the region, the nation—really all over the world.  At the foreign press center, there are journalists traveling from the other side of the planet to tell the story of what's happening in Tampa Bay.

"French people do not know the Republicans.  They are quite strange people for French people.  They do not understand how you can be so religious, so pro guns, so anti-abortion.  These are things that are quite strange to French people, so that's interesting for them to follow the convention.  I'd say much more than the Democratic convention," said Stan De Saint Hippolyt of France 24.

If you ask Feng Feng Wang with Xinhua News Agency.

"It's a Chinese wire service," he said.

He'll tell you he's here to cover the American dream.

"You get this quintessential American democracy experience.  It's kind of valuable for a journalist. It's kind of like the  Olympics for political journalists," Wang said.