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Media Coverage
Background
As we use the phrase Media Coverage for this category, we mean the words to represent a broad range of types of media: newspapers, district newsletters, e-mail, weblogs, television, radio, and others. Media Coverage of education issues can be started by local or national news organizations, school and district leaders, elected officials, parents, students, or community groups. When we talk about those who create materials in this area, we often use the word "report." However, those who "report" on education in this category may or may not be associated with traditional news media organizations.
We have narrowed the topics we introduce in this document to those that are addressed by PEN's Civil Index Poll. This poll is based on a series of public forums and surveys carried out across the nation over a five year period. As a result of this effort, we have identified indicators or common qualities that encourage meaningful involvement in public education. As you read over the information in this series of support tools, carefully consider your community's situation.
How can you use the information and suggestions included in this material to help you build stronger civic involvement in education in your community?
PEN's Civic Index Indicators for Media Coverage are:
The local media objectively covers key education issues in-depth, and consistently throughout the year
The local media reports on the education positions of candidates for school board, mayor, state legislator, and other key offices The local media provides in-depth reporting about how elected officials vote and the extent to which they keep their promises
Using this Resource
As you explore the ideas presented in this material, you will find new ways to improve and encourage Media Coverage of education issues. Though media coverage of educational issues can be positive or negative, in either form it is a powerful way to inform and educate the public about issues that affect the public's view of schools (Anderson, 2007; Grestl-Pepin, 2007; Opfer, 2007). As you explore the material in this category, you will have an opportunity to:
Understand the role of the media in supporting public education Consider ways that your community can improve its access to and use of media coverage Plan for ways to use this information in your community
Remember that by making use of this material, you have taken a first step in improving Media Coverage in efforts to support education. However, the most important thing in exploring new materials is in deciding how to use the materials. You can choose to study them as an individual or you can review them with others who are interested in this category.
Click here to download the Media Coverage worksheet to help you to work through the things you have learned. You can use this as a tool to take down your own thoughts or as a worksheet for group discussion.
Exploring and Organizing the Indicators
The three indicators for this category are difficult to separate when considering Media Coverage of education, as they are naturally connected with each other. If a local journalist has access to a consistent stream of in-depth, quality information about education issues, his or her reporting on education news will be better informed and result in more accurate reporting. This will create increased public awareness and knowledge of key educational issues. For example, sharing information on the education positions of candidates for a local election provides voters with data that can help them make decisions on which candidates to support. Or consider the case of a local blogger who commonly comments on school board decisions and then creates a forum for public discussion on school board actions. In addition to local news reporting, communities can consider other types and sources of Media Coverage that can support education, including websites, listservs, flyers, newsletters, and others. To help discuss Media Coverage more fully, we've combined the indicators into two large topics.
Improve local media coverage of education
Local media coverage of education issues is a truly important source of public information. In fact, in many cases, it is the only information resource for many in the community. The media commonly serve two roles in this process: 1) providing information to the public and 2) interpreting and deciding how we see important issues - the media are central to the public's view of schools and education in general. It is crucial that media or other groups who distribute news have access to timely and correct material that allow them to create resources to keep the public informed in a timely and accurate way. Developing ways to improve local media coverage of education can have an effect on your Civic Index score.
To improve and increase local media reporting on education, education leaders and communities should find ways to:
establish strong relationships with local editors, reporters, and others who provide media coverage; provide timely, regular, and in-depth information about education issues and events to the media without waiting to be asked to do so, and help local editors, journalists, and reporters, and others who share news and information on education to look at the voting record and understand the education positions of local elected officials.
No matter the branch of the media, they play an important role in the public's view of key educational issues. When local media and local schools increase information-sharing, reporting on education can be more accurate, fair, and balanced and result in a more knowledgeable public as they support local schools.
Establish and maintain open communication between educators, local elected officials, the public, and media sources
Increasing your use of media coverage is central to improving communication and creating community-wide knowledge and understanding of key education issues. Everyone interested in education - school and district leaders, parents and students, and community groups - can use media coverage to exchange information, alert the public of problems or upcoming events, share different viewpoints, and prepare for action. Establishing and maintaining communication between schools, the public, and the press will support school improvement efforts and raise your Civic Index score.
Media coverage can be started by public schools and/or the community. For this to happen, the community, news reporting businesses, interested organizations, parents, and others need to:
encourage schools to release more information to the media, explore media coverage of important education issues from a variety of sources, and hold the media publicly responsible for accurate reporting.
To use media coverage to open and broaden communication between the school community, the public, and the press, the public needs to encourage schools to:
When you plan and put strategies into action to encourage and improve Media Coverage of educational issues, you will increase public awareness of education. By improving community leaders' use of media, you will increase the likelihood that local news reporting will more accurately reflect education in the community and therefore help to meet the educational needs of all students.
Overview of Research and Best Practices in this Field
Historians have long said that media is a highly important part of a democratic society (Anderson, 2007; Moses, 2007). From the beginning of U.S. history, print media have played a central role in our society. New discoveries in science and technology - the radio in the early 1900s, television in the 1950s, and recently the Internet - have resulted in an even greater role for media in our society. The media in a democratic society can alert the public to important events and problems, inform the public about social issues, serve as watchdog, and hold public officials and institutions publicly responsible for their actions (Anderson, 2007; Duffy, 2007). The wide range of media sources we have today offer community members the opportunity to share information and opinions through many types of tools, or even create their own media streams to communicate with a targeted audience (Conners, 2000).
Although limited research has been done on the effect of media coverage on public education, public opinion or reaction to educational news cannot be denied. For the traditional news media, many researchers and analysts have emphasized the possible powerful effect that the press can have on public information and public opinion. Since television, print media, radio, and the Internet are the primary media sources the public uses to get information about education issues, their role in public involvement to support education is important. Therefore, communities need to understand the role each of these forms can play in education and how to improve their use of different types of media to encourage educational improvement and community involvement in education.
In recent times, concern has grown about the negative influence of media coverage on education. Unfortunately, analyses of many examples highlight the possibility for the news media to portray education issues in an incomplete or biased light (Opfer, 2007). When reporting focuses solely on stories of problems or crises in education, rather than both successes and problems, the public often assumes the school systems are so bad that the schools are hopeless, and there is nothing they can do to make them better. This idea can become a reason for failing to become involved in education efforts. Moreover, some analysts argue that news media organizations are, for the most part, owned and operated by corporations and may be motivated by politics, corporate interests, and financial motives (Anderson, 2007; Moses, 2007).
However, there is a clear possibility for effective communication through media coverage that benefits a community (Duffy, 2007). These efforts will influence the opinions and behaviors of the public and direct elected officials to address community education needs. If the public is to truly involve itself in school improvement, effective communication is an important part of the change process. By improving media coverage of education, a community can:
provide timely information to parents and the larger community, encourage districts and schools to clearly communicate their vision, goals, and objectives for meeting the needs of every child, build valuable partnerships with local elected officials, community leaders, and other spokespersons for public education, address difficult or controversial issues with sensitivity and honesty, and improve the trustworthiness of public education and its leaders.
Effective communication through Media Coverage must be well-planned and thoughtfully put into action in order to avoid distributing misinformation and creating public distrust. All groups who work to increase Media Coverage - school-based or not school-based - should develop a plan that reflects their purpose and intentions in communicating with their audiences about education issues as well as the process they will use to hold themselves publicly responsible to build increased media coverage without creating bias and misinformation. When dealing with the media, the following guidelines will help community groups to structure their efforts:
be direct, accurate, and honest about issues and changes, respond quickly to new developments and be mindful of journalistic deadlines, do not be afraid to admit mistakes and explain ways to fix any errors, develop positive relationships with the local media, consider using your own media, such as a newsletter or e-mail list, to communicate directly with the public, and remember, anything shared with a member of the media may and very likely will be used publicly.
These efforts can help communities improve Media Coverage of education.
Key Issues
The information in this section is designed to provide an understanding of key issues that affect Media Coverage of education. As stated in the first section, we have limited the key issues to those connected to the indicators. Communities working to improve Media Coverage of education should consider these important issues.
Key Issue 1: Keeping Local News Media Interested in More Than "Breaking News"-How Do We Shift the Focus of News Coverage?
Local news media need to report stories that will capture the interest of their viewers, listeners, or readers. Often journalists focus on high profile education events and issues rather than long-term efforts that don't have a "wow" factor. Moreover, editors may be drawn to reporting about school crises, problems, and failures in order to raise sales or increase audience over a short period of time. Educating the media and the public about the importance of providing information on long-term and less sensational events is an important factor in changing the role media plays in community education.
Community groups need to rely on their positive personal relationships with local editors, journalists, and reporters to encourage media coverage of education that is regular, informative, and in-depth. They can also provide regular press releases to local media, invite the press to high profile meetings and photo opportunities, and help journalists and reporters understand how to pitch an education news story for greater relevance and effect.
Key Issue 2: Different Media-Different Formats-How Do You Match the Information to the Media?
There is no one-size-fits-all format for the varied forms of media available today. Media require different types of information and presentation. Newspapers cover stories with more depth and often provide background information. Television is dependent on visual images and usually uses shorter sound bites to tell a breaking news story. Radio often has more time flexibility, especially if the community has a local public radio station or talk show. Web-based media offer an ever-growing list of formats. No matter the format, timeliness and accuracy are necessary to encouraging effective media coverage.
One of the first steps in finding the most appropriate communication format for a community should be to explore different types of media commonly used in the community, as well as unused opportunities or resources. This can be done through many strategies: paper surveys or web-based surveys, public forums, focus group discussions, and more.
Key Issue 3: Creating New Media Formats-How Do We Address Bias and Encourage Objectivity in Media Sources?
Local news organizations offer powerful methods of communication that can reach a large audience in a short period of time. In the past, the role of those not in "the media" was to receive information rather than create or provide it. In today's society, business, political figures, community groups, and educational groups actively reach out to media sources to provide additional or targeted information on important topics and share personal viewpoints. They can use simple tools like a home photocopier, local coffee shop message board, e-mail list. They also can use more costly and complicated strategies such as websites, newsletters, paid advertising, blogs, YouTube, or Wiki. These tools allow groups to send direct information and announcements to specific audiences or to the general public.
While this sharing creates new ways to distribute information that might not be available through any other means, it poses the possibility for bias. Information typically reflects the individual's or group's perspective. For example, a district newsletter or website might highlight the successes of schools, teachers, and students while neglecting to mention the school has a 40 percent staff turnover rate. A website might provide easy access to information about candidates' positions on education issues, but the information might be slanted to present a specific message that supports a specific interest group's perspective of key issues rather than all sides.
As groups gather information from various media sources and create their own media outlets, they need to consider:
Who is providing information to the source? Is this source of information clearly stated? What is being done to make sure media sources reflect a wide range of perspectives so their information is more representative of a wider community audience? Are there ways to make sure that key citizen groups know about a wide range of information sources?
Community groups can and should actively make use of every possible media source for getting and sharing information. They also should provide tools to minimize and reveal bias that are central to making sure the public has useful and accurate information.
Once you've completed the Civic Index Poll in your community find out how you can improve your score in this category by visiting the Tips and Strategies section.
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