"Some of the necessary skills for education reporting have remained consistent across decades, even generations. Education journalists have always needed to know how to evaluate schools based on both qualitative and quantitative measures, how to interview children effectively, and how to analyze a budget," writes Sarah Carr - a lead education journalist who has also served as the city schools reporter.
She makes the following points
An education reporter’s day can start in a classroom with 4-year-olds struggling to learn to read, and end at a school board meeting with politicians struggling to get a $1 billion budget passed. As they grow in knowledge and skills, reporters begin to appreciate the intricacies of both processes — as well as the connections between them.
An education journalists must know how to use the Internet to cultivate sources, find story ideas, and interact with readers to an extent that might have seemed unimaginable a decade ago.
Education reporters should never, for instance, interview a young child about a sensitive topic like sexual abuse without the permission and presence of a trusted adult. But many issues are gray areas: Thoughtful journalists might reach different conclusions, and even the most careful, experienced reporters can misread a situation or make a mistake.
Education journalism outlines the development of niche publications, news aggregators, social media, and new content providers. We also look at alternative business models, including subsidized content, for-profit models, and indirect public subsidies.
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