PIE Network Guest

Education reform has been a hot topic over the past year, but an issue can easily fade from the front pages without a sustained communications plan. Richard Lee Colvin of Education Sector opened the session by talking about the importance of communications for any organization seeking to have an impact. “It is about having good ideas that get to the right people at the right time in the right format,” he said. “You have to use multiple ways to reach multiple audiences—you can’t leave anything to chance.”

Impact of a changing media landscape

Colvin cited Pew Research Center’s report, “State of the News Media 2011,” which shows newspaper readership continuing to decline rapidly, falling 5% from the previous year, compared to a 17% increase in the online audience. And online advertising now generates more revenue than newspaper ads. Colvin said this shift offers opportunities for advocacy groups to communicate directly with their audiences.

The Associated Press has become primarily an online news organization, according to reporter Donna Blankinship. The global news network has reporters in each state writing about education, primarily looking at statewide policies and trends rather than reporting on local districts. Blankinship said people may not realize that much of the news on Twitter and Facebook comes from the Associated Press.

“Although there are other ways to get your message out, talking to reporters is still best way,” she said. “You need to know the five biggest reporters at the five biggest papers in your state.”

Virginia Edwards of Education Week agreed that relationships are key to engaging the media. She advised the audience to develop trusted relationships with journalists in which both sides are willing to share information. “You don’t want a one-off gotcha-type relationship because your organizations are trying to build understanding about the issues,” she said.

“Media journalism has come through a very disruptive period,” she said. “The digital dimes were not replacing the print dollars.” Edwards said half of Education Week’s revenue is now generated from non-print business activities.

Creating new models for quality coverage of education

Education News Colorado is an online news service devoted to continuing, in-depth coverage of education policymaking in the state. Founder and publisher Alan Gottlieb said the impetus for creating the service four years ago was “really good local coverage was withering away—nothing was rising to take its place.”

“Education was not going to get the local coverage it needed and local is where it happens,” said Gottlieb. He said during the legislative session, “we have someone who basically lives at the Capitol.”

Colvin said Education News Colorado has become one of the best sources for online coverage of education. Others include GothamSchools, Chicago Catalyst, and the Hechinger Report (which Colvin once led). “There is a void for organizations to create content,” said Colvin.

Gottlieb said he and GothamSchools are now considering expanding into three other states. “The general idea is to create a tight central operation with smaller operations on the ground,” he said. “It would be a natural partner with Ed Week.”

Colvin pointed out that partnerships are becoming more important for news organizations that used to pride themselves on their competitiveness. Edwards said Education Week has fifteen news partners, although developing those relationships hasn’t always been easy. Gottlieb said at least one newspaper won’t take content from Education News Colorado because it receives funding from foundations.

Is blogging journalism?

The rise of blogging is seen as an important trend for all the panelists. “Blogging is breaking down the lines between who is a journalist and who isn’t,” Colvin said. “Some bloggers are not journalists per se, but they are content providers.”

Education Week now has more than 40 blogs, written by both staff and outsiders. At least 20 bloggers write for Education News Colorado while the AP blogs and posts on Facebook. “We’re working to engage the public and provide behind-the-scenes stories,” said Blankinship.

Gottlieb said he’s concerned about the “stereotypical blogger who just spouts things out and is not at all credible.” He said all bloggers tend to get lumped in that category, though some are journalists who carefully source all their material, and others more closely fit the stereotype. He said there has to be some way to filter that content.

Making education issues relevant to the public

An issue for many advocacy groups is explaining education policy work to reporters who may not specialize in that beat. Blankinship advised bringing a group of experts together to explain complicated bills. Edwards suggested public television and radio may have more resources than local commercial stations.

When asked how advocacy groups can best get their message out to people who haven’t made up their minds, Edwards said it’s important for organizations to focus on the issue, rather than itself. She said edweek.org has 1.5 million registered users, many of them parents and others on the periphery. (About 250,000 people read each print issue of Education Week while edweek.org serves up more than 2 million page views to more than 500,000 unique users each month. Edwards suggested writing commentaries and letters to the editor for her publication and state newspapers. “If you get identified as doing that well, you are golden,” she said.

Blankinship advised advocates to “talk about real people, real teachers, real children.”

When asked about practical advice for helping journalists report on a particular story angle, Gottlieb replied, “Start with the most important part of the story.” And if the resulting story is disappointing, Gottlieb advised, “Compliment the reporter on the story and give him an idea for next time. Tell him about the story no one else is covering.”

“Come out with two or three points that aren’t too complex,” said Edwards. “Give people a value proposition— why it’s important.” She also said advocates should anticipate pushback and supply data that helps their case. And finally, she advised being clear on what advocates are asking people. “You need to explain clearly how the value proposition will come true if they do what you’ve asked them. The cleaner and more elegant your message is, the more impactful it will be. “

Deepening connections with journalists

Colvin said reporters want to connect with people who know about a lot of issues and know the people who are thinking about them. “The best part of being a journalist is learning something new every day,” he said, recalling his days as a reporter. “You never know if those conversations to get background information will pay off immediately, but they will pay off in building a relationship.”

“When you get those good relationships, you have to be willing to send people to other sources,” said Gottlieb. He said while some reporters are lazy and will keep calling the same expert, it’s important to make referrals or eventually a news outlet will tire of quoting the same person.

Growing popularity of education news

Blankinship said education used to be the beat that no one wanted to cover, but that has changed. Edwards agreed that education has been elevated as an issue, especially at the national level. She said it used to be that new reporters covered education, but it’s grown more desirable as the issue has grown more complex.

Blankinship explained the growing interest in education this way: “The American public finally realized that they were not getting what they thought they were paying for. People are paying more attention.“