“It’s unreasonable to expect reporters on deadline to dig into the medical history of every protester they quote. And there is value in explaining the underpinnings of political passion, even if that passion is born from misinformation. But it’s also the media’s role to distinguish between ordinary people in a crowd and professionals who show up at such events while also having an official capacity with a political group.”
From a Columbia Journalism Review article about coverage of the California vaccination debate that holds true for coverage of education debates as well (The problem with taking protesters at their word)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexander Russo
Alexander Russo is founder and editor of The Grade, an award-winning effort to help improve media coverage of education issues. He’s also a Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship winner and a book author. You can reach him at @alexanderrusso.
Visit their website at: https://the-grade.org/
