The Boston Globe reporter has found the video-based platform surprisingly useful — even as it verges on being banned.
By Alexander Russo
Education journalists have been experimenting with social media video for as long as I can remember – on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and most recently TikTok.
This is a good thing — especially now that more and more people avoid the news or get it ad hoc on social media or via podcasts.
As the saying goes, you have to “fish where the fish are.”
But so far as I know, there aren’t many education journalists who’ve made major forays into TikTok, a relatively recent and hotly-debated arrival on the social media scene.
According to a recent Pew report, lots of TikTok users report getting news information via the video-based platform, but relatively few follow newsrooms or journalists.
That’s why it’s so interesting to see and read about the Boston Globe’s Mandy McLaren, who’s started a TikTok page and made it an important part of her work.
She’s not the only current or former education journalist to try the format out. Other examples that turned up in a quick search include the Star Tribune’s Eder Campuzano (What does it mean to be on the record?), NPR’s Claire Murashima (Teens and Phones: School Policies Explained), and EdWeek journalists (What education topic education reporters find the most interesting).
But McLaren might be the most enthusiastic and consistent.
In this new interview — which we really should have done on TikTok, right? — McLaren describes how she set off looking for one kind of new audience but found another, as well as how she makes sure she doesn’t spend too much time on the platform.
“To be honest, I try to stay off the app! ,” she told me.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Above: McLaren’s most-viewed TikTok so far.
How’d you decide to go with TikTok instead of Instagram, Reels, or … YouTube?
McLaren: I’d started a TikTok account back in Louisville, where I was reporting for The Courier Journal, probably because it was the app everyone was talking about coming out of the pandemic. It’s easy to use and, unlike YouTube, doesn’t necessitate video editing software (which is really expensive!).
Why’d you decide to launch a TiKTok account in the first place?
McLaren: I decided to start a TikTok account for my journalism primarily out of a desire to connect with a new audience. I assumed it would help me reach more young people. That hasn’t really been the case, but it’s OK! Instead, I’ve found it’s a new way to connect with parents and educators, including those outside of Massachusetts, and it’s been really fun.
I’ve found it’s a new way to connect with parents and educators – McLaren
What do you get from it?
McLaren: I have to admit, I’m not very good at making TikTok videos yet, but I still find joy in doing it! I think it scratches a creative itch that gets neglected in my day-to-day life as a print reporter. I find it useful to check the pulse of a topic.
For example, I recently made a video asking users about their experiences with inclusion. I wasn’t sure if it would get much interaction, but right now it has nearly 100 comments (which is pretty good for me!). It’s clear that the question hit a nerve, and I’m looking forward to writing about it in the new year.
I wasn’t sure if it would get much interaction, but right now it has nearly 100 comments (which is pretty good for me!) – McLaren
Is it hard to do?
McLaren: I think it could be difficult to do, depending on how complicated you make it. But my general format has been pretty simple: 1. screenshot a few photos of a new story; 2. turn on the greenscreen feature; 3. talk about it!
How much time do you spend?
Honestly, it’s not much — maybe an hour or two? That’s largely because right now I’m only doing TikToks for each new story I publish, and, since I’m not typically covering daily beat matters, the time between stories being published can be lengthy.
How does TikTok compare to Twitter or other social media you’re on?
McLaren: The main difference for me has been the ability to reach a more general audience, especially as more and more folks decamp from Twitter. It’s been a great way to connect with parents and teachers whom I otherwise never would have met.
It’s been a great way to connect with parents and teachers whom I otherwise never would have met. – McLaren
Have you come across other TikTok accounts you like or admire, even if they’re not related to schools or journalism? Parents, kids, educators — anything?
McLaren: To be honest, I try to stay off the app! I mainly open it up just to engage with my own videos. I kind of set this rule for myself at the beginning: You will not let it suck you in!!! (That being said, I think my former Courier Journal colleague, Olivia Krauth, does an excellent job posting regular content that both entertains and informs.) Other than that, I’m not aware of anyone. Would love to follow if you track any down!
What’s the most vivid example of how it’s helped?
McLaren: I don’t have the best answer for you, other than it has connected me to sources for a project I’ll be working on this year.
Previously from The Grade
Urgency, experimentation, & expansion at the Baltimore Banner
How to cover Trump II (Dick Tofel)
McLaren: Why reporting on literacy is so hard — and tips for making it easier
