MASTERCLASSES

Friday 20 April 2012

How to become an education journalist - previewing Masterclass 48 at MMJ





The education beat is a central one.

Education is such a crucial part of the lives of every individual, and of every society’s attempts to ensure it has a bright future, that it’s a very lively and important specialism.


What I’ve discovered as I’ve researched this topic is that education journalism is taken much more seriously, and given far greater importance, in the USA than it is in the UK.

In the former there are organisations dedicated to helping journalists master this central beat. In the UK there are no such outfits.

And my impression is that while education correspondents/editors are seen as being in the top rank of reporters in America, in the UK they are not.

The resources available for those who would like to follow the education beat are far more numerous in the US than in the UK, so while I have tried to balance the content of this masterclass to reflect the fact that MMJ’s readership is more or less equally split across the Atlantic, I’ve found far more resources – and richer information – in America.

That’s something I aim to work at correcting over time. Which means that for now this has to be something of a work in progress. It's not currently as comprehensive as I'd like these looks at specialisms to be, but I'll work on it.

If you can help with any advice for aspiring education journalists, or links to resources, that would be great.

You can reach me @andybull on Twitter.

Anyway, for now, here’s what we’ll be looking at here.

We’ll cover:
  • Why be an education journalist?
  • How to get in to education journalism
  • How to find, sell and tell education stories
  • What education journalist need to know
  • Star performers you can learn from, and
  • Where to study education journalism

Next:  Why be an education journalist

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