ADITI CHAUHAN
Education beats a wide spectrum of subjects. Primary education, secondary education, college education, vocational education, minority education, special education, government policies on education, all of these would fall under the wide umbrella of education. With the passage of time, with the inclusion of areas such as home schooling, non-profit organisations working for education, education reform and education technology has led to the broadening of this field. Education has social and economic and even political implications and hence requires due attention from reporters and journalists. Education reporters have to inform the public about all aspects of education and at all levels, local, state and national. Education reporting needs to be done in a responsible, informed and balanced manner with adequate facts and statistics to back up the arguments that the reporter provides.To be able to be a good education reporter one must cultivate patience and discipline. You must be able to perceive an issue from different points of view to be able to write a balanced story. Education reporting would require a lot of research to be done before the actual story can be written. Statistics also play a crucial part in education reporting. Often, to present a compelling story, you will have to back up your argument with convincing data and statistics like literacy rates, graduation rates, dropout rates, teacher retention and vacancy rates. Sometimes comparison between these rates can bring forth significant trends and present a clear picture of the scenario. It is also necessary to pay attention to the details behind the data. For example, one cannot simply compare dropout or attendance rates between all schools without taking into account aspects like social background, economic status and demographics. However, too many facts will cause the reader to lose interest; hence a balance between facts and opinion is instrumental in a story covering education.
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