At a time when newspapers are slashing their staffs and squeezing out education coverage, it is more difficult for colleges to communicate their relevance and messages to the public. Many are tapping the expertise of out-of-work journalists as they navigate a media landscape that is increasingly moving online.

But the void those reporters leave in shrinking newsrooms has raised questions about whether colleges are being held accountable, and whether too many college news releases show up, almost verbatim, on newspapers’ Web sites.

Outside of the Otago Daily Times, I can’t think of anyone who focuses extensively on tertiary education reporting in our media (and the ODT has two people and ropes in students during Orientation!). Radio NZ has had a long-term specialist education reporter in Gael Woods, soon to be replaced by John Gerritsen, previously of Education Review. Other reporters are usually only in the role for a year or two or have a much wider round – although they’re still picking up on stories as I just had a call from one!

How good do you think media coverage of education is in NZ, especially of tertiary education? What impact do you think that has on the public understanding of tertiary education?

(BTW I want to be clear that I don’t see ED Blog as the epitome of journalism. This blog serves as a place to discuss issues within the sector, rather than the wider audience of the media.)