Department of Education Information Subsidies and New York Times Coverage of No Child Left Behind (2013)

Undergraduate: Julie Crimmins

Faculty Advisor: Lois Boynton
Department: Journalism & Mass Communication

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No Child Left Behind was a bipartisan education reform bill enacted in 2002 as a signature project of the Bush administration. As a decade passed, optimism and hope for increased educational accountability due to standardized testing faded into cynicism and increasingly political debate in the media. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare messaging released by the Department of Education in press releases and by The New York Times in published news content from 2002 to 2012. The study used a content analysis method with both a priori and emergent coding to evaluate the press releases and articles on a basis of tone, source content, and other factors. Research revealed that while inclusion of Department of Education information in the articles was subtle, it was theless significantly correlated with article tone, subject, and subject frames. Findings showed strong influence from an elite group of education influencers, namely education beat reporters, Department of Education employees, education leaders in Congress, and certain leaders of education think tanks and stakeholder groups. Comparisons of messaging between the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations showed strong political influence as well. These findings have consequences for journalistic objectivity and the watchdog role of the media in reporting on government actions as it relates to government public relations efforts.