As the Trump administration takes aim at higher education nationwide, student journalists have been thrown in the middle of drastic changes and controversy.
With the relentless pace of federal policy adjustments targeting research funding, diversity, equity and inclusion programs and international students’ ability to remain in the United States, panelists at MediaFest25 broke down how they have navigated reporting on today’s higher education landscape.
“It doesn’t get better unless we continue to report on it,” said Jon Marcus, a senior higher education reporter at The Hechinger Report in New York.
Keeping the focus on the real stories of college students is the lens Sneha Dey, a pathways from education to employment beat reporter at The Texas Tribune, has taken with her reporting.
“I’m thinking most about how the student experience is changing,” said Dey.
Many of these recent changes have formed where, and if, students are finding community on their college campuses.
“For the longest time, higher education was trying to diversify,” said POLITICO education reporter Bianca Quilantan. “That’s no longer the mandate.”
Sourcing for reporting on higher education has become increasingly difficult, the speakers noted. With rising fear from students and faculty alike, building trust with potential sources is a crucial step in reporting.
For international and undocumented students, the stakes – and the fear – are high, making many of them hesitant to speak out about what they are facing, according to Quilantan.
Even amid these threats, such as the detention of Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk after she published an op-ed in the university’s student newspaper, many students are still willing to share their stories, even after knowing what it could mean in the future.
“I’ve been amazed by how brave people are,” said Marcus.
It is important, Marcus said, to make sure these sources know the risks of speaking on the record,whether it’s retaliation from the school or being placed in jeopardy with federal agencies, before moving forward with the story.
Having on-the-record conversations can also be daunting for sources, regardless of the intensity of the conversation. Sometimes, it’s best to start interviews off the record, and when reporters ask the source later about moving quotes to be on the record, the answer is often yes.
When Quilantan reached out to 50 college presidents for a recent story, she was shocked to only hear back from two, and only one agreed to talk to her. This barrier made her start to rethink how she sources, moving the emphasis over to building personal bonds first.
“You have to start talking to them before you actually need them,” said Quilantan. “Get that coffee, send that text, talk about their kids’ soccer games. Then they know you when it’s time for that story.”
Reaching administrators has increased barriers, whether it’s being funneled through public relations offices to access any staff member or company email chains being monitored by leadership.
Many colleges are sending reporters directly to media relations to talk to any staff member, but this is not a mandate for journalists, said Sara Hebel, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Open Campus, a nonprofit news organization based in D.C. Contacting staff members, especially mid to lower level administration rather than only the president’s office, personally over non-company communication chains can give reporters their best shot at the story, she said.
“Remember that those are their rules, not yours,” said Hebel. “Keep doing your stories with your rules. Your job is not to follow theirs.”
Student journalists and higher education reporters need to keep their finger on the pulse of the industry, its outcomes and its promise: to educate and uplift the next generation.
“Keep pointing out the reality,” said Marcus. “It’s our job.”
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