Panel critiques media coverage of the affirmative action story

WASHINGTON, D.C.
When a news reporter fails o bring depth and sophistication to his or her reporting about affirmative action issues, he or she runs the risk of being a "megaphone for PR agents," Harvard Law School Professor Christopher Edley Jr. told a gathering of more than fifty reporters and educators at a National Association of Black Journalists convention workshop here last month.

The workshop -- which included a panel of prominent educators, an education policy consultant, and an education reporter -- was entitled "Covering the Affirmative Action Story." It was held to discuss how the news media could improve its coverage of affirmative action issues.

Black Issues in Higher Education sponsored the session, which included Edley; Dr. Donald Stewart, president of the College Board; Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, president of University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC); Robert Kronley, senior consultant to the Southern Education Foundation; and Ernie Suggs, an education writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cheryl D. Fields, executive editor of Black Issues his Higher Education, moderated the discussion.

Edley, who has served as an adviser to President Bill Clinton on the affirmative action debate, had sharp criticisms of the news media. He noted that reporters fail to prepare themselves to cover the affirmative action beat in the manner they would prepare for other public policy subjects, such as nuclear arms control or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

"Many journalists think that shooting from the hip should suffice," Edley said. "This is not rocket science; this is harder than rocket science."

Edley also told workshop attendees that reporters repeat the language used by affirmative action opponents without considering the implications of the language. He also said that reporters are too eager to give both sides of the debate equal space in their reporting without attempting to determine whether the arguments posed by each side are of equal logic and equal sophistication of thought.