PRESCHOOL FOR ALL: HOW SOURCING SHAPED NEWS FRAMING OF UNIVERSAL PRE-K ROLLOUT IN NEW YORK CITY _______________________________________ A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts _____________________________________________________ by ELLE MOXLEY Amy Simons, Thesis Supervisor DECEMBER 2017 The undersigned, appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, have examined the thesis entitled PRESCHOOL FOR ALL: HOW SOURCING SHAPED NEWS FRAMING OF UNIVERSAL PRE-K ROLLOUT IN NEW YORK CITY Presented by Elle Moxley A candidate for the degree of Master of Arts And hereby certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance. ___________________________________________________ Professor Amy Simons ___________________________________________________ Professor Elizabeth Brixey ___________________________________________________ Professor Ryan Famuliner ___________________________________________________ Professor Emily Crawford-Rossi DEDICATION Jashin, you are my best friend, life partner, and Kingsley’s favorite lap. I hope you know how much I appreciate what you did for us while I was pounding this out. You cooked, you cleaned, you drove me to the hospital in the middle of the night – and you never complained, not once. I adore you. As for Kingsley, it seems fitting that I started and ended graduate school with you curled at my feet. You were right there with me when my career took me from Columbia to Springfield to Independence to Bloomington to Kansas City – you complained constantly, and you’ve never thanked me for keeping you in you in kibble, not once. I will take you on a walk as soon as I finish this paragraph. Until then, go bug Jashin. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I’d like to thank KCUR Director of Content Strategy Donna Vestal, as I sincerely doubt I would have finished my graduate coursework without her encouragement. Then there’s Maria Carter, my supervisor for the last three years – there’s no way I could’ve written a thesis while working full time without her support. Maria is everything you want in a news director. Her judgment is excellent, her composure unrivaled, and she always knows when her reporters need a sheet of bubble wrap to pop to soothe their nerves. I also want to thank KCUR General Manager Nico Leone. When I left the job I loved covering Indiana schools to come home to Kansas City, he promised he’d get me back to the education beat someday. Nico, you’re a man of your word. I’ll consider the school board meetings I now sit through every other Wednesday your gift to me. I owe Amy Simons a great deal of gratitude for stepping in as my advisor. You didn’t have to take me or my thesis on, but you did, and I think that says so much about your commitment to train the next generation of journalists. To Liz Brixey, Ryan Famuliner, and Emily Crawford-Rossi, my other committee members, my deepest thanks. I was so fortunate to continue my University of Missouri education at The Examiner, where fellow Tigers Sheila Davis, Jeff Fox, and Karl Zinke taught 22-year-old me everything journalism school doesn’t prepare you for. One of the few professional regrets I have is not going to work for Scott Elliott, who was an incredible mentor to me in Indiana. Scott, analyzing the work of Chalkbeat reporters has made me a better journalist. Thank you for that. And finally, to Dan Margolies, my new editor – don’t worry. This will be fun. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ ii List of Illustrations .............................................................................................................. v Abstract .............................................................................................................................. vi Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 2. Literature Review ................................................................................................... 4 Failing Schools ....................................................................................................... 7 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................ 10 Industry Changes .................................................................................................. 15 Gatekeeping .......................................................................................................... 20 Expert Sources ...................................................................................................... 22 3. Methods ................................................................................................................ 26 Research Design ................................................................................................... 26 Sampling ............................................................................................................... 29 Author Positionality .............................................................................................. 33 4. Results .................................................................................................................. 34 Coding .................................................................................................................. 34 Sourcing ................................................................................................................ 36 Framing ................................................................................................................. 41 5. Discussion ............................................................................................................. 55 Sourcing ............................................................................................................... 55 iii Framing ................................................................................................................ 57 Limitations ........................................................................................................... 62 References ........................................................................................................................ 62 Appendices ....................................................................................................................... 71 A. Code Sheet ............................................................................................................ 71 B. Code Book ............................................................................................................ 73 C. Chalkbeat New York Articles Collected for Analysis .......................................... 75 D. New York Times Articles Collected for Analysis ................................................ 83 E. WNYC Articles Collected for Analysis ............................................................... 91 F. Identifiers .............................................................................................................. 97 G. Source Database .................................................................................................. 105 H. Frames by Media Type ...................................................................................... 127 I. Spreadsheets ........................................................................................................ 132 iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figures 1. Source Breakdown by Media Type ...................................................................... 37 2. Generic News Frames by Media Type ................................................................. 43 v PRESCHOOL FOR ALL: HOW SOURCING SHAPED NEWS FRAMING OF UNIVERSAL PRE-K ROLLOUT IN NEW YORK CITY Elle Moxley Amy Simons, Thesis Supervisor ABSTRACT As niche publications fill the void left by a shrinking legacy media, this comparative case study asks how the sourcing practices of journalists at the education news nonprofit Chalkbeat New York influenced news framing of early childhood education. Chalkbeat’s coverage of universal pre-K rollout in New York City was compared to The New York Times and WNYC. A qualitative content analysis of 178 articles published between January 1 and December 31, 2014, found that journalists at all three news organizations quoted government sources most often. But Chalkbeat and WNYC also brought education officials into the conversation, something reporters at The New York Times did only occasionally. This might be because universal pre-K is framed as a political issue in The Times. As the Every Student Succeeds Act replaces the deeply unpopular mandates of No Child Left Behind, this comparative case study points to the need for education reporters who are subject matter experts capable of translating jargon and policy for their audience. vi Running head: NEWS FRAMING OF UNIVERSAL PRE-K ROLLOUT IN NYC Introduction I have the best job in the world. I cover Missouri schools and students for KCUR 89.3, the NPR affiliate in Kansas City. I’m happiest when I’m visiting pre-K classrooms. Preschoolers always have a million questions when a reporter visits. I let them try on my headphones and talk into my microphone while I explain why I’m there. I’m also a teacher’s kid. Mom spent 36 years teaching art and English to middle and high school students.