EWA Contest Winners Offer Tips

Editor's note: EWA will post tips and advice over the next two weeks from first-prize winners of EWA's National Awards for Education Reporting. Here is the first blog item, by Washington Post education editor Nick Anderson. He writes about Bill Turque, who won the beat reporting category for large markets. 

Bill Turque on D.C. schools

Bill Turque, winner of the EWA beat reporting award, is one of the best beat reporters I've ever known. He is relentless, and he digs and digs and digs, regardless of whether an official responds to his query. Here are a few thoughts on his winning entry.

First, the blog. His D.C. Schools Insider blog enables Bill to publish up-to-the-minute news off his beat. It is a must-read in city politics and in school reform. The blog is a great way for Bill to cultivate sources and publish stuff that is notable but doesn't make it into the main daily newspaper.

Second, the analytical approach. Bill always takes the news of the day and finds an analytical frame that helps readers make sense of what it all means. This worked for his coverage of a major teachers union contract, test scores, or a mayoral election with implications for school leadership. People can get the spot news in many places. But they come to Bill for smart analysis.

Third, don't take no for an answer. There were many times when official sources wanted to shut Bill down. They couldn't. He would just build stories around unofficial sources with impeccable information. In most school systems, there are countless such sources.

Lastly, find a narrative thread. For Bill, that was the leadership of Michelle Rhee. It was a ready-made narrative, followed not just in D.C. but around the country. Often, however, superintendents or chancellors won't be the most compelling thread. The best beat reporters will figure out what is the theme of most interest and elevate it into a story line that readers can follow from one month to the next.