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CNN journalist Manu Raju offered timely advice to educators: Press your case for public education both to Congress members and to local journalists.
Raju, chief congressional correspondent at CNN and anchor of the network’s Inside Politics Sunday, spoke at the Council of the Great City Schools’ Legislative Policy Conference in Washington earlier this spring.
In Raju’s view, the overriding theme of the Trump administration so far is one of uncertainty – “uncertainty about what DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) is going to do, uncertainty about what the cuts are going to be, uncertainty about long-term impacts, and uncertainty about legislation moving through Capitol Hill,” he said.
Questions from the educators reflected worries about issues including drops in reading levels, the possible dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, and the future of public education.
A product of public schools, Raju said he doubted the prospects of dismantling the Department of Education, which would take an act of Congress, but he acknowledged uncertainty about the fate of federal funding.
“You guys are doing what you should be doing – gathering, talking about issues of common concern, relaying those concerns to your representatives,” said Raju.
“Members tend to listen when it’s coming from their constituents. {But} if you’re not making your concerns clear, they’ll ignore the implications back home.”
Raju acknowledged hand-wringing in Washington on the downturn in reading levels. “I’ve heard this too from advocates in the hallways at the Capitol,” he said.
His advice: “Develop a relationship with reporters, describe the story, describe the challenges. ... Helping the reporter understand the impact at the local level can go a long way in selling him or her on covering the issue.”
