Study reveals how race-evasive coverage of student loans fuels policy failures

For years, news coverage of the student debt crisis has left out a crucial part of the story: race.

A new study in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis analyzed 15 years of student loan reporting in eight major newspapers to reveal that most media outlets avoided mentioning race until just a few years ago (even though disparities existed for all 15 years of the study). While one might assume this shift came after the racial justice uprisings of 2020, the data shows that the turn toward more explicit racial language actually began around 2018.

Dominique Baker, associate professor in the College of Education and Human Development’s School of Education and the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware, was the lead researcher.

“Even when newspapers did eventually address race, they focused primarily on documenting the size of disparities instead of talking about the structural reasons underlying them, like racism,” Baker said. “Other research has shown that when the news media solely focuses on the disparities and not the structural issues, readers are more likely to punish people of color instead of supporting solutions that could help them."

Why does this information matter? Because how the media talks about policy shapes how the public—and policymakers—see the problem. If coverage ignores the racial disparities in student loan burdens, it makes race-neutral, one-size-fits-all solutions seem more logical—even if they fail to address real inequities.

It’s not just about adding a few words. It’s about changing the lens entirely.

Baker has appeared in dozens of national news outlets for her expertise. She is available for interviews on this paper and other topics surrounding higher education. Email mediarelations@udel.edu to contact her.