This is Why We Need Our Own Newspaper

I just read an article on the Daily News' website called "State Education Department eyes closure of Newtown High School".  It can be accessed at this link.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2010/01/29/2010-01-29_schools_risk_closure_state_eying_newtown_high__other_sites_with_poor_performance.html

This article leaves many questions unanswered.  It was written by Clare Trapasso, Daily News Writer, so I will direct my questions to her.

Dear Clare,

You say “More Queens high schools are facing the axe—this time, wielded by the state.”

Question:  What do you mean by “this time, wielded by the state”?  Who wielded the axe before, and why the difference? 

You say Newtown High School in Elmhurst is one of 10 Queens high schools the state Education Department has deemed “persistently lowest achieving.”

Q:  What do you mean by “persistently low achieving”? 

You say students, alumni, community members, and Hiram Monserrate vowed to fight closure of Newtown High School.

Q: Were there any teachers there, or don’t they count?

The Principal of Newtown HS says that many of the students come from other countries and don’t speak English making it hard for them to pass standardized tests.

Q:  How exactly will replacing the principal and half the staff change this?  Will the staff to be replaced include older, more experienced teachers with higher salaries, or younger, less experienced teachers with lower salaries?

Q:  How exactly will rewarding staff who boost student achievement change this?   Will the teachers who score the exams be the same teachers who receive the salary boost?  Sounds like conflict of interest to me.  How will cheating be prevented?

Q:  How exactly will converting Newtown to a charter school change this?  Will the charter school be able to deny admission to students with low test scores forcing them to travel outside their neighborhoods to other high schools whose scores will be affected by the influx of  children who can’t speak English?  Will the charter school have the same budget as Newtown?

Q:  How exactly will shutting Newtown down change this?  What will happen to the building?  What will happen to the money in Newtown’s budget?  Where will the neighborhood children go to school?

I'm not a journalist, Clare, but it seems to me that you have avoided asking the hard questions journalists should be trained to ask.

Do the editors of the Daily News encourage their journalists to ask challenging questions?

We need newspapers with editors and journalists that challenge state and city officials with hard questions.  Those that don't are incompetent and should be closed down.

Sincerely, Untamed Teacher

Build It and They Will Come: Our Own News Media

www.flickr.com/.../pricklypearbloom/3791940620/ 

I suggest that those who oppose Mayoral Control and the Privatization of Public Schools establish an online news journal  that will unify the hundreds of parent and teacher blogs that have been created in the last ten years.

This  Web Journal would be an alternative news source to the ones controlled by Bloomberg et al.

Instead of depending on mainstream news stations such as CBS and NBC to give a fair and unbiased version of the story, let's make sure that our story gets into the public domain through video news casts created by us.

Instead of depending on the New York Times, the Daily News, and the New York Post, to exercise journalistic integrity, lets give up on them, and go into competition against them.

How to Fund the Web Journal

Reach out to the parents and teachers of the 1,000,000 children in the New York City Public School System.  Reach out to the parents and teachers of the 100,000,000 school-aged children in the United States.

I would  pay $100.00 toward the creation of a website that would contain professional journalistic photography, video, and writing that tells my side of the story.   I don't think I'm alone. Solicit donations to be paid through PayPal or Amazon.com

I personally would pay $10.00 a month to link my blog to the website. I don't think I'm alone.  Keep the site free for those who want to inform themselves, but solicit subscriptions for those who want extra benefits.

Sell advertising space.  Sell stuff (T-shirts, mugs, etc.). 

How to Staff the Web Journal

This cannot be a website run by volunteers and amateurs.  We need real journalists with lots of experience in traditional journalism.  They have inside knowledge of how mainstream newspapers and TV news stations are run and will give us credibility.

We can use young journalists with good computer skills, good writing skills,  and lots of bright ideas and enthusiasm.

We need professional producers, cameramen and editors--preferably with experience in TV broadcasting.

We can use volunteers (students, retirees, and others) who would like to learn journalism and broadcasting from professionals.

How to Promote the Web Journal

The bloggers themselves can promote the Journal.  Also, hand out flyers at demonstrations;  hand out flyers near schools as parents drop off and pick up their children; at parent-teacher conferences and meetings.  Post flyers in delis and small businesses where they will be seen.  Advertise.  Twitter. 

Who Sets This All in Motion and Keeps it Virtuous?

I suggest an Executive Board consisting of a fair representation of the opposition groups.  It should not be about one political party, one culture, one religion, etc.  In reality, it will be whomever shows up to do the work of getting this started, and then sticks around to provide oversight.  Lots of work.  Little pay.  High Profile.

Beat Bloomberg At His Own Game

Bloomberg is winning not only because he is rich, but because he is a master of P. R. and owns the traditional media.  People just aren't being given an opportunity to hear the other side.  It's nice to have lots of demonstrations, but who is going to hear about it if it is not reported?  Who is going to care if you are portrayed in a negative way?

Bloggers Unite

I believe that we have reached critical mass.  It is time to take the next step forward, which could be in reality a quantum leap.