“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” — Max Planck
Schools are a big topic in this newspaper. Much is written about student achievement, test scores, and accomplishments. Much is also written on the editorial pages and by the on-line commenters. This (with the exception of the mostly negative on-line comments) is as it should be. The Barrow County school system is the largest local employer and it is hard to cross paths with someone whose life isn’t touched by the local schools. Covering the schools is the newspaper’s job — in good times and in bad.
For years this community had one paper reporting only good news from our schools. There was no analysis or critical thinking — simply the regurgitation of school generated press releases and some “it’s all good” coverage of events and school board meetings. In one way of thinking, that is good school news coverage. No controversy, no difficult questions, no tough issues — just supportive journalism that makes the community look good, right?
Well, maybe — except the underscoring reality, when it involves things like poor test scores and problematic graduation rates, remains part of the reality and not reporting on it does not make that go away.
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