20/20 Runs Ideological Attack on Public Education
John Stossel continues right-wing presentation
Few people who watched the 20/20 segment “Stupid in America” that aired last month - certainly few who follow education issues as we do at JALSA - would mistake the program for being balanced. The reporting, while shoddy, was very selective, for example, airing the views of four times as many voucher and charter school advocates as supporters of public schools.
The program offered no counterpoint to the controversial views of voucher proponents such as Harvard economist Caroline Hoxby or Jay Greene.Viewers would never know that Hoxby’s research methods and findings have been widely challenged by a number of respected scholars, including professors at Princeton and Duke.
Nor would viewers know that Greene is a “fellow” at the conservative Manhattan Institute, and a professional critic of public schools. He was not identified as a spokesperson for conservative causes. In fact, his affiliation with the Manhattan Institute, surely his defining professional role, was not even mentioned during the program, a serious lapse of journalistic ethics. Greene’s often repeated claims that the U.S. continues to “pour” money into public schools “yet schools aren’t better,” or that, essentially, “money doesn’t matter” have been shown by credible research and common sense to be erroneous.
Academic findings and considerable media reporting, from Florida to Arizona to the Northeast, have shown that many, many charter and voucher schools are educationally adrift and financially mismanaged. Yet of the thousands of charter and voucher schools in the country, the program selected only schools with reported successes, at least over the short term.
Not only did 20/20 cherry- pick charter schools, it ignored a significant national study (the subject of Jan. 28 New York Times article) showing that public school students score higher in math than private and charter school students, when demographic characteristics and school location are taken in account. One of the co-authors of the study has reported that 20/20 producers were aware of his research but elected not to use the data, apparently because it did not “fit in” with the preconceived conclusions of the show. Given what 20/20 excluded, it would be inaccurate to say - as journalists often do - that ABC “held up a mirror” to public education and “Stupid in America” is what it showed.
What 20/20 reflected a very skewed perspective, hostile to public schools, sympathetic to privatization. The question is: Why? Why has ABC intentionally misrepresented public education? Why is a network that claims to champion the public’s right to know, tearing down democratically-accountable schools that are open to all children, and promoting private schools, which are neither publicly-accountable nor open to all children?
Further, why is the network even assigning such a complex and controversial subject to an on-air personality John Stossel, who has earned speaking fees from both the Manhattan and Cato institutes, which have made attacking public schools among their highest priorities? Cato's website even highlights that fact that a speech by Mr. Stossel is carried in its newsletter.
It is curious that for years, the political right has championed the United States, as “the greatest country in the world” and loudly claimed that liberals “hate" America, and want to see it “fail.” , Yet, it is conservatives who have carried on an unrelenting attack on, perhaps, the most basic institution in the country.
If America is "great," and more than 85 percent of Americans attend public school, can our schools really be deficient as the Right insists? We work with young people all the time who have graduated from public schools and who have excelled not only academically but in the arts, drama, music or public service. We know dozens of young people and have every reason to believe there are hundreds of thousands more in public schools across the country who are demonstrating leadership in making their schools and their community stronger.
Some public schools are struggling, in part because the children they serve are struggling, at home and in their neighborhoods, and, in part, because the schools themselves are not well-maintained or adequately staffed. But most public schools are succeeding and children are flourishing. Without those schools, thousands of children, especially those with special needs or who are learning English as a second language, would be excluded from educational opportunities because they would not be welcome in private and charter schools.Strengthening, not dismantling public schools should be a priority across the political spectrum.
Giving children a chance to learn from talented teachers in schools that are warm, safe and well-equipped should be both a "liberal" and a "conservative" priority. We hope that ABC would recognize its responsibility to our children and our society and provide viewers with balanced education coverage in the future.
Sheila Decter
Few people who watched the 20/20 segment “Stupid in America” that aired last month - certainly few who follow education issues as we do at JALSA - would mistake the program for being balanced. The reporting, while shoddy, was very selective, for example, airing the views of four times as many voucher and charter school advocates as supporters of public schools.
The program offered no counterpoint to the controversial views of voucher proponents such as Harvard economist Caroline Hoxby or Jay Greene.Viewers would never know that Hoxby’s research methods and findings have been widely challenged by a number of respected scholars, including professors at Princeton and Duke.
Nor would viewers know that Greene is a “fellow” at the conservative Manhattan Institute, and a professional critic of public schools. He was not identified as a spokesperson for conservative causes. In fact, his affiliation with the Manhattan Institute, surely his defining professional role, was not even mentioned during the program, a serious lapse of journalistic ethics. Greene’s often repeated claims that the U.S. continues to “pour” money into public schools “yet schools aren’t better,” or that, essentially, “money doesn’t matter” have been shown by credible research and common sense to be erroneous.
Academic findings and considerable media reporting, from Florida to Arizona to the Northeast, have shown that many, many charter and voucher schools are educationally adrift and financially mismanaged. Yet of the thousands of charter and voucher schools in the country, the program selected only schools with reported successes, at least over the short term.
Not only did 20/20 cherry- pick charter schools, it ignored a significant national study (the subject of Jan. 28 New York Times article) showing that public school students score higher in math than private and charter school students, when demographic characteristics and school location are taken in account. One of the co-authors of the study has reported that 20/20 producers were aware of his research but elected not to use the data, apparently because it did not “fit in” with the preconceived conclusions of the show. Given what 20/20 excluded, it would be inaccurate to say - as journalists often do - that ABC “held up a mirror” to public education and “Stupid in America” is what it showed.
What 20/20 reflected a very skewed perspective, hostile to public schools, sympathetic to privatization. The question is: Why? Why has ABC intentionally misrepresented public education? Why is a network that claims to champion the public’s right to know, tearing down democratically-accountable schools that are open to all children, and promoting private schools, which are neither publicly-accountable nor open to all children?
Further, why is the network even assigning such a complex and controversial subject to an on-air personality John Stossel, who has earned speaking fees from both the Manhattan and Cato institutes, which have made attacking public schools among their highest priorities? Cato's website even highlights that fact that a speech by Mr. Stossel is carried in its newsletter.
It is curious that for years, the political right has championed the United States, as “the greatest country in the world” and loudly claimed that liberals “hate" America, and want to see it “fail.” , Yet, it is conservatives who have carried on an unrelenting attack on, perhaps, the most basic institution in the country.
If America is "great," and more than 85 percent of Americans attend public school, can our schools really be deficient as the Right insists? We work with young people all the time who have graduated from public schools and who have excelled not only academically but in the arts, drama, music or public service. We know dozens of young people and have every reason to believe there are hundreds of thousands more in public schools across the country who are demonstrating leadership in making their schools and their community stronger.
Some public schools are struggling, in part because the children they serve are struggling, at home and in their neighborhoods, and, in part, because the schools themselves are not well-maintained or adequately staffed. But most public schools are succeeding and children are flourishing. Without those schools, thousands of children, especially those with special needs or who are learning English as a second language, would be excluded from educational opportunities because they would not be welcome in private and charter schools.Strengthening, not dismantling public schools should be a priority across the political spectrum.
Giving children a chance to learn from talented teachers in schools that are warm, safe and well-equipped should be both a "liberal" and a "conservative" priority. We hope that ABC would recognize its responsibility to our children and our society and provide viewers with balanced education coverage in the future.
Sheila Decter
posted by JALSA at 8:09 PM
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