L.A. Times v. L.A. Teachers: America Writ Small

categories: Education Politics, Mainstream Pundits, Teacher Unions

Published May 23, 2009 @ 07:04AM PT

Fred and Mike Klonsky ask why edblogs have remained silent on the L.A. teachers' and students' walkout last week in protest of education budget cuts and the issuing of thousands of teacher pink-slips.

In "R.I.P. 'Mainstream' Media," Mike points out the role of the L.A. Times in the debacle:

The L.A. Times ran a piece a week before the arrests, quoting schools chief Cortines accusing teachers of "milking the system" and then one on Friday, just before the arrests, claiming that teachers were going to "storm district headquarters" and "jump on some desks." Then they trailed way behind the blogs and Twitter in covering the protest and the arrests. I found this story about the student protests, on Saturday but nothing else. I looked again on Sunday. Nothing. I looked again this morning. Nothing. I combed the national press again today. Nothing.

Actually more people in China know about the L.A. struggle, than do folks here in the U.S.A. I found this story about teachers in Queensland (that's in Australia) going on strike, but nary a word about L.A. Thank goodness for the blogs and Twitter. RIP L.A. Times and the Tribune Company.

Kevin Martinez offers a good analysis of the insidious effects of the L.A. Times' recent education coverage here:

Under the cover of a “special investigation” into incompetence and wrongdoing in the classroom, the Los Angeles Times has launched a vicious attack on schoolteachers in the Los Angeles public education system.

[...] Teachers in Los Angeles, and throughout California, are confronting a brutal assault on their jobs, living standards and working conditions as the result of multibillion-dollar budget cuts pushed through by Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democratic Party-controlled state legislature.

The decision of the LA Times to publish the series in this context reveals that the newspaper is making a concerted effort to turn public opinion against teachers, to pit newly hired educators against classroom veterans, and to divert blame for the crisis in the public education system away from the political establishment. Read more...

"To divert blame for the crisis in the public education system away from the political establishment": that analysis isn't limited to L.A. I'd say it applies to the entire country.

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Comments (5)

Thank you for posting this. I would like to know more about Jason Song and his friends at LAT, and why the series came out when it did (the same time the New Yorker piece about Steve Barr appeared)? Though I am not into conspiracy theories (maybe I should be), I wonder what your take is on the timing of this concerted effort to bring teachers down.

Posted by California Father on 05/23/2009 @ 09:25AM PT
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As the wife of a 33-year San Francisco Chronicle reporter who has left as the paper nears collapse and is becoming a teacher, I caution our southland colleagues once again to watch it, because you're very likely next.

Posted by Caroline Grannan on 05/23/2009 @ 11:42AM PT
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A friend of mine was one of the teachers arrested. He sent me a text that evening. I looked on the Times website. Lo and behold Saturday morning he was on the front page of the paper. He is a brilliant teacher who is very involved in the community and activates his students to do the same. Many of the news reports provided conflicting information, so far as to say the teachers may be fired and lose their credentials. I was hard-pressed to find consensus on the budget matters. To my understanding from what I have read, there were agreements in the works between UTLA and LAUSD prior to the act of civil disobedience last Friday. The intent was to drum up public recognition and support for the teachers. Many people are unaware as to how bleak the outlook really is. How is it fair to further pack students into classrooms when their educations already suffer? It pains me to see the comments people have made around the internet in anger and ignorance.

Posted by Lisa Cristaldi on 05/23/2009 @ 08:01PM PT
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It isn't fair to further pack students into classrooms when their educations already suffer, this wouldn't be a problem if the inner-city public schools got the necessary funding needed. I've often wondered if the extreme disparity in public school funding; ie. suburban schools often get funding if not more funding, whereas inner city public schools don't get a lot of funding, which could've gone towards improving the school building, updated educational materials, etc. is a direct violation of the Brown vs. the Board of Education Act (1954)?
My parents are inner city public school teachers in New Jersey and they heard about this. They had the same reaction that you did as well. I hope your friend is doing okay and he still has his job.
The funding my parents' school gets is only enough to go towards meeting mandates and whatnot, very little goes towards overall school improvement if any at all. Apparently across this country, the consensus towards inner city public schools seems be that they don't matter. And yes, I do think there is something of a racial element playing in this.

Posted by Sarah Nelson on 05/25/2009 @ 05:01PM PT
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There absolutely is a racial element to all this. Well-funded districts are in areas of better socioeconomic status with higher property taxes. This is also quite generationally entrenched. There has even been a recent trend toward re-segregating schools. Top funding goes to where there is already money and parents who are vocal. In other areas, there may not be the time to become involved or they are already feel so defeated which further perpetuates the cycle.

Posted by Lisa Cristaldi on 06/02/2009 @ 04:06PM PT
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Clay is an American high school Humanities teacher, technology coach, and Apple Distinguished Educator who has taught for the last eight years in Asian international schools. According to law, he's married to his wife. According to his wife, he's married to his Mac.