CONFLICTED: MSNBC's Mixed Reporting on Common Core and Charter Schools
By Gustav Wynn (about the author)
Last fall, I asked whether MSNBC hosts like Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes (my two favorite) are pressured not to cover issues like hydrofracking or GMO foods by their bosses (see Is Rachel Maddow Going Easy on MSNBC Advertisers?). No one knows whether or not they had to sign confidentiality agreements governing editorial control of their shows, or what, if any influence there may be by new ownership. Media watchdog FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) notes that Maddow's history of reporting on the shady dealings of ALEC becomes awkward as MSNBC's new parent Comcast is a celebrated corporate member of ALEC with plans to exploit the Common Core "juggernaut" selling their wares to schools.
As a teacher, I've watched the charter/Common Core debates go mainstream of late, including reports on CNN, ABC, CBS, the Washington Post, Newsweek, Stephen Colbert, The Nation, Mother Jones and many more. But NBC and MSNBC are different because they were previously involved in promoting Common Core. Researching the record of MSNBC hosts, I soon learned of their divisions (which could be a good thing). Let's go through it:
It started with MSNBC blogsman Trymaine Lee. I thought it odd that he wrote so articulately about the charter school controversy, while Morning Joe gives obvious preference to charter school principals with air time and promotion.
CHRIS HAYES: had a real teacher on the air one time (a BadAss Teacher from the 45,000+ member Facebook group) in a balanced debate against a charter proponent, while Hayes stayed neutral. Hayes noted keen interest in "Common Core" as an issue held against Jeb Bush's by his competitors, but misspoke about Common Core's component parts. He did interview Diane Ravitch here and reported on Michelle Rhee's "bombshell" cheating cover-up here. But why would his news instinct take him away from Common Core, the latest tea party stampede, and subject of Glenn Beck's next book?
RACHEL MADDOW: Noticeably absent on the issue of Common Core, charters and #Rheeform in general, but has concerns about career readiness and smartness deficits. In thoughts about raising expectations made at a 2013 appearance at her alma mater Stanford, Rachel asked "who is going to write the stuff that goes into Wikipedia?"
This is the first part of the classic Common Core pitch - we're so "low" we need to do something. The second part is the Common Core lobby's assertion that changing standards helps, a claim in major dispute. So Rachel avoids the subject on her show, but basically can't Article: CONFLICTED: MSNBC's Mixed Reporting on Common Core and Charter Schools | OpEdNews: