Remember that WBEZ Chicago public radio story I wrote about a few days ago (Chicago Series Highlights Tensions, Tradeoffs)?
Well, in response to an oped from Education Post’s Tracy Dell’Angela published by the Chicago Daily Herald (Don’t give up on reforms for schools in poverty), WBEZ reporter Linda Lutton and editor Cate Cahan posted a comment at the Daily Herald claiming that Dell’Angela misquoted their piece and misinterpreted their analysis of the poverty-proficiency relationship:
“We stand by our reporting and continue to believe that the issue of deepening poverty in Illinois schools is important and that the public should be aware of the lack of overall movement on de-coupling poverty from achievement.”
My take on the series didn’t warrant a similar public response, though Lutton and I have gone back and forth on email about some of the issues involved in reporting and writing the piece.
However, the story isn’t over quite yet.
On Facebook, former Chicago Tribune education writer Dell’Angela responded to Lutton and Cahan that she was questioning the premise of the piece:
“I know it’s easier to attack the organization I work at, but that’s not what this is about. This is about… a philosophical disagreement around the premise of a story.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexander Russo
Alexander Russo is founder and editor of The Grade, an award-winning effort to help improve media coverage of education issues. He’s also a Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship winner and a book author. You can reach him at @alexanderrusso.
Visit their website at: https://the-grade.org/
