Kick Me, I'm a Journalist

The first thing I teach students in Intro to Journalism is that democracy depends on a free and independent press brave enough to hold power to account. Freedom of speech as a tenet of democracy is the assurance that we can criticize our government, question its motives, and disagree with those elected/appointed to or running for office.

My students explore how people in power behave differently under the cloak of secrecy than they do out in the sunshine. We discuss how it is journalists' job to shine a spotlight into the dark and dusty corners where self-interest and obfuscation lurk and thrive.

We examine how the journalist's responsibility to call out questionable actions is often a thankless job that requires a tough shell and a firm ethical compass.

And this brings us to the second thing I teach in Intro to Journalism: the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics:

1) Seek the truth and report it.
2) Minimize harm.
3) Act independently.
4) Be accountable and transparent.

As I talk with young people about the noble, sometimes dangerous, often criticized role of the journalist, we focus on the essential characteristics of neutrality and balance in reporting. We talk openly about the need for journalists to accept criticism graciously, to be accountable when we make mistakes--but to refrain from allowing criticism to influence our core values of seeking and reporting truth.

In the age of the internet, everyone owns a "printing press," which allows anyone to "mass communicate" without necessarily adhering to the trusted standards that allow readers/viewers to depend on NEWS as unbiased and true. We see this on both ends of the political spectrum. But my job as an educator is to hold up the shining light of what good journalism is, does, and should be.

So I am on alert when the president repeatedly maligns journalists as "crooked," "failing," and "among the most dishonest human beings on earth." This administration's war against media seems intent not just on challenging the press, but on shredding its reputation, morale, and identity.

As a journalism teacher, I am called to defend my students, myself, and the profession of journalism as a whole. We need brave, ethical journalists now more than ever, but journalism teachers face the daunting task of persuading our best and brightest to join "the most dishonest human beings on earth."

It is the tradition of journalism to refrain from using our own platform to argue with our critics. Rather, we report the news objectively, we clearly label and confine opinion to specified roles in our publications, and we invite opposing views to be heard (hence the OP-ED page), rather than squelched.

Yet this tradition, when pitted against the onslaught of current press defamation, threatens to pave the way for a culture of weakened, muted journalism, where the bullhorn of those in power is all we'll hear. We need the public, our readers, to speak up on our behalf. #SpeakUpForJournalism #PayForQualityJournalism #ThankAJournalist #DontKickMe

Words Matter

As a high-school English teacher, my preeminent challenge is to help students become critical thinkers. That is, we use reading, writing, speaking, and discussion to examine strengths and flaws in our own thinking and the thinking of others. 

How do we do this? By developing sensitivity to language: its connotations, its sounds, its combinations. It is right that we call our field "Language Arts" because it all centers on the language, the words used to shape thought.

I am daily pushing kids to go to the text to provide evidence for their conclusions. You "feel" the character is arrogant? Fine. Now look to the text to prove it.  You "believe" a writer is biased? Show me the words, explain the context, that grounds your reasoning.

It is this acuity to language that will allow my students to become thinkers who can navigate the complexities of the world.

I remember an episode in a college lit course. A student had proffered an interpretation of a poem that could not be sustained by the text. When the professor pointed this out, the student complained that all interpretations were equally valid. 

The professor kindly but firmly explained that interpretations supported by evidence are given more credence than interpretations supported by "I feel" and "I believe."

I'm thinking hard this week about what "interpretations supported by evidence" means. It would be a luxury to close my door to the world and ignore the headlines that fly in the face of what I teach: 

Trump believes millions voted illegally, WH says -- but provides no proof (CNN)

White House Pushes 'Alternative Facts." Here Are the Real Ones. (NYT)

However, if we degrade the meaning of words such as "true" and "fake," if we allow unsubstantiated claims to carry the same weight as evidence-based reasoning, if we ignore flagrant use of words to contort and distort meaning, we must accept the price of our ignorance. And that price? Consider this passage by George Orwell:  

“In a way, the world−view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it. They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening. By lack of understanding they remained sane. They simply swallowed everything, and what they swallowed did them no harm, because it left no residue behind, just as a grain of corn will pass undigested through the body of a bird.”
― George Orwell, 1984

Today in my language arts classroom, we will still demand evidence, scrutinize language, and think critically. Words matter. Join us?

Who's the adult here?

Two weeks ago a troubled and troubling student cussed at a young colleague of mine. The teacher, not yet 100 days into her career in education, responded as the adult: calmly, responsibly. The incident was de-escalated, the student was escorted to the office, and learning was restored to the classroom.

When the teacher met with me an hour later, she processed the episode: why the student had lashed out, how to smooth the class's frayed edges after such conflict, ways to manage her own hurt feelings.  In other words, she handled the confrontation with maturity.

"The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance," says columnist Travis Bradberry Forbes Magazine article titled "How Successful People Stay Calm," reminding me of the mantra: The one who is calm is the one in control. 

My co-worker's  incident was fresh in my mind when later that day I read about Donald Trump's Twitter attack on Chuck Jones, the union leader representing Carrier workers. Jones had challenged Trump's depiction of saving jobs in Indiana by saying Trump had "lied his ass off." 

Trump, in response, used a firehose to put out a birthday candle. He took to Twitter to blast Jones for having "done a terrible job of representing workers." His next Tweet blamed the Union for the job drain to Mexico.

What's happening here? According to presidential historian Robert Dallek, Trump's response was "beneath the dignity of the office." 

Perhaps even more worrisome is the chill cast by Trump's repeated failure to understand his role as adult-in-chief. Central to the definition of "bullying" is using imbalance of power to harm another. Or as Mirriam-Webster says in its definition of "bully": 

a blustering browbeating person; especially :  one habitually cruel to others who are weaker

This isn't to say that Jones's "lied his ass off" insult wasn't rude. It was. But it was also legitimate for Jones to call out Trump for what Jones said was false representation of the job save. (See "Democracy" and "First Amendment.")

But significant here is the imbalance of Trump's response, Tweeted to his 17 million followers, which then set off a deluge of "threats and other harassing calls" to Jones. 

Trump is poised to take the most powerful position in our country. He has now outsized all of the kids in the sandbox. He doesn't get to play here anymore, and he certainly doesn't get to throw sand. Trump has the biggest pulpit in the world. His insults are amplified to a roar--which is why we expect a president to be measured, thoughtful...adult.

And this brings me back to my young colleague. As teachers we are constantly weighing our imbalance of power. We out-size our students with our age, education, positions of authority. When confronted with make-us-mad moments, we are called upon to be the ones in control.

If America's teachers can refrain from lashing out in anger against those who might insult us, I'd like the president to hold himself to as high a standard.

If my 23-year-old colleague can do it, so can Trump.

Fact, False Claim, or Opinion? A Beginner's Guide for Students and the President

On Sunday, as I planned for the teaching of "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, Mike Pence was interviewed on ABC's This Week, where he painfully attempted to soften Trump's false claim that millions of people voted illegally in California by saying "it's [Trump's] right to express his opinion."

WAIT! I shouted at my computer screen. "You're confusing 'opinion' and 'false claim'!" As an English teacher, I shout at the computer frequently: "Shakespeare didn't say that!" or "Cite your sources!"

A 14-year-old in an intro debate class knows that Trump's tweet "I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally" is not an opinion. "I should have won the popular vote," or even "Too many people vote illegally" are opinions. They carry markers of opinion (should, too many). An opinion is a statement of attitude or self-report, according to this very helpful handout prepared by Dr. Bruce Murray, associate professor of Reading Education at Auburn University.

Trump's Tweet is not an opinion. Nor is it fact (statement about the real world supported by convergent evidence). It is a FALSE CLAIM. That is, it is a "statement about the real world, refuted by the evidence" (Murray). Here is a cogent distillation of that evidence by New York Times election writer Nate Cohen.

When Mike Pence and others defend Trump's outlandish false claims by mislabeling them "opinion," they are distorting meaning in an intentionally misleading way. Consider how labeling false claims as opinion would roll out in a classroom:

Suzy: "There's no school tomorrow!" (false claim)

Teacher: "You have a right to your opinion." (????)

or

Johnny: "The Declaration of Independence was signed by Elvis Presley and Mickey Mouse." (false claim)

Teacher: "You have a right to your opinion." (????)

No. It doesn't work that way. When information is presented as fact (a statement about the real world) but is not true (refuted by the evidence) that is not opinion. It is false claim. In school lingo, we say "That is incorrect." 

And this brings me back to teaching Orwell during the transition to the Trump presidency. Central to Orwell's dystopian "1984" and his cautionary allegory "Animal Farm" is the idea that language matters. What we say--particularly when said from positions of authority or through avenues of wide reach--influences what people believe to be true. 

That is, language manipulation twists thinking. Hence "War is peace / freedom is slavery / ignorance is strength." If those words don't send a chill up your spine as we careen toward a reality in which we consider all things said as equally valid, please read or re-read "1984" today. And while you're at it, you should buy a copy for every Christmas stocking you plan to stuff. That's my opinion.

New Normal - Dec. 2, 2016

Last week my freshmen wrote 100-word rants on topics ranging from wet grass and nothing rhyming with orange, to the trouble with little brothers and disappointment in J.K. Rowling's "The Cursed Child."

It was a one-class period assignment, a chance to review ethos, logos and pathos while practicing a little word crafting.

But several of the rants highlighted a change I've seen in students since returning to the classroom 13 years ago. 

Consider this: 

I’ll be nice, but seriously people. Stop. Do you really HAVE to scream about how scared you were the whole plane ride because you were sitting across from Muslims (personal experience)? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?? Everyone has their opinions, but get a grip. You’re just trying to look holier than everyone else. I’m a teenager. I’m definitely not holy like you supposedly are. Teen years are when you SHOULD question your beliefs and who you are. I’m not sure what I believe in. But I know I believe no one’s that holy, so please step off your heavenly pedestal.

And this:

Seriously, let other people be different. You are probably not the coolest person, even if you think you are. Not everyone needs to be like you or have a specific religion or be a specific race or like the same music as you do. People can be different, it’s not a crime. You don’t need to say that just because someone has a different religion that they’re wrong. One of my friends did this when I told them my dad has a friend who is Jewish. You should just accept people for their differences.

And then this:

I’m a normal teenage who is still trying to figure out who/what he is, but that doesn’t make it okay to assume someone's sexuality.  I have, throughout my fifteen years of wisdom, have had many people ask me if I was gay.  It’s not right. Even if I was gay what would make you think you could just come up to a random guy and ask them if they were gay. NOTHING! Someone’s sexuality isn’t any of your business. So therefore just stay out of other people’s personal life and get to know them before you ask something like that.

What I see here is a welcome "new normal." Students are more willing to speak up on issues of acceptance and inclusion--of others and of themselves. 

I've been thinking about "new normal" this week as the media struggles with effective ways to respond to fake news and Tweets from a president-elect who "does not wage political war with facts and figures [but rather] fights his battles by sowing confusion and spreading misinformation." (Brett Edkins, writing in Forbes Magazine.) 

Sample some headlines:

Welcome to Washington’s new normal: One Trump drama after another (Washington Post)

A new normal in journalism for the age of Trump (Columbia Journalism Review)

Future of Affordable Care Act (Week 1): Assessing New Normal (National Law Review)

I want to resist the co-opting of the phrase "New Normal" as code for disregard for honesty, intentional antagonizing through name-calling, and dismissal of rights guaranteed by our constitution. 

The young people I work with each day remind me that our "New Normal" can also mean giving voice to the attacked, speaking up against bigotry, and accepting ourselves and each other as worthy of respect and kindness.

That's a new normal I can get behind.

Cite Your Sources: A Beginner's Guide for Students (and Presidents) Nov. 28, 2016

My freshman students finished their first public speaking block last week, so last night I read their reflections.

Meanwhile my news apps were open and I watched The Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal report on Trump's claim (sans evidence) that "millions of people" voted illegally in the Nov. 8 presidential election.

In other words, I spent the evening in a split reality. I was simultaneously praising students for using solid attribution in the citing of statistics and facts--and watching the soon-to-be U.S. President assert voter fraud accusations, accusing "the media" of failing to report this, without citing a source for his claim.

I could go down a rabbit hole here, exploring why Trump is shouting "serious voter fraud" at the same time he's condemning the Stein campaign for its pursuing of recounts. Wouldn't voter fraud be a reason to SUPPORT scrutiny of election results? Or I could again contemplate likely reasons Trump fails to identify his private line to all things true.

But today's post has a more immediate purpose: to remind everyone (myself included) to demand attribution for facts and statistics.  This election cycle has all but erased the public's expectation for validation of sources. (As of this morning, Trump has 44k retweets and 130k likes on his "millions...voted illegally" tweet. Meanwhile, the NYT had 207 retweets and 293 likes for its "Claims With No Evidence" article.)

This disproportionate dissemination of unattributed "facts" is a Goliath, and lone English teachers across the country may need to step up as the Davids. (Who else is up to the task? Who else, day in and day out, fights the losing battle of "between you and I"?) We are the obvious ones to raise the "Cite your sources!" battle cry.

So here goes:

1) If a fact is well known and can be easily verifiable (the world has a population of 7 billion+) it does not require citation.

2) All other facts and statistics do. (Forty-seven percent of the world's population now has internet access, according to a study by the United Nations' International Telecommunications Union, as published this morning in a Denver Post article.)

3) In the Twitterverse, attribution is frequently decapitated by the 140-character guillotine. Nevertheless, the rule stands. Use two tweets if need be, or better yet link to your source.

4) Do not cite "the internet" as a source. That's sort of like saying anything green is a vegetable.

5) If you slip up, fail to attribute, and someone asks for your source, provide it immediately. (You too, Mr. President-elect.)

6) Do not share or re-post images and/or stories that fail to cite sources. Over the weekend I saw the image below posted on social media many times. I, too, am concerned about the appointment of DeVos as Secretary of Education, but in addition to the obvious photo-shop silliness, the points asserted in the post are not verifiable without look-it-up research. Regardless of which viewpoint it supports, posts like this weaken our thinking and the quality of civil discourse.

DO NOT SHARE THIS!

Thanksgiving: No 'Leftovers' - Nov. 24, 2016

I wrote this essay for the Des Moines Register in 1999, but I thought of it recently and wanted to share.

Click on link to view:
"Rekindling the Spirit of 'Leftover' Souls"