TASB award criteria bothersome

WorldWideWebb
Willis Webb, TPA president's column

One man’s award is another man’s albatross. Obviously, I just made that up or rather paraphrased an old axiom — from “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure” or vice versa.

My position on the topic is very personal and there probably is a different opinion for every person who may read and consider this subject.

The topic is an award given by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). Let me state up front, that some newspapers may have such a great open two-way relationship with their school district board and/or school administration that the award doesn’t betray any natural commitment to unbiased reporting and/or commentary.

However, the description of the award and the selection criteria are a bit bothersome.

The award is called the Media Honor Roll and it “recognizes media representatives statewide who deserve recognition for fair and balanced reporting of news about public schools.”

Criteria for the award is described thusly: “…selection included media representatives’ efforts to get to know the superintendent, board president, and the district’s mission and goals; report school news in a fair, accurate, and balanced manner; give a high profile to positive news about schools; visit the schools; and maintain a policy of no surprises by sharing information with school officials.”

I have no problem with the first phrase: “efforts to get to know the superintendent, board president, and the district’s mission and goals…” Well, maybe one little problem: the first official listed is not a board member but an administrator and we’re talking Texas Association of School Boards. Any school beat reporter worth his salt is going to get to know the superintendent, board president and the district’s mission and goals (which by the way should be to provide our children with the best possible education for the tax dollar).

The second part of the criteria, merely as stated, isn’t problematic: “report school news in a fair, accurate and balanced manner.” But whose criteria and judgment accords “fair,” “accurate” and “balanced manner”? If it’s an editor and or publisher’s criteria and judgment, then I don’t have a problem. Any reader can and will judge us, but if they do I want them to judge us on what we report and write according to our criteria for “fair, accurate and balanced.”

As for giving a “high profile to positive news about schools,” every community newspaper I’ve ever read for any length of time at all is committed to that principle. But, like any other category of news, we won’t run and hide from negative news.

The last segment of the “criteria” is what really bothers me most: “maintain a policy of no surprises by sharing information with school officials.”

Uh-huh. I’m going to tell the superintendent I just discovered in the personnel expense files that he’s been paying for his girlfriend’s apartment with school funds and give him time to destroy the evidence before I have him indicted.

Well, maybe that’s a little far-fetched and, after all, it is THEIR award to give.

Thank you just the same but I’ll take the awards handed out by my peers every time. I know their criteria and choices are based on all the right reasons.