It had to happen. Sooner or later the virus that inundated Los Angeles, outing teachers and their test scores was to happen here. And who led the charge? That bastion of journalistic integrity, The New York Post. Yeah, in today's Post, we were told the UFT is attempting to squash a FOIL request, same as was done in Los Angeles, by the post to publish the VAA scores of 6,000 teachers citywide in grades 4-8.
The irony is how cooperative the DOE is being in releasing the scores. Wasn't it just earlier this year that Klein put up a fight of his life to avoid having to share his emails with Evil Moskowitz? Or ask any teacher, or attorney using FOIl for themselves and how much of a fight is put up to cooperate with any FOIL request to the DOE. Funny, the post wants it, the DOE rolls over like a puppy wanting its belly rubbed.
Can it be, or am I just to skeptical to think Chancellor Klein calling up Rupert Murdoch and asking him for the Post to do such a thing? I mean we all know what a donor Murdoch and buddies with Klein. Oh and Wendy Murdoch as well. But guess what? It gets weirder.
The Post also published a secondary story today with the byline of Brian Rafferty, a CEC 24 member and also the executive editor of the Queens Tribune. In this article Rafferty says such things as, "Apparently, the United Federation of Teachers would rather keep us, and thousands of other parents, in the dark as we make this choice." Or, "if my daughter wants to go to one school, and we can tell that its science teachers are subpar, then we have the power to look elsewhere and think of a different location for her."
Fascinating stuff huh? I think so. Heavy, heavy stuff. I was outraged. I wanted to give Brian Rafferty an atomic wedgie! But I got something in my email. Something that was posted on the Post (pardon the pun) website and for some reason removed. It seems Brian Rafferty never wrote what was attributed to him, nor was anything he said in the article said by him.
Read on McDuff:
To The Editor
The characterization of my opinion regarding the UFT and teacher ratings is inaccurate piece of shoddy work by your newspaper. From the lead to the demand at the end that “this information needs to be out there,” the entire piece is flawed.
My wife and I are not looking for a new school for our daughter – she just started a new school this September, and we are very happy with that choice. The statement that “There can only be one reason why the UFT wants to keep these rating secret”… “they’re putting their members’ jobs ahead of children – like they always do,” is not a statement I would ever make not does it define my feelings on the UFT.
I think with that statement, it skews the piece to make it appear that my opinion is that UFT is an organization that does not value the education of our children. I explained to your reporter that my family background in education and my work with the schools, as a newspaper editor and as a member of the Community Education Council give me a fair and skeptical perspective of the UFT, but I would never so crassly define my opinion of the UFT as your newspaper has portrayed it.
Secondly, your reporter portrayed the crux of the story to focus on a decision to withhold the public release of teacher ratings – not a Freedom Of Information request filed by a newspaper. Had I known that this was regarding an apparent vendetta effort spearheaded by the New York Post, I would not have agreed to participate. This piece hurts my credibility now as much as it tarnishes your own.
As a professional journalist for the last 17 years, I am appalled at your newspaper’s decision to put words in somebody’s mouth, slap a byline on a piece and run it as gospel without first verifying the veracity of the statements.
This piece is harmful, inaccurate and used to further an agenda by your newspaper without your company’s portrayal of that agenda being made to me. I feel duped and used.
Shame on you.
Sincerely, Brian M. Rafferty
Executive Editor, Queens Tribune Newspapers
Member, Community Education Council District 24
The New York Post. Buy it. Use it for what it is best for. To line the bird cage.
Good for Rafferty for writing back, to bad the cowardly bastards wouldn't man up and print his letter.
ReplyDeletePart of the problem we face as educators is that the media is so one sided ($$$$$$$$$) and the public doesn't even get a chance to hear an opposing side to the "ed dabblers".