Sen. Branden Durst’s recent op-ed critiquing Superintendent Luna’s “end around” the Idaho legislature, and his subsequent analysis of GOP political genealogy, has merit, especially as it relates to a newly minted news organization called Idaho Education News.
Funded by The Albertson Foundation, Idaho Ed News started seven months ago in order to advance the school privatization agenda of Chairman Joe Scott. They bought the Boise State University name, where Idaho Ed News is housed, simply by donating millions of dollars. Strategically, Albertson hired away established reporters Kevin Richert, Jennifer Swindell and Clark Corbin to do its messaging work, under the auspices of their new identity. Albertson uses the BSU trademark as a PR gimmick to expedite credibility within Idaho.
Albertson and Idaho Ed News blur the arena of ethical journalism, which situation is different from Boise State’s relationship with National Public Radio, where Boise State Public Radio, an NPR affiliate, is housed. In this case, NPR is an already-established news entity with decades-long experience and an international reputation for quality and unbiased reporting. Idaho Ed News is far from achieving NPR’s status.
While I wouldn’t say Idaho Ed News produces “pseudo journalism,” as Sen. Durst suggests, I will say it has work to do. If Idaho Ed News is not careful, it will be seen as the propaganda arm of Scott and Albertson, much like IdahoReporter.com is seen as the propaganda machine of The Idaho Freedom Foundation and Executive Director Wayne Hoffman (and whomever else funds the IFF, as Hoffman refuses to publicly disclose its corporate master).
I queried Betsy Russell, president of the Capitol Correspondents Association, as to why Idaho Ed News received full press credentials as an upstart news organization and IdahoReporter has not. Her response, that “All three of their reporters are BSU employees. The grant from the Albertson Foundation went to BSU. No one involved with the operation is involved in lobbying, which is key to credentialing. That is why IdahoReporter.com doesn’t qualify; it is a lobbying organization headed by a registered lobbyist.”
In a recent Idaho Ed News article, cross-published by the Idaho Press-Tribune on July 19 titled, “Nampa, Vallivue among districts chosen for Idaho Leads program,” such a disclosure was not placed. Whenever Idaho Ed News reports on projects associated with The Albertson Foundation it is, essentially, reporting on itself. Not to disclose such a conflict of interest is entirely unethical. The Idaho Press-Tribune, and news outlets statewide, need to be cognizant.
While Idaho Ed News does a decent job allowing for a diverse cadre of op-eds, it ha much work to do regarding selection of news topics and the angle and trajectory from which it reports on these topics.
Idaho Ed News reporters tend to report fairly on education issues occurring within Idaho state government (legislature, Idaho state school board, Idaho Department of Education, and within a handful of school districts). However, Idaho’s public schools, teachers and students are doing amazing things, especially in the current political environment rife with policymakers who despise Idaho’s public school system, its teachers, and its outcomes. Idaho Ed News needs desperately to broaden its contents and reporting to include the many successes occurring within Idaho’s public schools – not just charter schools – both large and small, across the state, especially rural schools, and especially regarding traditionally underserved populations.
This bias towards charter schools and against public schools casts a long shadow across Idaho Eds News’ early body of work.
Finally, Idaho Ed News has not examined how the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is drafting many of Idaho’s so called education reform laws, behind closed doors, with legislators, lobbyists and politicians at the table – but not the public – which practice circumvents democracy.
Idaho Education News needs to report on the elephant in the room.
Editor’s note: Idaho Ed News discloses at the bottom of articles when the content has a connection to partners or funders, including the article about the Idaho Leads project referenced above.
Disclaimer: Partners and funders of Idaho Education News, and board members or staff members of these organizations, do not control or attempt to control or influence editorial content. The beliefs of our funders and partners do not influence our product. Click here to read more about Idaho Education New.
