A few things I'm thinking about:
Why I ran the Besendorfer story- One of the comments I have seen a few times since I posted the story about Joplin R-8 Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer's filing for divorce is that it is not news and people are certainly entitled to their definition of news. I have also heard that more and more I am sounding like a bitter, fired teacher and I have even been accused of stalking.
It Was News- If Angie Besendorfer had filed for divorce even a month or two after my termination hearing, I would not have written a word about it. Some of you may find that hard to believe, but at that point, it did not tie in to any other news stories. I did not just add the last few paragraphs of the story to make it longer. Besendorfer's departure for Western Governors University is a major development in the ongoing series of revelations about the Joplin R-8 School District. It was announced on the day before Thanksgiving with little or no ceremony. Considering the ongoing investigations into the operations of the school district, it was quite natural that many considered it a sign of someone leaving a sinking ship. After all, why would someone under contract leave a school district halfway through the year at a time when new schools are opening- schools that are more a product of her vision than anyone else's? And especially when the crown jewel of those new schools, Joplin High School, is still several months away from opening. I have had people e-mail me and tell me that the marital problems were taking place and offering that as a reason why Besendorfer might be taking the WGU job. At that point, however, the information was not a matter of public record. Now it is. The departure of Angie Besendorfer from the Joplin Schools is a major story. The reason why, and we still do not know it for sure- it could very well be because WGU is a dream job- is an important part of the story.
Stalking?- I understand the people who have a problem with inserting a personal situation, even one that is a matter of record, in a post. Those who took the cheap shot of calling me a stalker are just taking cheap shots. One of the reasons I have so many stories that are not featured elsewhere is because I go through state, county, and federal records on a daily basis. Was I stalking Daniel Whirworth when I ran the target letter he received from the U. S. Attorney telling him he was the subject of a grand jury investigation or Jeffrey Bruner when I wrote that he had been bound over for trial and had his bond set at $1 million? Obviously not, but the last time I received criticism for bringing personal information into a news story was when I revealed that Bruner's wife was an employee at Missouri Southern State University, where murder victim Derek Moore was an offensive line coach. What did that have to do with anything, people wrote me. Sources had already told me that it was very much connected to what happened at Northstar 14, something that quickly became apparent.
Bitter? Considering the character assassination that took place last year, something that I have no doubt involved Angie Besendorfer and almost certainly was instigated by her, I would guess not many people would blame me for being bitter. Perhaps to some extent I am, but that is not the reason I have written so many posts about the problems in the Joplin R-8 School District. The one good thing that has come out of my firing is that I have been given the opportunity to work on the biggest story I have been handed in the nearly 37 years since I started my first newspaper job. Hundreds of teachers leaving the school district, out-of-control spending, a climate of fear like none I have seen in the all of the years I covered area school districts and much, much more. Perhaps I am bitter, but I take reporting seriously. As with my earlier reporting on Bruce Speck and the problems at Missouri Southern, no one ever questioned the journalism; they just attacked me personally or accused me of being tabloid.
In conclusion- For those of you who simply have a problem with ever bringing something like a divorce into the news, I respect that opinion and I do not want to lose you as readers. I want you to know that writing something like this is not something I do without careful consideration. Judge me on my entire record.
18 comments:
Far be it from me, or any thoughtful reader, to judge you. But I would caution you not to allow your admitted bitterness to nip at the heels of your reporter's objectivity and eventually chase your credibility out the door. As you yourself stated at the outset, "Inside Joplin will not be a negative force in the community."
I commented on the Besendorfer divorce post yesterday and said that it wasn't news. And when I did, I was pretty sure you were going to claim that you covered that because it might hint at the "real" reason she's leaving R8. But it might not. And I don't think the fact of her divorce matters much---it seems pretty clear that she left R8 of her own accord; it's not like they had a realization and ran her out. If that were the case, we would have seen some positive changes (or just indications of positive changes) at the district, but it's just been more of the same or worse. She's got a better job, presumably, end of story. Maybe she wanted to move away; maybe she knew her marriage was falling apart and wanted a fresh start; maybe this job really was a good opportunity; maybe she felt like she didn't have much more room to rise at R8...and maybe it's some other reason that's also none of our business. I don't agree with her policies, either, but she was there long before the tornado, and no one paid much attention to the destructive things she was doing until after that (of course, it kind of ramped up, but my point is that we were headed down that road for a long time with her in that position, and basically no one took notice...and also she's hardly the whole problem at that district). Covering her divorce here just makes me feel bad for her and it gives more fuel to your enemies. You should have been wise enough to realize that there was no real gain to running this "news" and that it would just make you look bad.
Also, your contention that you wouldn't have covered this bit if she had filed for divorce "a month or two" after your hearing is ridiculous. It makes no sense. What if she had filed for divorce three months after your hearing, would it be news then? What is the difference?
I don't accuse you of being bitter, because I probably would be and you have a right to be. But you're letting that cloud your mind, and it might just hurt your reputation.
Bullroar, everything is connected. I guarantee you that problems in her marriage affected her relationships with the other folks in the District. If the pending divorce is a reason for her to move on then great, let's see if we can sow some discord in some other marriages. I will end by saying the only winner in this entire situation is her soon to be ex husband.
Marriage issues are not and never have been "news." It is gross that you don't see that.
She got a job offer to be the chancellor of a college. She is assistant superintendent right now. Is it because she is a woman that you can't see why her new job is a major step up? This is how many people further their career. You act like she is leaving to go flip hamburgers. Many people on Joplin dislike her because she is a female with a position of power and she uses it and she doesn't apologize or try to make everyone happy. Huge double standard when it comes to women being in charge in the workplace. Acceptable only if they act "ladylike" while doing it. I notice the same attitude about Hillary Clinton. If Angie was a man things would be SO different.
Of course they are news. Problems in a marriage can create problems in all other aspects of a person's life. If that person is a simple peasant then it is probably of no import, however, if that person has a public persona, then it rapidly becomes the public's business.
Western Governors University is a diploma mill. Don't try to make this into a sexism issue. You know full well that Turner would have handled the story the same way if it had been CJ Huff or Mark Rohr or any male leader.
This is not news. this tabloid style reporting. As a reader, what happens inside a persons home is their business. I don't care if a person is married, divorced, who they are married too or if its of the same sex. None of mine or our business. Period. There is no gray area here. This isn't Scandal, that stupid ABC show where the President is fooling around and the media can't get enough. Who cares? No one around these parts. Even when Clinton was scoring hummers in the White House, was he removed? Enough said.
As for Mr. Turner's reporting, once again when I come by here, I understand that this is his bat, his ball and his game. He can change the rules as he sees fit and if he's losing, he can take his bat and ball and go home whenever he wants. We are playing in his stadium so to speak.
What I have a hard time with is this, Mr. Turner MAY have point, there could be something very wrong and very bad happening at the R-8, at City Hall, at MSSU and every where else he calls out on a regular basis.
The issue I have is this, credibility. How in the world can I trust what he is saying. It's his side, and then nothing from the other side. It's the same targets time and time again, R-8, City Hall, MSSU and the Globe.
I'm not accusing him of reporting only negative news about them all the time, he has thrown the token positive story from time to time, but for the most part, any time any of the Four Targets (calling them that moving forward) do something that could be perceived to be done to create a shadow of doubt, Turner jumps on it.
As much as I would like to agree and see more questions and more follow ups done, the Turner agenda is so obvious, it's scary. Very scary. This guy has such an obvious axe to grind, how far will he take this?
Additionally, in question of credibility, why is it the Globe is the only medium he calls out on the lack of coverage on issues? There are TV, radio and other papers in the region who are just as bad if not worse with the coverage of pressing issues.
This makes me question his motivation; spurned by R-8, spurned by the Globe, if your cross this guy, he's going to burn you on his blog.
No wonder why the regional school districts will not interview this guy let alone hire him, do something he doesn't agree with, he'll flame you on his field.
Besendorfer's divorce filing.
This. Is. News.
Not a report of a rumor; but a report of a public record legal filing.
Bad news, good news, another brick in the wall.
History decides, maybe it won't be news looking back after a few years. Those that decide to hide the facts take sides against the public interest.
There was a reason the founding fathers intended these court filings to be publicly accessible instead of having secret court proceedings.
The Turner Report is criticized for reporting what the founding fathers intended to be public knowledge. These critics would have the censors decide which facts are for the public and which are those to be hid. Alternately, they are Turner critics and will criticize whatever he does. Certainly, none of these critics ever share amongst themselves facts about their fellow citizens.
Bs. Turner "almost certainly" knows she led the "character assasignation" against him. This is PERSONAL. Read his books, every adult female is portrayed horribly. Have you ever been married Mr. Turner? Let's talk about your personal romantic involvements and see if we can find some way to link it to your issues.
And ps a chancellor of a "diploma mill" is still a better job than an asst superintendent. She gets paid to do a job. So it's not Yale. It is a wonderful opportunity that anyone in her position would take.
I feel bad about writing about whether you have been married. It took me 1 minute to realize that was inappropriate. Will you EVER realize what you posted is inappropriate?
Why don't you post that story you posted on the East Middle School Roundabout on this blog? It actually brought a tear to my eye. It doesn't hurt your credibility to post something positive about the district or someone working in it - it raises it. Those 8th graders have never had the chance to attend a school that has a band room or a gymnasium. They never had the chance to enjoy home field advantage. They do deserve this and I think it is WONDERFUL that the district busted a$$ to give them this opportunity. Please post that on this blog.
12:26 pm hit the nail on the head.
Sexson to students on opening of East: I'm so glad you're here
The opening assembly at the new East Middle School was featured in an article in today's Kansas City Star:
On the other side of the campus, East’s boisterous middle schoolers were called to order in the school’s gymnasium.
“Duty! Honor!” Assistant Principal Jason Weaver shouted. And the students shouted back the rest of the school’s code — “Peace and pride!”
“Ladies and gentlemen of East Middle School,” Weaver sang out, “welcome to your new building!”
After a roaring chorus of cheers, and then a rundown of first-day logistics, the students herded behind their teachers to their classes — except for the eighth-graders.
Principal Bud Sexson gathered them first on the school’s “Learning Stair” — a wide staircase that doubles as a gathering spot, big enough to seat all of the 250 children per grade level, and ideal for a class photo.
There is a reason the builders rushed to turn out a 24-month job in 16 months.
“It was more important to get you in here,” Sexson told the eighth-graders. “This is an incredible opportunity for you. You get to spend at least one semester in this place. I’m so glad you’re here.”
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/09/4740361/joplins-new-schools-arise-as-palaces.html#storylink=cpy
Posted by Randy at 8:11 AM
Labels: Bud Sexson, East Middle School, Jason Weaver, Joplin R-8 School District, Joplin Schools
No comments:
Post a Comment
Older Post Home
Some might think that the divorce isn't related to anything but if you are someone in the midst of all the mess that has been created, you DO see that it's meaningful. Sad? Yes. But it IS relevant to the situation.
To Anonymous 12:38, I don't know whose books you have been reading but I have read Mr. Turner's books and there are no problems with adult females in any of them. I am betting you have not read any of his books either, except perhaps No Child Left Alive. It is the only one that even has a prominent female villain.
Something I think may be overlooked is that this divorce news doesn't necessarily make Besendorfer look bad. It may humanize her a bit and give some additional reason for her leaving. What someone said about her needing a fresh start personally could be true.
Still, I wouldn't go as far as saying that invalidates her being a problem for Joplin R-8. With school board elections coming up, Besendorfer might have been perceived as a significant political liability for anyone who worked with her. It still does not make sense to me why she would abandon the district before she could reap the benefits of seeing her vision come to fruition. Whatever the full story is, I do believe there is more to it than meets the eye. Unfortunately, transparency has not been as big a concern as controlling the message.
Western Governors University is not some esteemed college with a long and storied history, it is an online school. You all can try and rationalize that as a step up if you want, but it's like trading actually playing on a basketball team for being the third anchor on the after-game wrap-up. A nice job for retirement, but not something you typically do in the middle of what you believe to be a winning season.
This impending divorce is public record, which means that Turner is not a stalker anymore than any of you are who pretend to be above it all and yet are constantly here in it from week to week. Given Besendorfer's presence in this community as a controversial public figure, it's not such a stretch to think that people will notice it; the controversy that follows her is exactly what invites this attention and analysis.
I ultimately find 12:26's comments on credibility irrelevant, and not just because he's made those same points before. Turner clearly has a style and perspective to his writing. This perspective does not in itself invalidate his writings. I think it's somewhat irrelevant - if you know that he has a perspective, then you accept that for what it is and take it with as many grains of salt you feel necessary. Then, you mull over the information and come to the conclusions that appear true based upon your experience and judgment.
The free press in the U.S. is a long history of pamphleteering, muckraking, investigative journalism, straightforward listing of facts, and every combination in between. Turner is as much of a writer as any who participated in this history. That these kinds of posts invariably blow up show that everyone else is just as willing a participant in the process (even when pretending otherwise), and the resultant dialogue is testament to its legitimacy as a method.
Post a Comment