Globe readers cheated by coverage of Joplin R-8 collective bargaining proposal

When I saw that Joplin's NEA chapter had filed a request for a collective bargaining election, I was curious as to how the Joplin Globe would handle the story.

It is hard for the Globe to come off as authoritative on any story regarding Joplin education for two reasons:

1. The Globe has virtually ignored the problems that face district teachers and other employees, offering its readers one self-serving C. J. Huff explanation after another. If readers believe what has been written in the Globe, the vast migration of teachers, willingly and unwillingly, from the R-8 School District is nothing unusual. The Globe hasn't even questioned Huff's offering of multiple explanations for teachers leaving (spouses got jobs elsewhere, traumatized by the tornado, not good enough to keep up with district expectations, burnout, etc.).

2. For as long as I can remember, the education beat at the Globe has been handed to the reporters with the least experience.

The article on page one of today's Globe was about what I had expected. Readers know that JNEA filed for an election to be the sole bargaining until for R-8 teachers, counselors, and librarians, but it did not explain, or even attempt to explain how this came about.

Thankfully, for those who truly want to be informed about what is going on in local education, there is at least one media source that has made an effort to tell its readers what is really going on.