Rick Casey: telephone-challenged AND school voucher-supporter?

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The New York Times has had an ongoing problem with its star columnists either getting their facts wrong or making up facts out of thin air, and then refusing to issue corrections.

The Chronicle‘s Rick Casey (whom Kevin affectionately calls a “gossip columnist“) often seems to be striving for New York Times columnist-status, and continues with today’s column. The last paragraph is especially egregious:

Though HISD forwarded its investigative report to the DA’s office, I suspect it informally agreed not to press the case in exchange for the resignation and compensation.

Casey is referring to the Margaret Stroud case.

That is a very serious charge Casey is leveling at HISD. Does Casey have ANYTHING to back it up? Did Casey or his research assistant call anyone to check out his suspicion? (Here’s the contact information for HISD’s press office, in case Casey and his assistant couldn’t find it.) If Casey did talk to someone at HISD, did he confirm his suspicion?

Or does Casey just assume the worst about HISD, kinda like the rest of the Chronicle‘s leadership and staff? Will Casey issue a correction? Not that it matters — Chronicle corrections are buried so deep an undertaker would have trouble finding them.

HISD has been open and transparent about the Stroud case, and in contrast to how public school scandals are often handled, Dr. Saavedra’s actions against Stroud were swift and firm. What Casey does do in this column is echo the Chronicle‘s editorial board members, who think Dr. Saavedra was too lenient with Stroud.

All this venom toward HISD makes me wonder if the Chronicle folks are secretly in favor of school vouchers. What else can explain the paper’s determined campaign always to cast the district in the worst light and turn the parents of HISD students against the district?

RELATED: Rick Casey: Plagiarist, Poor Journalist, Or What? (Kevin Whited, PubliusTX)


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Anne Linehan is a co-founder of blogHOUSTON.