As the failures of charter schools across the country multiply, and as more people become aware of these failures, the rich and their media have intensified their relentless disinformation campaign about charter schools. They are deeply dismayed that exposure of charter school problems and criticism of charter schools is becoming more mainstream and common place. Fewer people seem to be buying the charter school hype.
On September 6, 2017 New York Magazine chimed into the news fray with a short article on charter schools with the confused title: “Charter Schools Are Losing the Narrative But Winning the Data.” New York Magazine maintains that charter schools really are good schools overall but somehow this “fact” does not always get captured and communicated well because it is eclipsed by many “anecdotes” about the failures of charter schools.
New York Magazine specifically laments some of the harsh but correct characterizations of charter schools found in some New York Times articles, especially those that report on the chaos and anarchy in the charter school sector in Michigan. It wants readers to abandon their consciousness and believe that charter schools are generally fine. Indeed, the troubled charter school movement is, according to New York Magazine, “performing extremely well.”
New York Magazine uses the ideological device of “data journalism” verses “narrative journalism” to introduce confusion into the consciousness of readers….