Editorial: Another Blow to Ethical Journalism

Last week, this column addressed the propensity of the Everett Advocate to pander to the highest bidder in the battle for advertising dollars. Again, in the October 8 edition, the Advocate’s inability to engage with journalistic integrity was in full throttle with a particularly vicious attack against Ward 3 Councilman Stephen “Stat” Smith. And why the (what is now a) weekly rant on Smith? Because Smith has the temerity to question the actions and claims of the Superintendent of Schools and the School Department – particularly the recent MCAS results and ranking.

What is most telling about this alleged piece of journalism is that it purportedly came “From The Mailbag” – a section of the newspaper that most editors would call “Letters to the Editor.” But putting the semantics aside, the “letter” was signed “Sincerely, Bill Wainwright, Everett, MA.” There’s just one problem – there is no “Bill Wainwright” living in Everett. He’s not listed in the Residents’ List as of January 1, 2004, he’s not listed in the Everett phone book, and as of this writing (October 8, 2004), according to the Registrar of Voters’ Office, he’s not even registered to vote.

Whoever this phantom writer is, his arguments are ludicrous bordering on repugnant, and perhaps the most despicable aspect of his commentary is that he did not limit his attacks to Councilman Stephen Smith – he found it necessary to impugn the integrity of Stat’s daughter Stephanie, who is serving her first term on the Common Council representing Ward 3. He accuses Stat Smith of “getting his daughter elected”, as though the people in Ward 3 had no say in her election, and spins a bizarre conspiracy theory around Stephanie’s bid for the seat that involves an elaborate scheme to rip off the Everett taxpayers through their use of the health plan that is offered to the members of the City Council. Perhaps Smith should be flattered that the Phantom Writer would endow him with such political power, but this is behavior worthy of a school yard bully, not a person genuinely interested in the truth. But then again – this is the Advocate, whose “publisher” was never one to let the facts get in the way of a good story.

Let’s look at the “substance” of this letter. “Mr. Wainwright”, after his initial volley at Smith, focused on the issue of titles of the numerous “assistant superintendents,” claiming that there is only one Assistant to the Superintendent (Mr. Anthony Malione) and two Assistant Superintendents in charge of . . . Business Matters (Dr. Richard Wallace) and English as a Second Language, English Learners and Civil Rights Matters (Mr. Peter Dolan). “Mr. Wainwright” then went on to suggest “To soothe Mr. Smith’s sensibilities, perhaps Dr. Wallace could be called ‘Business Manager’ and Mr. Dolan be called ‘Director of English as a Second Language.’ Well . . . apparently “Mr. Wainwright” and the Superintendent & the School Committee have some sort of psychic connection, because flipping forward in the paper to page 9, in a picture in which the Superintendent and Mr. Dolan hold a prominent spot, Mr. Dolan’s title appears as “Director of English as a Second Language.” Life is full of ironies.

There are so many other inexplicably bizarre statements made in this “letter” that to examine them all would be a waste of energy, so let’s get back to the crux of “Mr. Wainwright’s” attack on Councilman Smith. “Mr. Wainwright” addresses the issue of Councilman Smith’s request for someone from the School Department to appear before the Common Council to discuss the recent MCAS result by suggesting that he “save several hours of everyone’s time by watching the replay” of the School Committee meeting of Monday, October 4 on what “Mr. Wainwright” refers to as the “School Department Channel” (as an aside, for those not familiar with the “School Department Channel” – that would be Channel 15 or the “Education Channel”). Let’s take a look at that statement. “Mr. Wainwright” is suggesting that watching representatives of the School Department discuss the MCAS scores is going to give a clear picture of the meaning of the results, and that by watching said School Department representatives give their assessment of the MCAS results, any and all questions that anyone could possibly have would be answered and there’d be no need for further discussion. He is suggesting that someone who was elected to represent the people of Everett is wasting people’s time by asking legitimate questions about reports that the MCAS scores do not paint as tranquil a landscape as the Superintendent would like people to believe. And while “Mr. Wainwright” contends that Councilman Smith’s inquiry on MCAS scores is a “phony issue,” (which is ironic when you consider that “Mr. Wainwright” is a fictitious person), one could ask why he would devote so much ink – the equivalent of nearly a full page – to bashing Smith and defending the School Department. That’s a lot of column inches dedicated to a “phony issue”, and as anyone in the newspaper business will tell you, column inches equal money.

What is sad about this latest installment of the Chronicles of Vindictiveness is that, again, the Advocate is throwing up smokescreens to cover up the truth about the overall health of our school department and the fiscal mismanagement of the department on the part of those entrusted to serve the parents and children of the Everett School System. And as the preceding analysis of the MCAS scores seems to indicate – this is not a “phony issue” after all. Parents and taxpayers have the right to have their questions answered, and it’s time for the School Department to step up and stop running for cover every time they're questioned and live up to what they claim is their first priority . . . the children of the Everett school system.