[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: Who's the Gatekeeper?

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
Who's the Gatekeeper?
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1223439549.shtml


   A favorite NARN ritual is the First Team's "gatekeeper of the week"
   segment at the end of the second hour. A recent press clipping is read
   that a even a cursory Google search would expose as false or faked.
   And yet, it makes it onto the AP wire, a news broadcast, even the
   front page of the New York Times. Where are the editors, the
   gatekeepers as a certain Star Tribune Op-Ed writer claimed the press
   has?
   So it is with the new Robbinsdale Schools' web site, [1]rdale.org.
   Who's in charge? Who's watching and coordinating the content? Who's
   doing the proofreading and the fact checking? I point to a page titled
   "[2]The District is an excellent steward of taxpayer dollars" in
   regard to the November 2008 Operating Levy Referendum.
   Are they wrong? Is the district not an excellent steward of our tax
   money? I don't know and neither does the District. I am not aware of
   any objective basis for making this statement, nor is any given on the
   web page in question. On many other pages, the phrase "We're
   listening!" refers to the recent Strategic Planning process. One major
   outcome of that study was that more transparency and scrutiny of
   District spending was needed, which led to the creation of the
   Financial Advisory Commission in August. They have met twice, but have
   issued no such opinions yet.
   I'm not saying that the District cannot take pride in handling tax
   dollars responsibly. The mechanics are sound, with the Finance
   Director having been recognized several times for his expertise. The
   Board and Administration have worked many hours developing budget
   cuts, before and after the Strategic Planning process, taking great
   care throughout. But say it another way. Simply proclaiming yourself
   as "excellent" is too easily perceived as arrogance.
   As Dr. Frank Luntz says, it's not what you say, it's what people hear.

References

   1. http://rdale.org/
   2. http://rdale.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?sessionid=3ffc85ffbc39b42603aacad15d3ce422&pageid=64546&sessionid=3ffc85ffbc39b42603aacad15d3ce422