Seguin school chief ’s actions a study in unbridled arrogance
No school superintendent I’ve ever met enjoys being poked and prodded by the local news media. But most seem to understand that every powerful government official — especially those charged with educating our children — needs a good watchdog or three.
I’m not sure this is the case in my darling hometown, where a new superintendent who has been the subject of critical coverage has attempted an interesting strategy: muzzling the watchdog.
Last week, Seguin Independent School District trustees voted to continue negotiations to take over the community’s 68-year-old radio station and its free weekday newspaper. The plan as proposed: Lease KWED, with the option to buy.
The superintendent, Stetson Roane, said he’d be in charge of content, the district PR guy would act as editor/general manager, and the venture would produce “positive” coverage. He described the deal as a marketing endeavor, part of “a comprehensive branding package,” but with a journalistic approach.
It’s a “win-win,” Roane told the board, explaining that it would keep a financially struggling station afloat and provide a learning opportunity for students to work on the radio.
Asked by one board member how he’d avoid the perception of using the news outlet as a personal mouthpiece, Roane didn’t seem too concerned.
“I don’t think there’s going to be a bias,” Roane said. “But everybody that writes a newspaper sees things from their own lens.”
Yes, but usually that lens isn’t the window of the central office. Roane also reminded those concerned about objectivity that there would still be one independent paper left in town: the Seguin Gazette.
All but one trustee voted in favor, despite a jeering, standing-room-only crowd that had shown up at a special meeting suspiciously scheduled at noon
when most people are at work. The board didn’t allow the public to speak and threatened to throw the crowd out if people didn’t pipe down.
Small-town democracy? That’s not the lesson to teach our kids. Neither is the notion that PR is real journalism.
The only thing more ridiculous is one board member’s decision to invoke my name in his support of the deal. His apparent argument: Our longrunning journalism program counts a Pulitzer winner among its alums; it must be good, and so we should buy the town’s radio station to make it better.
Huh? Stifling critical coverage and reducing media competition is against everything serious journalists stand for.
“Let’s be honest about why we’re doing this. If you’re trying to take over a radio station to make it the district PR arm, well then just say that,” said Kelley Shannon, executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.
If the deal is really meant as a learning opportunity, she said, it should be student-run, with news decisions guided by a journalism teacher.
“What will happen to wellmeaning students who sincerely dig up news that’s critical of their school district?” Shannon said. “Will they be allowed to broadcast it?”
Roane was “out of pocket” Tuesday and unavailable for an interview, said spokesman Sean Hoffmann. Incidentally, he’s the PR guy who would be overseeing news content in the deal, and he did note that before his 23 years in public relations, he got a journalism degree from Texas A&M University. As a Texas alum, I can’t say this wins me over.
Station questioned spending
He maintained the deal had nothing to do with KWED’s critical coverage of the district.
But KWED’s general manager, Darren Dunn, who has worn many hats at the station and still occasionally writes stories, begs to differ.
“This is not about helping students,” Dunn said. “It’s about silencing critical voices, controlling the message, controlling the media and getting rid of me.”
He points out that Roane would have KWED employees reapply for positions, and Dunn knows he wouldn’t get his back. He’s been too scrappy. He reported on the superintendent spending $500 a night last fall for a hotel room at an Austin conference, while board members stayed in pricey suites approaching that amount. He also wrote about plans for a $15,000 holiday party, complete with $400 giant nutcrackers. Afterward, Dunn said, the cost was promptly reduced to a third of that.
Dunn said his comments on social media have irked the superintendent just as much, like the time he criticized Roane’s decision to hire his own wife for an administrative position.
Dunn said he tries to report the facts straight, and fairly. But in a small town, conflicts arise. His wife is an instructional coach for the district. And Dunn is co-president of a nonprofit organization called Educate Seguin, which raises money for teacher appreciation, publishes a voter guide based on candidate questionnaires, and has successfully advocated reforms such as video recording of board meetings.
Some in the group, including Dunn, also are affiliated with a political action committee that is actively seeking to oust several trustees. Full disclosure: My sister and her husband are board members with the nonprofit but aren’t involved in the PAC.
The bottom line for Dunn is that a media outlet controlled by a governmental entity isn’t free to report the truth.
“That’s anti-American,” he said. “Freedom of the press, it’s the cornerstone of our democracy.”
Deal appears dead
The district spokesman said negotiations were still ongoing Tuesday, but Dunn informed me late Tuesday that partners with KWED owner Guadalupe Media were deeply concerned after last week’s meeting and voted to back out of negotiations. It’s good news, and I hope that means the end of this scheme.
This story hit home not just because it’s in my hometown. It illustrates how vulnerable front-line media organizations are these days, and how precious — nowhere more than in a small town.
I’m a journalist today because of what I learned from working on a newspaper at Seguin High School with longtime adviser Bobbie Maddox. She taught me that journalism thrives on transparency, and independence, and a diversity of opinions. It has no place in a “comprehensive branding package” or under a superintendent’s thumb.