I'm so irritated by what is happening or rather has happened in our state right now that I find it difficult to find a place to even start with this column.
Since I can't currently find the words to express how utterly infuriated I am with the Arkansas Legislature, I guess I will start with some background. Last week our state legislature decided to endorse new curriculum guidelines for Arkansas schools that is going to greatly change schools in Arkansas for the worse. The new rules remove Journalism as a required elective for high schools to offer. This effectively will give any school the ability to decide they simply don't want to offer the program anymore and that is a major problem.
Now, I know a journalist being concerned about journalism is something some may think is not a problem for them, but they would be wrong.
Journalism in schools is so fundamentally important that I really need a separate column just to talk about all the benefits it provides, so I'll give you the condensed version, IT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT GIVES KIDS OPPORTUNITIES THEY OTHERWISE WOULDN'T HAVE.
Now, I grew up as the son of a teacher who taught journalism but putting aside my own biases by growing up with knowledge of what it was and what the students did, I have watched so many students that are both older than me and younger than me be majorly affected by journalism in schools.
Because of journalism, I personally got to experience trips to both San Francisco and Washington D.C. and got the experience of winning national awards in front of huge crowds of other journalism students. I'm not saying that to toot my own horn, I'm mentioning it because as a 15-year-old who wasn't an athlete, getting that experience meant more than I can say and it was possible because of journalism.
But can we stop for a moment to address how absolutely ridiculous it is that I'm even having to discuss this right now? If the legislature were suggesting that schools all cut their basketball programs you would have a massive uproar. Why should journalism be any different? Well, I'm sure if you asked anyone who voted for it they would give you some fictitious answer about how schools have to make budget cuts or some other answer about how it is what's best for schools; that is not the real reason why it was passed. The real reason is that our right wing, Trump idolizing legislature has decided that they don't much care for the media and if they can do anything to stop it in high school, maybe they can stop new people from getting into the industry. Any senator that voted for this ridiculous new standard doesn't need to be serving the public. This is a blatant example of self-serving rather than serving the interest of the voters.
To my area schools, specifically the school boards, I issue you a challenge to spit in the face of this newly proposed standard and keep journalism on as a show that you care about our students' education. If you do decide to get rid of journalism, then you are just as much a part of the problem as our senators. Whether or not you agree with what the media says shouldn't get to dictate if it stays around are not. Oppressors are the ones that make those kinds of decisions. If you do decide to get rid of journalism, I feel sorry for your students and for our state's future.
To the senators that voted on this, shame on you. You have decided you are against the media because they hold you accountable. If you don't want the media criticizing your actions when you do something wrong, stop doing things that are wrong. You have started a war on journalism, and I think you will find that you aren't prepared for it. Senator Dave Wallace, I would love to get the opportunity to talk to you about this vote, and why you voted the way you did.
If you believe that this decision was made poorly, I challenge you to contact your state senator and let them know how you feel. This isn't a change being made to give schools the ability to decide what they can budget, it's politically motivated duct tape over the mouths of future Arkansas journalists.
gwilliams@blythevillecourier.com