Here’s a question for you. What is true? Wouldn’t it be great if truth were as concrete as say...arithmetic. That you could prove it like a mathematical equation showing…on paper, how you arrived at the answer. As Math teachers love to say, “show me your work”. In a democracy, this systematic pursuit of truth is called journalism. It is a profession in which students are trained to acquire facts and present them in a way that clearly and concisely allows the reader to come to a conclusion that is true. Here is the problem. Over the last 15 years, half of all newspapers in the United States have shut down and the internet is allowing anyone with a keyboard to present thoughts as truths. What is to be done? One answer is called Chalkbeat. Chalkbeat is an award-winning nonprofit news organization dedicated to local education journalism. Reporters are based in bureaus across eight states and cover the ongoing effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education. Chalkbeat's stories have spurred real-world change in its communities, holding institutions accountable, amplifying students' voices, and serving as a reminder of the power local news has to make an impact.
