Education Blogger Calls Out Providence Journal Reporter for Tweeting “Wrong Facts” - and More

Education Blogger Calls Out Providence Journal Reporter for Tweeting “Wrong Facts” - and More

A Rhode Island education blogger has called out Providence Journal education reporter Linda Borg for what she said was Tweeting “wrong facts” — and then said Borg blocked her on Twitter when she pointed it out.

Erika Graham Sanzi, who writes the education blog “Good School Hunting,” then took a look at Borg’s social media track record, in a post she titled, “We Deserve a Lot More From a Reporter — Perhaps It’s Time to Start an Opinion Column.”

Sanzi wrote,"Imagine my frustration when I saw a tweet the other morning from the education reporter at the Providence Journal asserting that, according to Education Week, Rhode Island had moved to 12th in the nation for 'academic achievement.' It was obvious she had her facts wrong. When I challenged her false assertion on Twitter and via email—and included information from the very report she had cited—she took the swift action to block me from being able to see her tweets in the future."

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"It took me all of about thirty seconds to confirm that the ranking of 12th did not apply to academic achievement. At first, I thought it referred to 'chance for success' but soon discovered that it is actually an overall rating that combines chance for success, school finance, and K-12 achievement. According to the report—the very one cited by Borg—Rhode Island ranks 30th on the academic achievement index," said Sanzi.

Criticism Draws Attention

Sanzi’s post gained the attention of community leaders — and political candidates. 

“An education reporter blocking an education blogger who corrects inaccurate facts in said reporter's story is NOT a good thing,” wrote former Moderate Party and Republican candidate for Governor, Ken Block, on Facebook— who posted Sanzi’s piece, calling the entry “fascinating.”

On her post, Sanzi showed a Tweet from business leader -- and education reformer -- Angus Davis.

“Makes no sense to block one of the most active bloggers on your beat. [Borg] used to post her views on Facebook (criticizing charters, praising Occupy Providence, hating on Republicans, praising Diana Ravitch, etc.), wised up to that, but it still shines through in her reporting," Tweeted Davis. 

Sanzi went on to write about one interaction, when Borg Tweeted that everyone knew how bad Providence schools were, following the release of the recent Johns Hopkins report but “we all looked the other way.”

“We did not ALL look the other way,” Sanzi had Tweeted back. “I know plenty of people who did the opposite — speak for yourself.”

Sanzi went on to write:

For the education reporter at the Providence Journal to state publicly that, when it came to the Providence Schools, she had “looked the other way” is outrageous. It is not only an admission that she failed to do her job but it is a totally unfair smear of the countless people who did not show the negligence and indifference to our capital city that she did.

Borg, when asked if she had comment on Sanzi’s piece this week, said simply emailed back to GoLocal, “Nope.”

Providence Journal Executive Editor Alan Rosenberg did not respond to request for comment.