Responding to a School Crisis Before It Happens

A viral video. A teacher’s arrest. A policy backlash. Politics colliding with learning. Welcome to 2025, where the rumor mill can explode into a crisis at any moment. Let’s face it, any parent, staffer or community member with a grudge and a social media account can easily find like-minded critics. And from there, it’s one call to the media, and suddenly the phone at the district office is lighting up.

As a former thirty-year major-market television news journalist, I’ll tell you unequivocally that the vast majority of local reporters strive for honesty and fairness above all else. Sure, some are better than others. But here’s the rub. We used to have all day (or many days!) to develop and fact-check a story. But it’s 2025, and in today’s 24/7 here-today/gone-tomorrow news cycle, it’s a daily race to the finish. A fast and furious sprint to find a story and get it out there. On TV. Streaming. On the website. On social media. TV reporters are often expected to be “live” two, three or four times a day. They’re so busy delivering the news, there’s hardly time to actually gather it. The result is split-second decisions on what gets covered and what doesn’t. And because good stories center around conflict and drama, and education stories always rank high with viewers, school districts are often quick and easy targets.