It is simply the nature of a bureaucracy to preserve its interests and image. Modern journalists ought not to serve as stenographers for the government's public-information officers. They are supposed to write for their readers, not their sources. Thankfully, that kind of journalism no longer prevails in America. But even today, our adversary press oftentimes disappoints.
Reporters can develop a cozy relationship with their sources and come to share a similar outlook.
In short, it's not hard to see how the government's version, the official story, can make its way into the news pages. Keeping this in mind, let's look at Oklahoma's student achievement in the most basic of all skills, reading. The Iowa Test of Basic Skills is a norm-referenced test which Oklahoma administers in grades 3 and 7. In 1997-98 Oklahoma 3rd graders scored at the 58th percentile rank on the reading portion, meaning they scored higher than 58 percent of the 3rd graders in the national norm group taking the test. At the 7th grade level, Oklahoma students scored at the 57th percentile.