Ackerman says no more interviews - unless she likes you
Ackerman says no more interviews - unless she likes you
Ackerman says no more interviews - unless she likes you
Dafney Tales
Former superintendent Arlene Ackerman is done taking questions.
At least from reporters from the Daily News, or any other media outlet that she felt "maligned and disrespected" her during her three-year tenure as Philly's schools chief, she wrote to me on Monday in an email responding to a request for a sit-down.
After stepping down as superintendent last week, Ackerman said she made a "deliberate decision" to give interviews to just three media outlets that presented coverage of her that she considered "fair and balanced."
With each interview, the first with Education Week, then with FOX 29 and on 900AM WURD, Ackerman's comments - which targeted Mayor Nutter, the School Reform Commission, PSD Chief Financial Officer Michael Masch and teachers’ union president Jerry Jordan - grew more scorching.
In her conversation with the education news journal last Wednesday, Ackerman said Nutter used politics to force her out. Then in an interview with Fox 29’s Thomas Drayton that same day, she challenged the public to question the SRC about the origins of the $405,000 in private contributions used in part to buy her out.
But it was during her explosive interview with the radio station on Thursday that she pulled out the big guns, pushing parents to pull their kids out of failing schools.
District spokesman Fernando Gallard has said that the School Reform Commission and Ackerman have a "different view of facts and events," during her tenure and refused to respond to any specific allegations. Her other targets have also stopped responding to allegations made by her.
Intrigued by what else she could or would say, I sent her the note to her personal email on Monday afternoon asking if she would agree to an interview. I figured I had this in the bag, considering one of her most vocal supporters and closest confidantes, activist Emmanuel Bussie, informed me that she agreed to a one-on-one with me.
But about an hour and a half later, Ackerman dashed any hopes I had of having a heart-to-heart with her. At least she replied, but in so many words told me that the People's Paper won’t get to take part in her post-resignation media campaign.
"I made a deliberate decision to talk through only specific three media outlets," she said in an email. "I selected reporters and journalists who I felt had always presented a fair and balanced story when interviewing me. Unfortunately, I have been unfairly maligned and disrespected by the Daily News and Inquirer for my entire three-year tenure as superintendent in Philadelphia."
She went on to say that she will be "watching to see how all of the journalists in this city report on my tenure and my departure moving forward."
"Only then, will I decide if, when or to whom, I will ever grant additional interviews. In the meantime, I am moving on with my life."
That’s easy to do when you're given a $905,000 severance package.
I suppose I could appreciate her frustrations. Some of the DN's not-too-flattering front cover illustrations of Ackerman could probably have driven anybody up a wall.
As could the critical opinion pieces by our editorial staff and columnists. But as a high-profile public figure, who was in charge of a district with a $2.7 billion budget and with about 155,000 students, it’s not a news outlet's position to cosset an individual in that position.
But not one to give up easily, I responded with another email asking if I could tag along on one of the workshops she said she plans to conduct for parents.
I haven't heard back from her yet.
So, my question to you is this: Should Ackerman grant the People's Paper an interview? Or do you think her media blitz should come to an end?
We want her sent to prison for mishandling funds just like all other politicians. If she has information of others involvement in fraud, she should just say so, regardless of "friendly" paper or not.— DoomsdayCritic- Ackerman is nothing more that a filthy POS, period!— phillyfanboy
Comment removed.- How about no more interviews because we dont like her.— tdoc
- Ackerman shouldn't receive any media coverage until she's indicted and put on trial for abuse of public funds. And school district spokesperson Fernando Gallard was carrying water for Ackerman - why is he still on the district payroll?— Boru
- Kinda makes me miss Constance Clayton— tndmrtr
- Comment removed.
I hope and pray she will find all the media in her bad graces. Then we can stop reading about this lowlife, wanabe and move on!!!— Ben Fan- she can't leave because she has no where to GO!— hmmm
- Kristen, are you done crying after the rejection? I know I can't keep up with all of my tears streaming down my face because Lazy Eye won't grant an interview. I'm upset because I won't be able to read more of her lies here. Fox29 called for Ackerman's RESIGNATION well before everyone else did. I guess she was boarding the limo when that story ran.— legend1
- First, Daffney, not Kristen. Sorry. Second, Fox29 not only called for her resignation before most of the city, they also ran the most scathing "under cover" story that showed her day in and day out, boarding a limo well after 11 am. That story got more play then the rest because it wasn't a political story. It was showing the kind of abuse of power this horrible leader utilized. So since Fox29 has been the most fair to her, she agrees that she misused district money and should resign? That's her station...— legend1
- I must say that it puzzled me that Dr. Ackerman would talk to the media or any one after she stepped down, was forced out or however it was. It is over now. I would imagine that the necessary documents have been signed and the money has begun to be distributed. With that said, it is time to move on to other things and other people.— LadySLR
- She's the fat bloated pig of the PSD - or - the Carl Greene of PSD! LMAO— dumb-o-crat
- Ackerman was on the board of an organization called the Broad Foundation. This organization has been disrupting school systems all over the country to advance their agenda of privatizing schools. For details see this post from the City Stories blog:
http://tinyurl.com/44gqqpe
Her name was taken off the list of board members a few weeks ago.— tom-104 - Eli broad runs the broad foundation. He gives more to public education than Gates does. But it comes at a PRICE. He believes that goons like Ackerman should take the ideas of the cooperate world into school management. He acts as if he is this savior of public education, but if you look closely, his goal is to basically to get the burden of urban education off the backs of taxpayers. He can say he cares about the children all he wants, but he has clearly been forcefully changing districts to be in the hands of private companies, and not school districts. Basically, he doesn't want his future white rich guys to have to keep paying taxes to educate the urban populations. Anyone has any proof otherwise regarding Eli Broad, I'm all years. IMO, he and he alone has been responsible for the backwards, failed experiments in public education in the last 20 years. He needs to go away with his money because it's not helping.— legend1
