Fredericksburg Parent

www.FredericksburgParent.NET 23 Join us for the live conversation on Sponsored Material In the following interview, Davis talks about the Advance, and what motivates him to continue to pursue community journalism. Q: What has motivated you to continue your coverage of local education issues in your free time while working a full-time teaching job this past year? Why is education journalism so important to you? DAVIS: I've been involved in education for most of my professional career. I started out as a college professor, a medieval historian. But the job market for historians was terrible, so in 2000, I got a job at National Journal magazine in Washington. I covered education at a time when the reform movement and the push for charter schools was in full swing. Covering this issue drove me back to really thinking hard about the power of public education, and how incredible the system that we have is. Somehow, from coast to coast, we have managed to provide a free public education to just about every kid in America who wants to take part in it. That's a stunning achievement, and it's not some- thing we should let go of easily. I ended up becoming a huge supporter of public schools. This doesn't mean there aren't problems with them. There are lots of problems, and I am quick to call these out. But I think in terms of what holds us together as a people—it begins and ends with public education. It's absolutely critical that we defend it. Public schools are struggling. We need to take this seriously and own it, admit it and get better. We cannot undercut this common good that we have been working to establish since the mid-19 th century. Q: Do you see a link between the importance of public schools and the importance of quality, independent local news that is well-read, for democ- racy and community? DAVIS: Absolutely. This is something I talk regularly about with Shaun Kenney, my partner in starting the Advance. Over the last 20 years, the toxicity of our national politics has seeped down to the state level, and we see that right now in Virginia. It's very clear that the national discourse is driving the con- versation in Richmond. I don't think that's healthy. I think it's even more toxic when it seeps down to the local level. I have talked at length about this with Spotsylvania County Supervisor Chris Yakabouski. Chris and I do not see the world the same way—we disagree on a lot of foundational principles. But we agree on this—at the end of the day, government is about fixing problems, it's about finding a solution. One of the first things Chris said to me in our inter- view was, "You know, there isn't a Republican or a Democrat way to build a road—you just build the road." Local reporting is community journalism. It differs from the national report- ing I did earlier in my career—I am a lot more accessible and accountable to my readers, and vice versa. This kind of journalism is in decline around the country, and the impact of this decline is being felt. Instead of having a trusted news source that people can turn to and have these discussions and argu- ments, people now turn to Facebook and Twitter. These are silos, these social media channels—you choose the stories you want to hear, and that's all you hear. This is part of why that national toxicity is seeping down to the local level. This makes me really scared about what this means for our country and for our community. Q: What can readers expect from The Fredericksburg Advance? DAVIS: Fredericksburg Advance will be a solutions-based, dedicated local new source that truly listens to readers. We live in a world that is awash in information, and being able to sort through that informa- tion and pick out what is real and what is not, picking out things that will advance the discussion versus things that will crush the discussion—that takes a lot of work. In The Fredericksburg Advance, you will find more depth of analysis about what is going on. Our reporters will take the time to get access to public officials and put the hard questions to them that need to be asked. At that point, it is up to you to decide which side of the issue you are going to come down on any given topic. We want to expose you to the breadth of any given topic, and to try to talk to as broad a group of people as we can. That is the role we are trying to play. We want to be a trusted companion in the way you navigate the world. We want to hear opposing voices. We are about engaging conversation, and helping people think about problems in a way they may never have considered before. To learn more about Fredericksburg Advance, or to support its work, visit: fxbgadvance.com Fredericksburg Parent Gives is helping deliver quality information and analysis of local issues that impact families.

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