Newsworthy

A quick note from Lafayette, Indiana: yesterday, the L.A. Times hardly covered the results of the Academic Decathlon. So I sent them this letter, which they didn't publish.

Dear editor,

I was dismayed to see that your coverage of the L.A.U.S.D. Academic
Decathlon has diminished this year to a small piece buried on page 4 of the California section, with only a single quote and no photographs. Compare this to coverage in the 1990s and early 2000s, when color photos, features on team members and multi-page articles were matter of course. Just because Los Angeles schools now have some of the most consistently competitive Academic Decathlon teams in the country doesn't mean we should take them for granted. For many of the students who participate with C averages, this is the first time in their lives that they've had an opportunity to shine as scholars. And for a school district confronted with challenges of every kind, the Decathlon is an annual breath of fresh air--but one that the public can only inhale if they have a chance to read about it.

Indeed, the winners from Taft and the runners-up from El Camino, and all those who gave their hearts and minds to this marathon of intellect, determination and hard work, have earned at least as many accolades as any champion athletic team. Their achievements are not only praiseworthy, but newsworthy.