Letters: Media should add more context to higher ed

I’m sad to see the poll numbers in this story [“Poll finds only 36% of Americans have confidence in higher education, July 8, IBJ.com], which I believe are the result of incessant media stories quoting ill-informed critics of higher education’s value.

Genuine criticism is one thing—exposing actual flaws that limit the price/benefit value one can get from higher education, for example—but lobbing broad allegations that go unchallenged and are printed without fact-checking are contributing to the erosion of support for many of our institutions, including public K-12 education and higher education.

I am not criticizing the IBJ nor necessarily this poll (though wording of questions is incredibly important) but rather a national proclivity for news reporting that merely publishes quotes without holding the speaker accountable for providing data that backs those assertions or putting those criticisms in perspective.

Students struggling to pay off excessive loans, for instance, is one of many valid problems to be investigated and addressed but not in itself evidence that higher education is no longer valuable.

—Mary Atteberry