When journalists become freelance PR agents

First rule of advocacy journalism: if you go to the media and act the victim the media will be on your side. So when I saw the headline I should have guessed it would wind up as another case of bullshit "journalism" - this time from the Dominion Post.

Sounds a bit of a raw deal:
When Mark, 17, opened his 2007 results last week, he was excited to see he had met the apparent criteria for a "premiere" [sic] scholarship, chalking up three outstanding and two standard scholarship results - even more than was required.
But celebration turned to despair when he learned he was not one of eight top scholarship winners. He had instead been awarded the "outstanding" category, offering less prestige and $15,000 less in the pocket.
Now he and his former principal, Palmerston North Boys High School rector Tim O'Connor, are accusing the authority of breaking promises and putting cost-cutting ahead of achievement.
Mr O'Connor called Mark before the school assembly on Friday to congratulate him, and could not believe the A-grade pupil had missed out when told later that day.

But then later into the story:

Authority deputy chief executive Bali Haque was unrepentant yesterday.
He said the criteria clearly stipulated "the very top five to 10 candidates", and Mark was not one. The winners were assessed by an expert panel, who decided on a cutoff point.
Mr O'Connor had been irresponsible announcing the award before receiving official confirmation, Mr Haque said.

Do you like that - unrepentant - like he is supposed to be at the very least repentant for not bending a national policy just to suit his students!? And it was O'Conner being ignorant that caused the situation - and now he's lobbying for his student... because he mislead him? All that blather about "promises" and "cost-cutting"? I mean, really? It sounds as though he embarassed himself and his student by pre-emptively publicly congratulating him on something that he only met the initial qualification stage. Sounds like he's just trying to cover his own arse, doesn't it. Can't the man read:


OK, so there's a wee typo - but 5-10 is what it says on their website quite clearly.

The kid's obviously bright - he'll survive. But as for the Principal...