"Undercover Student" - Leslie Linthicum - Albuquerque Tribune

Albuquerque Tribune article titled, "High School Revisited." Written by Leslie Linthicum as part of her "Undercover Students" series.

Description

As a companion series to the paper's undercover teacher series, Leslie Linthicum, a twenty-four year-old reporter, posed as a high school student to examine the role of cliques, drugs, bureaucracy and other hidden everyday realities of a local high school."classmates."  

Authors

Subjects

Effects and Outcomes

Public reaction to the report was "swift and vehement," the reporter later recalled in an ethics report to the Society of Professional Journalists. Students, teachers, parents and school administrators reacted negatively -- less to the substance of the reporting than to the intrusion, which left them feeling violated and tricked. There also was criticism of conclusions she drew from isolated incidents. As the principal quipped later, "You can almost anytime catch someone picking their nose if you look at them long enough." The major issues appear to have been the questionable purpose of the project and the harm done to people who were identifiable and thus unfairly subjected to ridicule.

Media History

The reporting was intended for these media types: Newspaper, Television

I-"High School Revisited" - Leslie Linthicum - Albuquerque Tribune

Reporter gets an education in paperwork

1983-03-08

From Editor's note: "During January, 24-year-old reporter Leslie Linthicum spent 11 days posing as a student at Eldorado High School. This is the first in a week-long series of articles relating to her experiences."

II-"Nap time at EHS" - Leslie Linthicum - Albuquerque Tribune

Class lectures take back seat to filmstrips - and horseplay

1983-03-09

Filmstrips have become the teacher's best friend and the student's anesthetic."I'm sick of seeing these Mickey Mouse films that don't tell us anything we don't already know," complained a freckled blonde after the second filmstrip in as many days in Independent Living class.

III-"Building 'walls'" - Leslie Linthicum - Albuquerque Tribune

EHS drugs bountiful if you know right person

1983-03-10

"If you've got $7 and 15 minutes, you can buy 10 "hits" of low-grade "speed" and one or two pipe bowls of marijuana at Eldorado High School.And once you've "scored," it's easy to find a secure place to get high.

IV-"There's more to EHS than the '3 Rs'" - Leslie Linthicum - Albuquerque Tribune

1983-03-11

In Human Development class, well-tailored Kathryn Meloy stirred boys and girls alike with the topic of child care and feeding. Prompted by a worksheet that asked, "What would you serve a 3-year-old child at a mid-morning snack?" students launched a lively discussion of the dangers of junk food.Many of the youths strongly opposed feeding children refined sugar, point to evidence linking sugar to hyperactivity. Juice, graham crackers and fruit were the top snack choices. The "practical arts" are emphasized in Albuquerque Public Schools these days,

V-"Serious Students Persevere, Others Talk of Rock, Partying" - Leslie Linthicum - Albuquerque Tribune

1983-03-12

"Rock and roll, parties and friends are topics of high interest at Eldorado High School. Book learning, to many students, is not."

Reaction to "Undercover Student": "Why EHS?" - Leslie Linthicum - Albuquerque Tribune

Reaction swift on 'undercover student' series - from obscenities and insights to hoorays

1983-03-14

"Reaction to The Tribune's "Undercover Student" series came swiftly and with startling intensity last week. Although the series didn't actually start until Tuesday, my telephone began ringing Monday night, after an introductory article was published. And it seldom stopped after that."