[Izzy Dunne]

If homeschooling families want to draw attention to their lifestyle and education methods when their children excel -- as in academic competitions -- they've got to accept that they will draw unwanted scrutiny when one of their own does something horrible.

Truly bizarre logic.

The children excel (or not) in academic conpetitions BECAUSE of they way they were schooled.

This murder was not committed BECAUSE the kid was homeschooled.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Good point.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Baker, in his comments on the report, suggested a bias against homeschoolers. "Can you imagine Vargas ever citing 'the English as a Second Language student charged with murder'?" he wrote.

Baker is right that that would be unlikely, but I think he's wrong in believing the media shouldn't play up Ludwig's and Borden's educational background. The fact that they were homeschooled makes the murder even more significant. Why? Because the nature of the news is that when certain types of people act in ways that are inconsistent with what the public traditionally expects from them, it makes a story more newsworthy.

"Man Bites Dog" is a superficial and negative criterion for significance. It is why the newspaper is such a terrible place to look to learn about American society. If it's in the paper, it is not usual.

Which is just one more way of proving that by its very nature journalism is not objective.

[Mamzelle]

re: This murder was not committed BECAUSE the kid was homeschooled.)))

Maybe he was homeschooled because he could not handle life in public or private schools-- homeschooling does not make someone emotionally ill, but a lot of dysfunctionals have to stay home.

I don't think reporting the fact that both kids (minor and not minor) were homeschooled was unfair.