Newspapers were told to squelch the truth because readers were realizing there was no hope for a segment of our population, and that segment was also starting to realize it as well (and behaving accordingly). They have to hold out hope that there is some place in our society for people with marginal math and English skills (at best), in which that person could raise a family and lead a productive life. It is obviously ridiculous, but how do you tell those people that? What else could be their reaction other than to live as Somali pirates on our urban reservations?
Skills are rarely set in stone — with the will, even adults can better their skill (I’m a poet and don’t know it). Attitude problems rule the day. Years of so called “advancement” of historically American people of black hue actually taught them (and with the full knowledge of the communistic movements that seized the power vacuum that much American religion sadly left) that they were trapped. As modern day immigrants from African lands have repeatedly shown by their successes, that idea of being trapped by your skin color is horse hockey.