Thumbs Up for ?Krup? Criticism

We’ve been meaning to give Jeff Krupsaw, deputy sports editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a kudo for his May 11 column on the Little Rock School District’s academic fraud mess. The column criticized University of Arkansas women’s basketball Coach Gary Blair for his anti-media remarks at a Little Rock sports banquet. The banquet was held a day after the D-G broke the story.

Blair, a state employee and educator, lashed out at the D-G for reporting “negative” news instead of devoting all of its time to the hero-worship reporting that dominates sports journalism. We think Krupsaw, who runs the D-G’s sports department, was on target.

It’s obvious that grade-fixing practices at Little Rock Central, among other schools in that city, is a problem. The Arkansas Activities Association recently stripped Central of its state basketball title and awarded it to another academic fraud suspect — Little Rock Hall.

We don’t believe anyone was shocked to hear that grade manipulation for Little Rock athletes is common. But we commend the D-G’s effort on this story, despite recent self-promoting follow-ups by another columnist, and believe Krupsaw’s department has been the voice of reason.

We’re also wondering if UA Chancellor John White shares Blair’s view that academic fraud is not newsworthy.