Em Espey is the new Bethesda Beat MCPS reporter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome! Looking forward to in-depth coverage again!

When did they ever have in depth coverage?

NP but the education coverage was great when Caitlynn was there. Coverage has been much lighter since her departure. I'm excited to see how Em builds the coverage back up.

“Great” would be an overstatement. If you wanted to read summaries of MCPS announcements, press releases, and Board meetings, then she did a thorough job. But she was almost never willing to question the narrative of her sources at MCPS and MCEA, presumably because she was worried they’d stop talking to her if she wasn’t supporting their message. She effectively acted as an arm of the MCPS communications office.

I think that's harsh. Caitlin absolutely uncovered information we never would have heard about, like the child from East Silver Spring Elementary School that was harassed by the police, and did her best to unearth truths about MCPS.

And, she had to work with the people who work for MCPS. She couldn't antagonize them, or make them angry with her, because she needed them to share information and answer her requests.

I think we got more information about MCPS from Caitlynn than we ever have in the 20+ years I've lived in the county (including when The Gazette existed). I was sad to see her leave, and hope the new reporter is as good.

+1. Caitlynn was an uncommonly good local reporter we were lucky to have for a while. And best wishes to Em!

As compared to what? Certainly not as compared to the education reporters that used to be at the Gazette. Not as compared to the reporting that the
Post does on D.C. or P.G. schools. They give MCPS a pass and Bethesda Beat was happy to stay in that lane too. Caitlynn regularly took from other sources without
attribution and didn't contact parties she wrote about. Nothing good about that type of journalism. But she wasn't a journalist so it makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome! Looking forward to in-depth coverage again!

When did they ever have in depth coverage?

NP but the education coverage was great when Caitlynn was there. Coverage has been much lighter since her departure. I'm excited to see how Em builds the coverage back up.

“Great” would be an overstatement. If you wanted to read summaries of MCPS announcements, press releases, and Board meetings, then she did a thorough job. But she was almost never willing to question the narrative of her sources at MCPS and MCEA, presumably because she was worried they’d stop talking to her if she wasn’t supporting their message. She effectively acted as an arm of the MCPS communications office.

I think that's harsh. Caitlin absolutely uncovered information we never would have heard about, like the child from East Silver Spring Elementary School that was harassed by the police, and did her best to unearth truths about MCPS.

This is truth. Once the Gazette closed the cats could play…and they did.

And, she had to work with the people who work for MCPS. She couldn't antagonize them, or make them angry with her, because she needed them to share information and answer her requests.

I think we got more information about MCPS from Caitlynn than we ever have in the 20+ years I've lived in the county (including when The Gazette existed). I was sad to see her leave, and hope the new reporter is as good.

+1. Caitlynn was an uncommonly good local reporter we were lucky to have for a while. And best wishes to Em!

As compared to what? Certainly not as compared to the education reporters that used to be at the Gazette. Not as compared to the reporting that the
Post does on D.C. or P.G. schools. They give MCPS a pass and Bethesda Beat was happy to stay in that lane too. Caitlynn regularly took from other sources without
attribution and didn't contact parties she wrote about. Nothing good about that type of journalism. But she wasn't a journalist so it makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Wow one poster sure has an axe to grind with Caitlynn. Bethesda Beat with its shoestring budget had the strongest reporting on MCPS in the region. Very happy to have Em take over.

[Anonymous]

Caitlin’s reporting was widely quoted and covered by other newest organizations. I hope the same happens with the new reporter.

[Anonymous]

I have followed local school news for the past 25 years and also thougght Caitlin Peetz was good - where is she working now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have followed local school news for the past 25 years and also thougght Caitlin Peetz was good - where is she working now?

This is her new job

https://www.edweek.org/by/caitlynn-peetz

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow one poster sure has an axe to grind with Caitlynn. Bethesda Beat with its shoestring budget had the strongest reporting on MCPS in the region. Very happy to have Em take over.

Which means nothing when the stories are just reworked press releases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow one poster sure has an axe to grind with Caitlynn. Bethesda Beat with its shoestring budget had the strongest reporting on MCPS in the region. Very happy to have Em take over.

Which means nothing when the stories are just reworked press releases.

Keep grinding. Soon you'll have no axe left.

[Anonymous]

Caitlynn Peetz was a terrific and fair reporter. I’m not sure who these haters are. Best of luck to Em.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BB far less interesting since the comment section was removed.

I miss the comments, too. They added another perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BB far less interesting since the comment section was removed.

I miss the comments, too. They added another perspective.

It's why we have DCUM. We can all vent here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BB far less interesting since the comment section was removed.

I miss the comments, too. They added another perspective.

I don't miss the comments. A lot of back and forth between the same people all the time. I'm glad they got rid of it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Caitlynn Peetz was a terrific and fair reporter. I’m not sure who these haters are. Best of luck to Em.

Haters? Your level of journalism is graffiti? Stories that only rework press releases are not terrific or fair. Stories that quote people without actually talking to that
person are neither terrific or fair. Cuddling up to elected officials as the only means of writing a story is not terrific or fair reporting. That's not what actual
journalists do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow one poster sure has an axe to grind with Caitlynn. Bethesda Beat with its shoestring budget had the strongest reporting on MCPS in the region. Very happy to have Em take over.

Which means nothing when the stories are just reworked press releases.

Keep grinding. Soon you'll have no axe left.

I am a professionally trained and experienced journalist. Caitlynn hustled and she broke stories and she had enough courage to back her assertions with her name. You clearly have a personal beef with her and I’m a little embarrassed for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow one poster sure has an axe to grind with Caitlynn. Bethesda Beat with its shoestring budget had the strongest reporting on MCPS in the region. Very happy to have Em take over.

Which means nothing when the stories are just reworked press releases.

Keep grinding. Soon you'll have no axe left.

I am a professionally trained and experienced journalist. Caitlynn hustled and she broke stories and she had enough courage to back her assertions with her name. You clearly have a personal beef with her and I’m a little embarrassed for you.

Everyone is embarrassed for you if your training makes you think a press release is reporting. The whole county has a beef with Bethesda Magazine putting out press releases and pretending they are newsworthy. By the way, their writers are getting paid. It's their job. It's not courage, it's a paycheck.