The pointed letter appeared in rival Nine Newspapers this morning, with the AEU reporting News Corp refused to publish the creative in print due to pre-booked advertising.
But ABC News reported sighting a rejection email from the publisher that reads, "Unfortunately we're unable to run this creative as it is an open letter directed against News Corp and our brand".
The AEU paid for the open letter’s publication.
Mainstream media outlets have faced ongoing criticism for using NAPLAN data published by ACARA on MySchool to rank schools without consideration of their context, and especially the SEA level of their student cohorts.
ACARA CEO Stephen Gniel has fully backed the campaign, saying the authority expects the media to heed the advice laid down.
“ACARA has long discouraged the use of data from our My School website to create and publish league tables – they are misleading for our parents and carers as it doesn’t tell the full picture of a school.
“It’s also disrespectful to our hard-working teachers, principals and young people who deserve better – especially in those areas of significant socio-educational disadvantage,” Gniel, who signed the letter, said.
Only the My School website offers a comprehensive picture of every school, which “should always be accompanied by a visit to the school itself” for richer insight, he added.
The letter makes clear that ranking schools in league tables flies in the face of public interest, breeds harmful stigma, and fails to highlight genuine stories of improvement.
Having also signed the letter, Brad Hayes, IEU federal secretary, said this kind of education reporting does a disservice to Australian school communities.
“…It’s lazy, click‑bait journalism that undermines public understanding and does nothing to support quality education.”
Public rankings are a clear misuse of NAPLAN data, he suggested.
“…It risks stigmatising communities and undermines collaboration to support all students. Data should improve learning outcomes, not fuel baseless competition.”
The letter suggests News Corp may have breached the terms of use on the My School website, which states content must not be used in a manner that is “likely to be misleading or deceptive, or otherwise conveys inaccurate or incomplete information to the public”.
Angela Falkenberg, president of the Australian Primary Principals Association, noted “responsible reporting illuminates, it doesn’t reduce”.
“We invite the media to focus on the real stories of learning, growth and innovation happening in every school.
“League tables are not in the public interest. Crude rankings offer heat, not light, and they do nothing to help families understand what truly makes a school strong.
“When we don’t consider the varying advantages students begin with, we risk overlooking the real work schools do…”
According to ABC News, News Corp Australia and the editor of the Daily Telegraph, Ben English, have not offered an on-the-record response to questions about the open letter advertisement.
The outlet has, however, defended its NAPLAN reporting.
“Our mastheads do not shy away from sharing important information to help parents and families make informed choices about their children's education," a News Corp spokesperson told ABC News.
“NAPLAN is publicly available information and a clear public interest exists in us publishing many different views about NAPLAN, which our coverage has highlighted."
The letter invites New Corp and all media outlets to instead focus on student progress data available on My School.
“Highlighting schools that achieve great growth, regardless of their starting point, would be a genuine public service that truly celebrates educational success.
“We are ready to assist your journalists in understanding and interpreting this richer, fairer data”, the letter concludes.
Andy Mison, president of the Australian Secondary Principals' Association, indicated the media have been repeat offenders when it comes to NAPLAN coverage.
“Every year, dedicated educators watch their schools reduced to a simplistic ranking that ignores context, progress, and the realities of the communities they serve.
“It's demoralising and fundamentally unfair.”
Earlier this week, EducationHQ shared news of mainstream media outlets detailing stories of public schools who have ‘punched above their weight’ in the wake of the My School update.
