Outsider in Charge

I've subscribed to The Washington Post for as long as I can remember. It was delivered to our home from the time we moved from Texas. I continued to subscribe all through college. We still subscribe now, in spite of the fact that the paper mostly moves straight from its plastic sleeve into the recycling. I like newspapers and I like this one in particular.

I was surprised to see yesterday's announcement about the sale of The Washington Post to Jeff Bezos. I've listened to a lot of conversations and reports on NPR about it and read some interesting commentary. On the whole, I'm on the side of believing this to be a good thing. The newspaper industry is struggling and no one seems to know how to fix it. So, here's a new attempt. Sounds good.

I do wonder how newspaper insiders feel about this. There are plenty of school systems being run by non-educators. I'm rarely even willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Does this make me a hypocrite?

Can a fresh new perspective be a good answer? Can an outsider really make a meaningful difference? Or does experience in the industry matter? Does that vary by industry?

This sale has me attempting to look at education through outsiders' eyes. I'm not sure I like where it takes me.