The District 299 blog gave us a nice tip of the hat the other day, noting that we've got some of the city's best education coverage.

Of course, we're honored. But it's also concerning to look at our coverage of local schools vs. the Trib's in the context of this, which basically argues that America's newspapers are failing because they're run by buzzword-spouting blockheads who aren't focused on the fundamentals of journalism.

To that, I can only add this: The Chicago Tribune no longer regularly sends a reporter to the city's school board meetings.

Failing to cover the school board is like forgetting to show up for the game. It's basic, it's important, and it's really disturbing that Chicago's news organizations are failing to do it.