Twitter Attack Follows Reporter's Comment About High School Basketball Fans

twitter

A New Hampshire school district superintendent has apologized after dozens of students deluged a sports reporter with vulgar and inappropriate tweets after he questioned their cheering skills at a high school basketball game, according to the Associated Press.

Roger Brown, of the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper, was covering a playoff basketball game earlier this month when he tweeted that the Bedford High School student body would have to “raise its game” to match rival fans.

The newspaper said that sparked a torrent of tweets from Bedford students directed at Brown over several days, including some laced with profanity and a sexually explicit one directed at his mother. Things got worse when Brown highlighted the tweets, only to have some people attack him for singling out Bedford and criticizing high school students.

“We were shocked to see one of our reporters being harassed on social media,” Trent Spiner, the newspaper’s executive editor, said in a statement.

“Reporters are inherently tough. They can handle criticism,” he said. “But the personal, vulgar attacks against Roger were completely inappropriate. We appreciate the apology from the Bedford school district and hoe the student athletes take it to heart.”

Bedford Superintendent Chip McGee told the Union Leader Wednesday he’s “sorry that this happened, and it doesn’t represent the values of our community or our kids.”

McGee wouldn’t comment on whether any of the students responsible for the tweets were disciplined.

About the Author

Richard Chang is associate editor of THE Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • AI toolbox containing a wrench, document icon, gears, and a network symbol

    Common Sense Media Releases Free AI Toolkit, AI Readiness & Implementation Guides

    Common Sense Media has developed an AI Toolkit for School Districts, available to educators free of charge, that provides guidelines and resources for implementing AI in education.

  • elementary school building with children outside, overlaid by a glowing data network and transparent graphs

    Toward a Holistic Approach to Data-Informed Decision-Making in Education

    With increasing access to data and powerful analytic tools, the temptation to reduce educational outcomes to mere numbers is strong. However, educational leadership demands a more holistic and thoughtful approach.

  • three silhouetted education technology leaders with thought bubbles containing AI-related icons

    Ed Tech Leaders Rank Generative AI as Top Tech Priority

    In a recent CoSN survey, an overwhelming majority of ed tech leaders (94%) said they see AI as having a positive impact on education. Respondents ranked generative AI as their top tech priority, with 80% reporting their districts have gen AI initiatives underway, or plan to in the current school year.

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as companies adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers determined that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.