Unit 3: TN Higher Education Watchdog (The Tennessean)

The Tennessean labels itself a "Watchdog" of HE in Tennessee. As the Midstate's major daily newspaper and the flagship publication of The Tennessean multi-media company, the newspaper is the mainstay of Nashville business. Each and every day, they claim to deliver essential news, responsible ideas, diverse opinions, and timely advice. In the last few years, they have exposed several financial, personal, and educational issues related to HE in TN. Including the following headlines titled "Stimulus Funds Keep TN Colleges Afloat," "TN's Colleges' Enrollment Grows, but Budgets Shrink," and "State Cuts Hurt Growing Colleges." This site keeps Tennesseans informed on what is going on in HE. In my opinion the Tennessean is very skeptical of HE and they want to make sure that HE knows they are watching fiscal practices and other policy related issues. They will report discrepancies and other information deemed controversial. In the last year or two they added all the salaries for state employees (UT, BOR, state employees) to the site and it has really stirred the pot. Here is a link to the salaries page: http://data.tennessean.com/DB/dbc/statesalaries09.php

References: Gannett Foundation (2009). The Tennessean. Retrieved from http://www.tennessean.com/.