CHAPTER 13

“We had some trouble with our newspaper,” said Miss Greer. “We’re trying to write one with useful and accurate information for our readers. Perhaps you can help us.”

“Aha!” said Mr. Page. “There’s always help at the library!”

Mr. Page was an expert on newspapers. He led them through the town’s collection. The archive had newspapers from Blue River Creek’s earliest days.

“Newspapers have always helped shape our town and our country,” he said. “Good journalism is like a flashlight into the darkness!

“A free press means that the government can’t tell you what to write,” he said. “That’s important, because it means that the newspapers can tell the public when the government does something good and when it does something bad. It lets people know what’s really going on. Without that, democracy gets in trouble.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out a miniature green book. “This is my favorite book,” he said, looking for a specific page.

“I thought the blue one was your favorite,” said Sofia.

“That was my favorite book about author quotes,” said Mr. Page. “This is my favorite book about reporting news. That’s called journalism!

“Good journalism helps you understand all the facts,” he said. “It has to be accurate and tell the good and bad parts of a story. That’s the news part of the newspaper. But journalists also write editorials, where they share their thoughts on the news.

“And sometimes,” he said, “people bend the news to show only their point of view. That’s called bias. Sometimes they do it on purpose, but sometimes they don’t even realize they’re doing it.”

“How can you tell what’s what?” asked Sofia.

“Aha!” said Mr. Page, looking at Sofia through the magnifying glass. “That’s it!”

“What?” asked Sofia.

“That,” said Mr. Page, “is the most important question of all! No wonder they call you kids the Questioneers! You ask all the right questions!”

Mr. Page turned to leave.

“Wait!” cried Sofia. “You didn’t answer the question! How can you tell when news is real?”

“Oh,” said Mr. Page, wheeling around and digging into his pocket. “That’s in my favorite book!” He held up a tiny orange book with three words on the cover: READ. QUESTION. THINK.

“1. Read. Read everything,” he said. “If you read from a wide variety of sources, you’ll learn to spot bias. For instance, if you read ten stories and one leaves out important information or includes false statements, it will be obvious to you. Also, the more you read, the more you’ll know about the topic. You’ll get smarter, too.

“2. Question. Question everything,” he said. “Ask questions and look for answers.

“3. Think,” he said. “A lot of people forget to think, but it’s the most important step. Always think. Nobody can do that one for you. And you know what else?”

“What?” asked the class.

“Here’s what,” he said. “Nobody can think for you, but nobody can think like you, either. You are the only person who thinks the way you do. Someday, there might be a problem, and you’ll be the only person who can solve it. You’ve got to be ready for that.”

Miss Greer nodded. “Read. Question. Think,” she said. “That’s good advice.”

“And then . . .” said Mr. Page. “Do you know what you do?”

“What?” asked the class.

Mr. Page smiled. “You do it all over again! Read! Question! Think!”

“That’s a lot of work,” said Sofia.

“Aha!” said Mr. Page. “Isn’t everything that’s worth doing? Besides, there’s always help at the library.” He stuffed the orange book back into his pocket and pulled out a tiny black one. “And now, I leave you with a final question from my favorite book.” He thumbed through the tiny pages.

“Where do library books like to sleep?”

“Where?” asked Ada.

“Beneath their covers!” said Mr. Page with a snort of laughter. “Oh geez. That’s a good one!”

And with that, he ducked behind a bookshelf and was gone.