Brian Reese often references his own previous articles to support his current ones, aiming to convince his audience that because he previously wrote about the York County School Board, it must be true. He believes his past articles validate his current ones, regardless of their accuracy. It’s evident that truth isn’t a primary concern for Brian Reese. Additionally, he heavily relies on quotes from critics of Chairman Lynda Fairman, such as Melanie Berry and Board member James Richardson, who criticize the handling of the retreat’s scheduling and transparency. In contrast, Megan Rhyne of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government offers a differing perspective, suggesting that the timing of the public notice wasn’t problematic but agreeing on the timing of posting the agenda. However, this viewpoint fails to offset the overwhelmingly negative perspectives presented by the critics. But let’s not muddy the waters with facts.

The School Board Member Alliance (SBMA) is depicted negatively, primarily through criticism from board members Richardson and Mark Shafer. Richardson accuses the SBMA of lacking transparency and making potentially racist comments, while Shafer questions the quality of SBMA’s training. The omission of School Board Member, Zoran Pajevic’s assessment of the training and it’s quality is another glaring example of Brian Reese’s sloppy journalism.

Brian Reese’s article is prejudiced at best, consistently presenting one side of the story without sufficient representation of opposing views. Negative portrayals of the SBMA and Fairman with limited rebuttal aim to sway public opinion against them. Reese’s use of repetition and social media amplifies the illusory truth effect, potentially manipulating readers’ perceptions. Simply put and as per usual, the article is another hit piece, focusing on criticisms and conflicts within the York County School Board to influence readers’ opinions without offering a balanced view.

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Location: York County, VA

Author: Brian Reese, Digital Producer, WAVY.com news organization

Date: May 7, 2024

Time: 6:19 PM, Updated at 6:37 PM

Title: York County School Board retreat canceled after open meetings law concerns raised

Web: https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/york-county-school-board-retreat-canceled-after-open-meetings-law-concerns-raised/

Use of Sources:

The article frequently quotes Melanie Berry, the York County School Board Attorney, and Board member James Richardson, both of whom criticize the handling of the retreat’s scheduling and transparency.

- Megan Rhyne, the director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, provides a somewhat contrasting view, suggesting the timing of the public notice was not problematic, although she agrees that the timing of posting the agenda could be an issue. This comment doesn’t balance the heavily negative views presented by the critics as reported by Brian Reese.
Portrayal of the School Board Member Alliance (SBMA):
- The SBMA is described negatively through the lens of criticism from board members, particularly James Richardson and Mark Shafer.
- Richardson accuses the SBMA of lacking transparency and making insensitive and potentially racist comments.
- Shafer criticizes the quality of SBMA and questions the appropriateness of their training, citing “racially sensitive at best, probably racist at worst” comments made by SBMA’s Executive Director, Sherri Story.

James Richardson, a board member critical of the SBMA and the board’s chair, is quoted extensively. His remarks focus on alleged lack of transparency and accusations of racism associated with the SBMA.

Character Assassination:
- The SBMA and its executive director, Sherri Story, are described negatively, focusing on past comments that are described as “racially sensitive at best, probably racist at worst.” This kind of language aims to paint a highly negative picture of the individuals involved without substantial evidence provided in the text.

Framing of Board Chair Lynda Fairman:
- Fairman is portrayed as not being transparent or communicative, with specific examples cited by Richardson of her failing to seek advice or help, leading to the transparency issues.
- There is no defense or response from Fairman included, except for her positive comparison of SBMA trainings to others, which is immediately countered by Richardson’s remark on ongoing legal violations.
- The use of language in the article promotes a hostile tone hostile towards the board’s chair and the SBMA. Terms like “not very transparent” and describing actions as a “violation” of laws without a balanced explanation contribute to a narrative that assumes wrongdoing.

Emphasis on Legal and Ethical Violations: The article extensively discusses potential violations of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, emphasizing the board’s failure to properly notify the public and share the meeting agenda. This not only paints the board in a negative light but also raises questions about their adherence to legal standards, without much explanation from those responsible for these oversights.

Intent of the Brian Reese:
- Brian Reese focuses on the internal conflicts and criticisms within the York County School Board, emphasizing the viewpoints of those critical of the SBMA and Fairman.
- Reese highlights governance issues, transparency problems, and racial sensitivities associated with the SBMA, as the criticisms from board members and the legal concerns take center stage over other perspectives.
Narrative Bias:
- The article is biased since it consistently presents one side of the story — particularly the opposition to SBMA and the current board leadership — without sufficient representation of opposing views or defenses from those criticized.
- The negative portrayal of SBMA and Fairman, with detailed criticism but limited rebuttal, is an attempt to sway public opinion against them. The article does include a quote from Fairman defending the SBMA’s training, but it is brief compared to the criticism.

Brian Reese is generating his own truth: Brian Reese consistently provides references his previous articles in highlighted callouts scattered through all his online articles to instill an even more negative connotation of Lynda Fairman Board Chair, Kimberly Goodwin, Vice Chair and Zoran Pajevic. By constantly referencing his previous articles, he is generating an ecosystem of “truth” that is one-sided, biased, and is not representative of the total story.

Examples in this article include:

https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/york-county/york-county-school-board-to-get-policy-services-from-right-wing-group/
Brian Reese is exploiting the concept called the “illusory truth effect” to manipulate York County activists against the School Board. This effect suggests that repeated exposure to a statement increases the likelihood that people will perceive it as true, regardless of its factual accuracy. The methods Brian Reese is using include:
- Repetition: Reese is using this effect when he repeats an article or statement multiple times and it becomes more familiar. Familiarity can enhance the feeling of truthfulness. The more we hear or read something, the more it feels true, even if we were uncertain or skeptical initially.
- Social and Confirmation Biases: Social media amplifies the effect. Victor Shandor, James Richardson and Mark Shafer are pandering to a crowd that believes and shares the same information, especially through social media groups (Yorktown Whistleblower, Yorktown 411 and others). Reese reinforces their beliefs in the veracity of that information. Since his information aligns with their preexisting beliefs or biases, it is accepted as true without scrutinizing its validity.
- Case in point: The Reese article that announced the YC School Board was voting in the SBMA “right-wing” organization 4 hours before the school board meeting. The mob showed up ready to pounce on the 3 new board members, however the School Board voted to accept VSBA vs SBMA not as Brian Reese predicted. He quickly corrected the story the next day to salvage his credibility, but the damage was done.
- Media Ecosystem: Reese is a prolific re-poster and generator of Tweets on his X account. He is leveraging his like-minded followers in the media ecosystem where information can spread rapidly through multiple channels (social media, blogs, news outlets). His slanted, biased, one-sided and incorrect stories get repeated across different platforms. Each repetition across these mediums can lend undue credibility to his false claims.

In short, Brian Reese uses a mix of selective quoting, repetition of previous articles, focus on negative aspects, unbalanced reporting, and biased source selection to present a hostile view of the York County School Board and the SBMA, fitting characteristics of what might be termed a hit piece in journalism. Brian Reese predominantly focuses on the criticisms and conflicts within the York County School Board, particularly targeting the SBMA and its supporters on the board. This approach is an attempt to influence readers to form a negative opinion about the SBMA, Lynda Fairman and the board’s operations without a balanced view of the situation.