The Landry News

These final chapters focus increasingly on the freedom of expression and how this can be curtailed, for better or worse. The novel draws on information shared in Chapter 14 when the class concluded that freedom of the press is not synonymous with freedom to say anything. The Ethics of Journalism are further explored as the class uses the hearing as a practical lesson, and the principles of press freedom are rehearsed through the hearing process. This debate backdrops these final chapters and the hearing itself with questions about the definition of “appropriate” and more commentary about weaponizing information. It is never made clear if Dr. Barnes truly thinks the story about divorce is inappropriate for a school newspaper or if he was using this argument spuriously to have Mr. Larson fired. Thus, Mr. Larson’s lecture about freedom of the press in Chapter 17 has multiple meanings. At its heart, it is about a newspaper’s right to take a stand. Cara believes the article was appropriate for kids her age because it spoke directly to emotions she had recently experienced and resolved her sense of stigma. Mr. Larson’s lecture is also about a deeper issue: the inescapable fact that different people will consider different content appropriate. While Cara sees the value in the article, others in the community view the story as harmful or disagree with the premise of the story in general. Neither Cara nor her opposers are correct because both their viewpoints are based on how they feel, rather than a universally accepted truth, and both groups are still entitled to their opinion. Mr. Larson, and the novel, show that, as the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Cara is within her rights to publish the story. This doesn’t mean all readers will or need to agree with it, but neither does it give readers the right to silence the newspaper. The narrative’s close exploration of these ideas is key to its treatment of journalistic ethics, and also its message of mutual respect, plurality, and the need to allow for differences of opinion.

The events of Chapter 18 explore How Education Prepares Students for the World through loopholes within the political and legal systems. The realization that the kids must stop producing The Landry News opens them up to a new opportunity: They can create a different newspaper that operates under completely different criteria. As shown by Cara’s arguments against Dr. Barnes, the Guardian does not violate any of the terms Dr. Barnes set out and, thus, he is powerless against something he disagrees with. The creation of the Guardian is a fitting punishment for Dr. Barnes as he has now lost any control he might have had over a school-based newspaper. The development of the Guardian is a positive conclusion to the book, enabling Cara and her classmates to win against Dr. Barnes, and acting as an example of the power of collaboration and free expression. In creating the Guardian, Cara and her friends also demonstrate the power of The Importance of Trusting Others and what happens when a community works together to counter an unpopular opinion. As seen by the outcry of support for Mr. Larson in Chapter 19, Dr. Barnes’s decision is not a widely shared one, and this shows how much of a positive impact The Landry News has had both on its staff and on its readers.

Chapter 20 brings closure to the novel. Mr. Larson wins his hearing, which means The Landry News is allowed to resume and the community has sided with him. It also brings about the culmination of his and Cara’s character arcs. Both characters have found what they want through the production of The Landry News. Cara has friends and feels like she is making a positive impact on those around her by telling the truth, and Mr. Larson has rekindled his love for teaching and for helping his students think critically about the world and the challenges they face. Through the trial itself, Mr. Larson shows himself to be better informed than Dr. Barnes, and better at framing an argument. Dr. Barnes let Mr. Larson take full control over The Landry News and set up the situation to work in his favor, but as Mr. Larson points out, Dr. Barnes did not fulfill his obligations, such as providing Mr. Larson with guidelines with which to oversee the newspaper. Mr. Larson exposes the fact that Dr. Barnes has been hypocritical and also complacent in his assumption that he was in control, as the man with the powerful position.

The novel ends with a celebration of consensus and the importance of empirical evidence. Bringing the story’s author up to read the piece demonstrates the practical appropriateness of the work for its audience, rather than the distraction of theoretical arguments about it. Offering the audience a chance to hear the story in the context of who wrote it and why makes the story resonate and shows the power of making things personal. Up until this point, the story was not seen by the reader; presenting it to the reader at this point mirrors the fictional experience of the hearing’s audience and emphasizes the individual’s right to hold their own opinion based on evidence.