Muckraker James O'Keefe's 'Teachers Unions Gone Wild' Video Stirs N.J. Controversy

The self-proclaimed muckraker behind the ACORN sting and a series of other undercover videos has taken a stab at a New Jersey teachers union.

In his "Teachers Unions Gone Wild" videos, James O'Keefe released unflattering comments made by veteran teacher Alissa Ploshnick at a New Jersey Education Association conference.

The Star-Ledger reports,

Alissa Ploshnick's unintentional starring performance in the "Teachers Unions Gone Wild" video included, among other things, using the "N" word and joking about how hard it is for tenured teachers to be fired. It was all caught on tape at a hotel bar during the weeklong conference in August.

Since the video surfaced, Ploshnick has been suspended from her job as a special education teacher and denied a pay raise, according to The Star-Ledger.

At a time when the discussion over education reform is swirling around teachers unions nationwide, the controversy has a distinctly political edge.

Some education reformers have argued that unions hinder progress by safeguarding ineffective teachers. Union representatives meanwhile respond that reformers are unfairly targeting teachers.

WATCH:

Comments

[KaAp]

09:16 AM on 12/17/2010

I thought there was some type of conviction without jail time for his antics in New Orleans. His actions with acorn completely discredited it was appalling to see the US Congress capitulate and demonize and organization that provided assistance to the poor, and helped register the vote (which is the right of citizens). OK no bringing acorn back.
But, to play this game again after his antics in Louisiana is the height of hubris from a pathological liar with delusions that constructing lies is the same as muckraking he ought to be serving time.

[Schoolgal]

01:37 AM on 12/15/2010

A cautionary tale. Privacy is a thing of the past. But if you are going to infiltrate a private meeting, then be fair and also do the politicians that say one thing to the public but another behind closed doors.

[enlightened45]

01:00 PM on 12/13/2010

Investigate reporting? Looks to me like a blacked out screen with some over speaking. I'm impressed!

[cheeeeeeese]

07:35 PM on 11/20/2010

School vouchers and school choice. Teacher's unions are hurting are kids.

[Vernon Brown]

10:18 PM on 11/20/2010

Your grasp of English actually backs you up.

[cheeeeeeese]

12:02 AM on 11/21/2010

SO CASH MAN

[enlightened45]

12:57 PM on 12/13/2010

"are" kids?

[brodog84]

01:10 AM on 11/20/2010

This two-bit phony is no muckraker! There's muck involved, but it's not exactly being raked.

[LouC]

10:41 AM on 11/19/2010

O'keefe is no Ida Tarbell or Mother Jones so I would appreciate Huffington Post not using the word 'muckraker' for him.

In fact, this is the definition of muckraker:
A muckraker is, primarily, a reporter or writer who investigates and publishes truthful reports involving a host of social issues, broadly including crime and corruption and often involving elected officials, political leaders and influential members of business and industry. The term is closely associated with a number of important writers who emerged in the 1890s through the 1930s, a period roughly concurrent with the Progressive Era in the United States.

With emphasis on the word truthful.

[freddychef]

10:28 PM on 11/18/2010

time to use a Sharon Angle 2nd amendment solution on lil'james?

[freddychef]

10:26 PM on 11/18/2010

hey james, why don't you try that with the teamsters or longshore men unions?

[cheeeeeeese]

07:37 PM on 11/20/2010

Are you saying he is doing this because most teachers are women? interesting idea

[rafaelrobyns]

08:57 PM on 11/20/2010

Ah, no.

[Janis Alanis Zingaro]

11:39 PM on 11/20/2010

I'd pay to see that.

[traveller77]

04:45 PM on 11/18/2010

OKeefe is completely discredited. He deserves no hearing of any kind, on any level. He should be in jail for his actions against Senator May Landrieu. At the very least, several of his targets should have sued him in Civil Court for damages, and I don't understand why they haven't.

I suspect OKeefe is a sociopath, with no innate sense for moral values, similar to Andrew Breitbart (sp). Understanding that he might have a personality disorder might help the rest of us to anticipate what he'll do next, and to evaluate what he comes up with.

tt77

[Janis Alanis Zingaro]

11:47 PM on 11/20/2010

Proof: http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/79189/special-ed-teacher-stalked-harrassed-right-wing-creeps

what an a55hat.

[Twohairydogs]

01:28 AM on 11/17/2010

Where are the parents who raised such a monster? Was there not one teacher in O'Keefe's school career that touched his life? He is a person who only wants to create things that destroy.

[zimbabwechic]

08:17 PM on 11/16/2010

Another closeted man taking out his frustrations on the public. HIs downfall will be epic he clearly hasn't learned from muckrakers who have come and gone after their own muck has been exposed.

[gransview]

08:04 PM on 11/16/2010

He has compromised his future muckraking opportunities... his little mug is just too well known.

(Good riddance)

[M Cubed]

08:14 PM on 11/16/2010

He now has to get other people to shoot his stuff. O'Keefe claims he used volunteer cameramen for this game of his, and that is why the image is so bad and the subject does not appear on camera all the way through, etc.

[BigGuy]

11:27 AM on 11/16/2010

O'Keefe is a propagandist. Nothing he does is truthful.

[joemac1114]

12:36 PM on 11/16/2010

A skill learned from his mentor Breitbart.

[Angelus2007]

08:25 PM on 11/17/2010

I would sort of disagree. While his accusations may be unfair (this was one teacher not all teachers) but what was said was true, and that teacher should be fired.

[BigGuy]

12:06 AM on 11/18/2010

You are mistaken. Do not give the benefit of the doubt to O'Keefe. He does not deserve that. He is not to be trusted. EVER.

If you ever share a cup of coffee with him in a restaurant, make sure you leave after he does, so that you can be sure the service personnel are tipped -- he's the type who picks up the cash tips left at the table by everyone else. That's the way of Ayn Rand.

NOTHING O'Keefe says is true. His accusations are always unfair and NEVER true. His editing creates distortion and lies. If your opinion about Ms. Ploshnick is based upon video he has produced, your opinion is based upon falsehoods.

[benEzra]

05:57 PM on 11/19/2010

"what was said was true, and that teacher should be fired."

Are you talking about Ms. Ploshnick, the teacher who was suspended? She is absolutely and completely INNOCENT. Listen to the secret bar recording (!) yourself.

http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/79189/special-ed-teacher-stalked-harrassed-right-wing-creeps

I do not even begin to comprehend how someone could be as coldly, calculatingly, inhuman to do what O'Keefe and his disciples have done to Ms. Ploshnick this case. It appears that Ms. Ploshnick was *not* the guilty party here, and she deserves an apology, not suspension, IMO.

Don't forget, this is the same crew who was going to try to sexually humiliate CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau in order to get back at her and CNN for disagreeing with them.

http://siu.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/29/our-documentary-takes-a-strange-detour/

[senseandnonsense]

11:25 AM on 11/16/2010

As Teddy Roosevelt pointed out, it's okay to be a muckraker, but not if that's all one ever looks at.

[MJinCanada]

02:02 PM on 11/16/2010

Problem is -- he's more of a muck maker.

[Angelus2007]

08:26 PM on 11/17/2010

And people call Beck listeners violent....

[freddychef]

10:31 PM on 11/18/2010

time to employ a Sharon Angle 2nd admendment solution on all fox shills.

[cheeeeeeese]

07:38 PM on 11/20/2010

A union would do that?