Exceptional Service: Serving Coffee

Student-run café opens in Corona – CBS Los Angeles (cbsnews.com)

Were special education students included in the story? NO.  A student and teacher were interviewed, but special education isn’t mentioned. Students receive a certificate upon completing the program.

Norco special needs students gain real life experience by running coffee cart – CBS Los Angeles (cbsnews.com)

Were special education students included in the story? NO. A supplier and teacher were interviewed in a live report.

What needs to change?

Include special education students in news reports about them.

The Corona and Norco stories were both live reports on “KCAL News on CBS Los Angeles”, which is the primary station of the CBS duology in Los Angeles. At least these stories were on KCBS instead of KCAL, on Mary 14 (Norco) and May 15 (Corona), during the year 2024.

Contrast the headlines. “Special needs” students get “real life experience” while general education students have a “student-run store” open.

Except for the B-roll for the Norco “special needs” story, most of the focus was on the people being served, orthose who  made it possible, making it about the people who support the coffee cart instead of the cart itself, and the people who run it.

Meanwhile, Corona was focused more on the students working in the kitchen.