The Landry News

Following the edition of The Landry News with the divorce story, Mr. Larson receives a letter informing him of an official hearing because he let inappropriate material be published in the newspaper. At first, Mr. Larson thinks he deserves this because he’d been such a bad teacher, but he soon realizes the situation is an educational experience that can be taught by “Mr. Larson, Teacher” (102).

In class, Mr. Larson hands out a packet of information about what the hearing will entail so his students can go into the situation prepared. He believes this is an excellent opportunity to teach them about freedom of the press and what happens when that freedom is challenged. Cara starts class feeling terrible but, as the lecture continues, she relaxes. The last page of the handout is blank except for the word “conclusions.” Cara is used to filling blank pages with truth, so to her, “that final page looked like hope” (106).

On the bus, Cara and Joey are glum until they realize the principal said they had to stop producing The Landry News—not