Barth Keck
@keckb33.bsky.social
Retired English teacher, adjunct faculty/community college, columnist for www.ctnewsjunkie.com, media-literacy crusader, Baltimore native/New England transplant, lifelong Orioles fan, football coach, husband, dad, grandad, dog lover.
"Consumer Affairs ranked Connecticut public schools third best in the nation, citing high per-student spending, a graduation rate among the best in the country, and the top average ACT." The top 5, all blue states: Mass., New York, CT, New Jersey, and Washington. www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
Connecticut has the nation's No. 3 public schools, new ranking says
Connecticut public schools rank only behind Massachusetts and New York, according to Consumer Affairs.
ctinsider.com
Ted Lasso's return this week reminds me of something I wrote in 2023: "Lasso's influence goes much deeper than his aw-shucks appearance. His emotional intelligence and refreshing civility not only help the team win; they make everyone around him a better person." ctnewsjunkie.com/2023/06/12/o...
OP-ED | Words of Wisdom from ‘Ted Lasso’ for the Class of 2023 | CT News Junkie
Opinion writer Barth Keck – in this year's message to the graduates – says that rather than memories and mundane platitudes, he wants to focus on three essential ideas he culled from one of the best t...
ctnewsjunkie.com
A national disgrace: “Hearn had once carried the Olympic torch for his country, and was now worried about being the center of a political firestorm: ‘It’s unsettling to feel like I’m being targeted by my govt.’” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/07/reflecting-pool-case-david-hearn/688151/
How the Reflecting Pool Vandalism Case Fell Apart
Federal prosecutors searched for evidence and found that “a botched installation” was to blame.
theatlantic.com
Make America Healthy Again! https://www.newsweek.com/map-shows-measles-cases-across-us-as-figure-hits-35-year-high-12244155
Map shows measles cases across U.S. as figure hits 35-year high
Measles cases in the U.S. have reached a 35-year high, with a map showing infections spreading amid declining vaccination rates.
newsweek.com
“Luna, a recently retired Labrador retriever, will receive the DEEP “K9 Quilt of Honor” for her years of service in environmental conservation law enforcement.” https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/07/28/ct-deep-k9-officer-credited-with-apprehending-numerous-poachers-heads-to-retirement/
CT DEEP K9 Officer Credited With Apprehending Numerous Poachers Heads To Retirement | CT News Junkie
Luna and her partner, Conservation Officer Alexandra Blackwell, will receive the award and public recognition at the Kellogg Environmental Center, 500 Hawthorne Ave., Derby, on Thursday, July 30 at 1 ...
ctnewsjunkie.com
Making “1984” relevant again: “History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/arts/design/smithsonian-signs-trump-executive-order.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Trump Orders Warnings Placed at ‘Inaccurate’ Smithsonian History Museum
President Trump said the signage at the National Museum of American History would correct what a disputed White House report described as “extreme political activism.”
nytimes.com
Amen: "All the new domed stadiums are starting to make it feel like it's not football anymore. At least not the type of football that made the NFL what it is." www.yahoo.com/sports/nfl/a...
Chiefs' renderings of $3 billion domed stadium a reminder of what the NFL is losing with indoor venues
Many teams are moving from open-air stadiums to play under retractable roofs or domes.
yahoo.com
Oh, by the way: "Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) also raised concern about mounting civilian casualties in Iran, which are believed to range from 1,700 to more than 3,000 people killed." www.yahoo.com/news/politic...
Senate GOP expresses concern over Iran endgame after Hegseth hearing
Senate Republicans are growing increasingly concerned about what they say is a lack of a clear plan to end the military conflict with Iran, warning that rising U.S. casualties and stubbornly high gas ...
yahoo.com
As Republicans continue to fearmonger with cries of "communism," it recalls the days of McCarthyism and how John Henry Faulk scored a victory over it. I wrote about it two years ago: www.courant.com/2024/08/26/o...
Opinion: We can’t surrender our principles to the latest iteration of fear
Illegal immigration is clearly a problem in the United States. But the issue is longstanding and complex, and it won’t be solved by fear mongers spewing hateful rhetoric.
courant.com
What are these "old books" you speak of, and why are they so essential for error-free information? www.404media.co/ai-companies...
AI Companies Are Buying Tons of Old Books Because They're Free of AI Slop
ISBNdb, a company that sources printed books for AI companies to turn into training data, tells clients “the optics problem is real.”
404media.co
“We had a significant security incident during evaluation of our models,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said. “We are sharing what we have learned so far.” Translation: OpenAI illegally hacked a website. thehill.com/policy/techn...
OpenAI says its technology hacked another company in ‘unprecedented’ event
OpenAI said Tuesday that one of its artificial intelligence systems hacked into another AI company’s servers on its own during internal testing, in what the ChatGPT maker described as an “unprecede…
thehill.com
My new op-ed: “As the current president of the United States continues his relentless assault on truth, the likelihood that Trump succeeds in his efforts to control the next election only increases.” https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/07/20/opinion-trump-takes-strategy-right-out-of-1984/
Opinion | Trump Takes Strategy Right Out Of ‘1984’ | CT News Junkie
Columnist Barth Keck writes to remind us that the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 began with a lie. “We won this election, and we won it by a landslide,” asserted outgoing President Dona...
ctnewsjunkie.com
I wrote this in 2023. Legal testimony under oath should still matter: “Fox News host Sean Hannity testified that he ‘did not believe’ the voter fraud claims of attorney Sidney Powell.” https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2023/03/20/op-ed-is-there-such-a-thing-as-truth-anymore/
OP-ED | Is There Such a Thing as ‘Truth’ Anymore? | CT News Junkie
Opinion writer Barth Keck says trust in our essential institutions – not just schools – is necessary if a society is to function properly. And public confidence in the news media has been in decline f...
ctnewsjunkie.com
The FACTS have not changed since 2021 when I wrote this: "Of the 62 lawsuits filed by the Trump legal team alleging voter fraud, 61 lost in the courts – the only successful case involved votes in Pennsylvania that did not change that state’s election outcome." www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/repo...
Many adults lack digital media literacy, but kids can learn how to tell facts from fakes | Guest opinion
"We have a generation of digital natives who are also digital doofuses — but our impressionable youth, on the other hand, can still learn anew about the power of digital information and how to discern...
tucsonsentinel.com
“So many things tie back to greed. We’re seeing CEOs and shareholders making millions and millions, and everyday people cannot afford to keep their lights on.” https://www.courant.com/2026/07/12/shes-a-ct-democrat-running-for-congress-she-says-others-not-meeting-the-moment-not-meeting-the-urgency/
She’s a CT Democrat running for Congress. She says others ‘not meeting the moment, not meeting the urgency’
“I don’t fit in because it’s all about money and who has raised the most. Money is buying influence and power.”
courant.com
“Wow! Strong words. But I feel like I’ve seen this movie before.” https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2022/10/17/op-ed-political-fearmongers-weve-seen-this-movie-before/
Great story about the origin of the “O” of the national anthem at Baltimore sports events: “Yelling ‘O!’ morphed into a uniquely Baltimore statement of hometown pride. https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/community/why-baltimore-yells-o-during-the-national-anthem-full-history-origin-story/
How Yelling “O!” During the National Anthem Became a Statement of Baltimore Pride
Unsurprisingly, the hometown tradition started during the Orioles’ rowdy, it’s-not-over-until-it’s-over summer of 1979.
baltimoremagazine.com
My latest in CTNJ: “The founders’ warning to Americans today would likely be to beware anyone – especially those in positions of power – who claim they can create a utopia for everyone.” https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/07/10/opinion-why-america-is-no-utopia/
Opinion | Why America Is No Utopia | CT News Junkie
Columnist Barth Keck says Donald Trump bears a striking resemblance to Allie Fox — a character played by Harrison Ford in the 1986 film, "The Mosquito Coast," which was based on a novel of the same na...
ctnewsjunkie.com
My latest Medium essay: “The experience of the U.S. men’s soccer team at the World Cup provides an essential lesson for not just Cougar football players, but for young athletes everywhere.” https://medium.com/@barthkeck/what-a-soccer-player-can-teach-a-high-school-football-team-5290e3ea22a3
What a Soccer Player Can Teach a High School Football Team
U.S. Men’s National Team after winning a first round game in the 2026 World Cup. (AP photo)
medium.com
"Mary Katharine Goddard was Baltimore’s first postmaster and published the first certified copy of the Declaration of Independence with the names of all who had signed it in Philadelphia seven months earlier." danrodricks.com/2026/07/03/a...
A heroic Baltimore woman published the Declaration of Independence
From the Archive: You’re forgiven if you’ve never heard of her. Mary Katharine Goddard only gained some popular attention in recent years. And attention she deserves: She was Baltimore’…
danrodricks.com
Thanks, JD! “Trump is cultural heroin. He makes some feel better for a bit. But he can’t fix what ails them…” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/opioid-of-the-masses/489911/?gift=jwrpImU1uyo9bAedf7iYwXqPYUYNmsvn5mlWzAa3O7A&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
Opioid of the Masses (From 2016)
To many, Donald Trump feels good, but he can’t fix America’s growing social and cultural crisis, and the eventual comedown will be harsh.
theatlantic.com
Seems fair. 🙄 “Nearly 84% of disaster requests from states that voted for Trump in 2024 were approved, compared to about 42% from states that voted for Kamala Harris.” https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-designated-disaster-aid-9-republican-leaning-states/story?id=134387003
Trump designated disaster aid to 9 states that voted for him while plugging GOP candidates
Trump approved over $846M in disaster relief for Republican-leaning states, combining the announcements with praise for candidates he endorsed in upcoming elections.
abcnews.com
“Ford celebrated America as a land of immigrants. He didn’t merely respond to nativist attacks. He argued that we were ‘richly rewarded’ for being a nation of immigrants.” https://www.thebulwark.com/p/this-july-4th-ignore-trump-listen-to-gerald-ford-nation-of-immigrants-independence-day
This July 4th, Ignore Trump. Listen to Gerald Ford.
Our past Republican presidents understood that we are proudly a nation of immigrants.
thebulwark.com
I wrote this a month ago. As we near the 4th, it seems even more accurate: "Pardon my nostalgia bias, but I don’t remember it feeling this way in 1976 during America’s Bicentennial celebration. As I look back, that celebration seems more buoyant and harmonious." ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/06/05/o...
Opinion | America’s 200th Birthday Was A Joyful Celebration. The 250th, Not So Much. | CT News Junkie
Columnist Barth Keck: What should be a joyful, nonpartisan celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary has apparently been replaced by a Trump rally. Pardon my nostalgia bias, but I don’t reme...
ctnewsjunkie.com
The corruption is endless: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/06/national-parks-trump-white-house-renovations/687700/?gift=jwrpImU1uyo9bAedf7iYwRkQp1fc9A_I1S1NG2ac3g0&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
'Rush Project at Request of POTUS': Trump Is Draining the National Parks to Pay for His Projects
Money once used for crucial national-park repairs is now financing Trump’s redecorating projects.
theatlantic.com
😡 "Jenny Maxwell, head of education at Superhuman, the A.I. company that makes Grammarly, urged educators to accept that most future writing would be produced in a partnership between artificial intelligence and human discernment." www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/u...
Student Cheating Is Becoming Impossible to Detect in an A.I. Era
nytimes.com
