Daniel Biss wins in Illinois despite student dating scandal
Biss won the Democratic primary despite the public account of his past relationship with a student.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYReason is an established opinion magazine, and this piece identifies its author and distinguishes the author’s views from quoted claims. Its opinion format and limited original reporting warrant a lower score than a straight-news newsroom.
- Source type — An established opinion magazine; its political perspective is relevant context for readers.
- Author attribution — The article names Elizabeth Nolan Brown and presents the piece as her column.
- Editorial standards — The piece attributes Wachspress’s statements and identifies the New York Times as the source for its general-election assessment.
- Transparency — The article openly states the author’s views, but offers limited independent reporting on the underlying relationship.
The article gives a clear account of the reported relationship and quotes Wachspress’s public statements, while offering some context about changing views on professor-student relationships. It is principally an argument, relies on limited sourcing, and makes a speculative claim about the relationship’s effect on Wachspress’s career.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The author acknowledges power-difference concerns and quotes Wachspress’s account, but the column’s overall argument favors Biss and expressly questions Wachspress’s interpretation without presenting a response from Biss.
- Opinion vs reporting — The author’s judgments and interpretations are central to the piece.
- Counterarguments presented — The article recognizes concerns about professors dating students and quotes Wachspress’s account.
- Source diversity — The article quotes Wachspress and cites an academic essay, but does not present a response from Biss.
- Omitted context — The account offers limited independent context about the relationship and its effects.
The piece argues against treating the #MeToo-era interpretation of professor-student relationships as decisive and presents skepticism toward the accuser’s account of its consequences. It also acknowledges concerns about power differences, giving the argument some qualification.
- Language tone — The author says she does not completely buy Wachspress’s interpretation and argues Biss should not be disqualified.
- Framing — The article frames Biss’s win as a possible sign that #MeToo-era sexual politics are receding.
- Omission — The piece develops the author’s interpretation more than it investigates the student’s experience or competing accounts of the relationship.
Daniel Biss won the crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky, despite a newly public account of a past relationship with a student. The author argues the allegation should not disqualify Biss, while saying professor-student relationships can raise legitimate concerns.
Daniel Biss, Evanston’s mayor and a former state senator, won the Democratic primary for Illinois’ ninth congressional district after more than a dozen candidates competed for the nomination. The article says the win came despite Megan Wachspress’s recent public account of a brief relationship with Biss when he was a math instructor and she was an undergraduate. The relationship took place in 2004, and Biss ended it after deciding it was wrong to date a student.
The author argues that the relationship should not disqualify Biss, while also expressing reservations about professors dating students. She questions Wachspress’s account of the relationship’s effect on her career and suggests the story may not have reached many voters before the primary because Wachspress posted it the day before. The article says Biss is favored to win the general election, but leaves open whether the story will affect that contest.
Community verdict
VOTING CLOSED
No good or bad look here
This story reports what happened without casting Biss in a good or bad light, so readers don’t rate it and it doesn’t count toward Biss’s record.
People in this story
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Outgoing U.S. representative whose seat Biss is seeking
Part of a bigger story
10 OUTLETSOutlets agree Daniel Biss won the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District. His victory puts him in position to succeed retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky. Left-leaning outlets focus on outside spending, presenting the result as a blow to the left and AIPAC. Center outlets place the win amid wider Democratic divisions over Israel policy, outside spending and scrutiny of Biss’s past relationship with a former student. Right-leaning outlets mostly present progressive candidates’ losses as a setback, while one argues the allegation should not disqualify Biss.
- ARTICLES
- 11
- OUTLETS
- 10
- AVG CRED
- 72
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