Right-wing media outlets ran misleading headlines about Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's recent move against Common Core, erroneously claiming that he has withdrawn the state from the education standards. Jindal may be able to block a standardized test connected to Common Core, but he can't eliminate the standards entirely without help from the state legislature or the state school board.

On June 18, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that Jindal announced plans “to try and roll back Louisiana” from the Common Core State Standards, a set of education standards adopted in 2010 by 45 states and the District of Columbia. Recent "political turbulence," fueled by misplaced conservative media outrage, has led a few states to withdraw from Common Core.

The Times-Picayune noted that the Louisiana legislature, the state school board, and “almost all other high-ranking state education officials” have said they want to keep Common Core. It also reported that while Jindal may be able to block the standardized test, developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), Jindal himself acknowledged he can't unilaterally abandon Common Core.

Nevertheless, conservative media outlets, many of whom have been leading the anti-Common Core rage machine, deceptively spun Jindal's announcement as “withdrawing” Louisiana from the standards. The Washington Times, for example, ran a headline that read, “Bobby Jindal pulls Louisiana out of Common Core.” A post at Erick Erickson's RedState.com also claimed that Jindal was “pull[ing] Louisiana out of Common Core,” while Michelle Malkin's Twitchy posted “Jindal withdraws La. from Common Core standards.”

The right-wing media's use of misleading headlines about this story is troubling, given recent data showing that six in 10 Americans don't read beyond headlines when consuming their news.

The Times-Picayune also reported that “Jindal also notified the National Governors Association that he was removing Louisiana from the Common Core development group. That does not end the use of the standards but is more of a symbolic gesture.”

Jindal's announcement was especially notable given that he was initially considered a “staunch supporter when Louisiana signed on [to Common Core] four years ago.” As the New America Foundation's Anne Hyslop pointed out, “most of Jindal's objections appear to stem not from the quality of the standards or tests or from the bidding process, but from concerns over federal overreach.”