Sick Time
But the cuts to child welfare are just a piece of the tragedy that is the state budget. If the newspaper labeled the budget crisis as the tragedy it is, the news coverage of it would change. If a bus carrying a bunch of school girls went off the edge of a cliff (this happened early in my reporting career) everyone would define that as a tragedy. News organizations give that kind of story huge, almost never-ending coverage. My newspaper put half the reporting staff on the bus accident story for a week. But consider what this state budget has done — stripped food money from children we suspect were already going hungry, needed services away from home-bound seniors, pay from people who can barely pay their rent and jobs from people who might lose their houses. Here in Humboldt, two public colleges employ so many people with families. Together we face one ugly school year. State parks are closing. It goes on and on.
How can the paper do stories on festivals and parties in a time of economic panic? Instead of talking to people down in Dimmick Ranch, find people at the half-empty mall and talk to them about their jobs. Or go to the emergency room and talk to people about their insurance. As a reporter I hated doing man-on-street stories. As a reader wondering whether my neighbors are as affected by what’s going on as I am, I eat those stories up.
Two weeks ago, Myrtletown resident Tom Fredrickson describe me as clueless as to how the real world operates and naïve in my hopes when I suggested that local papers share coverage and the Times-Standard nix its national and international news to focus on important local stories. I do know how the world operates but I plead guilty to naïveté. So here is my revised wish for local coverage. In a time of skeletal staffing and stretched resources, focus on important stories. You can’t over-cover news that affects so many of our lives and livelihoods. And when going through the newswire to fill your national page, find stories closer to our homes and pockets.
Marcy Burstiner is an assistant professor of journalism and mass communication at Humboldt State University. If you have comments or suggestions for her, shoot her an email. She will be furloughed 20 days this coming year so she will have plenty of time to read it.
→ post a comment
on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent media maven
May 17
If You Tweet in a Forest
April 5
Not in My Court Yard
March 1
Take the Money and Run With It
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
More →
TWO Comments
Comment / By ben bronson / Aug. 7, 2009, 6:05 p.m.
The real criminals are the politicians that overspent in years past and bankrupted this state. It is not humane to the poor when the well-meaning run up huge debts and tax our industries to the point where they leave this state for a friendlier one.
Comment / By Ivory tower / Aug. 10, 2009, 11:53 a.m.
Reporters do enough selective stories already. Always on the side of taxing the rich to provide for the poor. Well- the rich are not the ones who get diddled over. The people who get up at 5 am to get their families off to school on time before they go to work are. The sales tax is not indexed nor is property tax, nor gas taxes nor driver’s licenses, etc, etc etc.
Many working people struggle to provide food and shelter to their families. They get what insurance they can afford “in case” something happens. Most people do not work as a college instructor who has these things provided along with great flexibiity in hours and lots of vacation time.
So go outside the tower, see what the other people paying the taxes are doing without before you urge your already biased fellow journalists to dump more guilt over people for resenting the per centage if income that goes into the welfare maw as taxes. Try living in the neighborhood full of people who “retired” age 18 by going on welfare for life. Try living as a retired non-education person trying to live on the savings paying less than two per cent per year. Feel free to volunteer to send half you before taxes income in the food bank if you feel that more needs to be done- don’t volunteer others.