Today’s Good News: Poor People’s Invisibility Noticed
I know it sounds like grasping at straws. But I’m happy to have some relief from the sneaking suspicion that I’m the only person who notices that there is no coverage of poverty or poor people in the media – MSM or alternative – and that that’s not a good thing. Came across a nice column from E.J. Dionne called “In Other, Non-Dog News,” (see it here), in which he asks if we care more about dogs than humans. He contrasts the recent wall-to-wall coverage of Michael Vick and his dogfighting, plus Leona Helmsley’s leaving $12 mil to her dog while cutting out her grandchildren, to the deafening silence about the new Census report showing that – surprise – more people now lack health insurance. He also cites a FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Media) study showing that, while Katrina brought a brief spotlight to the struggles of the poor, the light didn’t shine very long.
Dionne gives props to the MSM for their strong initial coverage of the hurricane, noting, “There is another lesson from Katrina: that covering poverty and inequality makes for compelling journalism.” He goes on to describe how George McGovern’s life was changed by viewing the 1968 CBS News documentary “Hunger in America,” that he’s still working on ending hunger, and that these are the important stories.
By the way, Dionne wrote a book some years ago called “Why Americans Hate Politics” that I consider essential to understanding why our country is where it is today.
The FAIR report, “Katrina’s Vanishing Victims,” is required reading: see it here.
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