- (a.) In a week when not much breaking news is happening, what do journalists at Arkansas Public Media do to create content and still produce relevant stories? (b.) What is one thing you know now that you wish you could go back and tell yourself when you first started the job?
- One observation I made that turned into a realization dealt with the maid who broke her ankle in Chapter 2. Ehrenreich panicked and did what any normal person would do, which was to emphatically suggest a trip to the ER with no more work. Instead, the maid felt more disappointed in herself for possibly upsetting her boss and letting him down in some way. Ehrenreich posed the idea that there could have been something else going on with the woman, such as a violent boyfriend at home. The fact that these people have to deal with the emotional and mental states in which they put trivial opinions over their own health was eye opening to me, and Ehrenreich was clearly affected by it, as well.
- Lizette Alvarez’s editorial choices allowed detail to shine through in her piece. One of the descriptions of Oana Marian was nicely done, as she was described as having the personality of a “parent with a gifted child who doesn’t live up to expectations”. This was used to reflect her disappointment in certain things about America after she immigrated here, including the country’s smoking laws. Another great description came in the characterization of Linda Greene’s home. Alvarez creates a scene in which Greene’s cigarette smoke creates a “haze in their one-bedroom apartment a quick walk from Madison Square Park”. The simple addition at the end allowed the reader to understand the proximity of Greene’s home compared to a place most Americans have heard of and know.
- Madison County’s median household income is $33,726. There are 976 people living in the bracket that makes $15,000 to $24,999, meaning 15.5 percent of the population. The state average is 13.5 percent, meaning a slightly higher percentage of people living in Madison County are in that bracket. The national percentage is 10.2 percent, so both averages are slightly higher in Arkansas than across the country.
- I’m going to interview a woman named Jenny who was formerly homeless but now works at 7Hills. She now has a home, but she once lived in the woods like many of the homeless individuals in Northwest Arkansas.
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Andrew – Great questions for Ampezzan. Make sure to ask both of them. Nice.
I think you captured a key section of Nickel and Dimed – the physical injuries and immense, hidden suffering as poor people make do without access to the medical system. This was right on point: ” The fact that these people have to deal with the emotional and mental states in which they put trivial opinions over their own health was eye opening to me, and Ehrenreich was clearly affected by it, as well.”
It’s funny that other students also picked up on this passage in “The Holdouts” : Oana Marian was nicely done, as she was described as having the personality of a “parent with a gifted child who doesn’t live up to expectations”.
This is a god way to write up the Madison County census data. It generally follows the format I would use:
Madison County has 976 households, or about 16 percent of the population, earning around the minimum wage, or between $15,000 to $24,999, according to a 2016 U.S. Census estimate. This is well above the state average of about 13.5 percent of households earning this minimum wage band and well above the national average of 10.2 percent.
This idea of interviewing Jenny sounds incredibly compelling and promising. Tell us more about her in class.