Two questions for Bobby Ampezzan about how Arkansas Public Media works, what experience you need to publish there, etc
- What in your background/experience prepared you for your position as managing editor?
- How do you vet information? or How do you recommend your writers vet? or What are key red flags to know you shouldn’t trust information?
At least one question or a significant observation on reporting on the working poor from Ch. 2 of Nickel and Dimed.
In chapter 2: “Scrubbing Maine” of Nickel and Dimed something I noticed about the reporting is that much of what someone would consider typical reporting is often found in the footnotes. Ehrenreich chooses to write heavily in a narrative style then add context with facts in the footnotes. I think this is an interesting strategy because it keeps the reader engaged and as if they’re hearing it from someone they may know rather than a never to be known/knows more than I do/I can’t relate reporter. It gives the story emotion and allows the reader to feel compassion or empathy for her situation, and in turn the challenging situation so many Americans face in making ends meet.
List two examples of how the NY Times writer uses detail in The Holdouts. For example, how does she describe cigarettes? How does she describe a sense of community?
The NY Times writer uses detail in a metaphorical sense. The first comparison she makes, “most conversations lasting only as long as the ember at the tip of their cigarettes.” emphasizes that the gratification the smokers are getting is short lived, and that they–the cigarettes–like the conversations are lacking in depth.
ehhhhh I do have a problem with the “she pocketed the cash and lighted up anyway” I’m thinking that should be lit up anyway… come on NY Times….but I digress.
anyway… Another use of detail in this story I think is worth mentioning is “he and the others point out that their smoke rings are nothing compared with the fumes buses belch out onto city streets. They wonder aloud why the city does not address that hazard. Not that they don’t know: People need buses. People don’t need smokers” this is an interesting detail to me because although it does seem to have a degree of speculation–do they really know this is the reason? The subjects may feel like they ‘need’ the cigarettes so maybe this is the same concept?–it is an interesting point to compare the cigarettes to emissions by public transportation. If the motive to decreasing smokers is truly a health concern by the public then why don’t they take these emissions as seriously? Because they aren’t the ones suffering the consequences of addition, but if buses were suddenly stigma-d as public health risk number one and slowly outlawed and become fewer and farther between the social construct of those who continue to use the bus as their way of commuting would be associated with the negative stigma as well. I’m not saying smoking is good and I’m not saying public transportation is bad. Just making connections here.
Chart with census income: find your assigned county’s median income, the number of people in $15,000-$24,999 wage band, and the percentage of people in the $15,000-$24,999 wage band, compare to state and national averages.
My assigned county is Benton. Median income:$59,016 People making $15,000-24,999: 8,223 Percent of people in same wage bracket: 9.3% Comparison to state and national averages: Benton County’s median income is higher than Arkansas and national medians. The percent of those in this wage bracket is the lowest of the three.
Identify a low-wage worker you intend to interview for the class
at this time 10:03 on Tuesday night I have not found a low-wage worker to interview. However I do have more ideas outside of restaurants…
Maybe the woman who drives my apartment shuttle to and from campus every 45 minutes, or the custodian to the bus station I saw switching trash bags while I waited for the bus one night (working for the university I’m not sure this custodian is a low-wage worker) these are a couple options I would like to explore further. I am tentative to reach out to people considering this is a sensitive topic. Hello, I’m a reporter. Do you struggle to make ends-meet even with a full time job? I feel the need to tread lightly.
Aubry – This is an interesting question for Ampezzan: “How do you vet information? or How do you recommend your writers vet? or What are key red flags to know you shouldn’t trust information?”
Make sure to ask it.
Very good point about the footnotes in Nickel and Dimed. As a heavy footnote generator (my dissertation had hundreds of footnotes. Ay yi yi…), I didn’t really pick up on this as a literary device.
This is very well said. A nice turn of phrase — “-the cigarettes–like the conversations are lacking in depth.”– “The NY Times writer uses detail in a metaphorical sense. The first comparison she makes, “most conversations lasting only as long as the ember at the tip of their cigarettes.” emphasizes that the gratification the smokers are getting is short lived, and that they–the cigarettes–like the conversations are lacking in depth.”
As for reaching out, let’s discuss this in class. I am really glad you brought this up. It’s worth trying to write down some options for how that introductory conversation would go. It is a sensitive topic.
“Hello, I’m a reporter. Do you struggle to make ends-meet even with a full time job? I feel the need to tread lightly.”
Or try this:
“I wanted to ask you a question, if you don’t mind. I am a journalism student and we are trying to understand the stories of regular working people. We’re trying to tell the story of how do people make ends meet, pay the rent, buy food and the rest. How is going with you?”
OR
“Do you have a minute? I wanted to see if you could help me out for a journalism project I am working on. We are reporting on the nuts and bolts of how people make ends meet — we read about prices going up here, people working several jobs, struggling to pay the rent, save for retirement and the rest. Is it harder to make a living now then, say, five years ago?”
I would write the Benton County question in this format:
Benton County has 8,223 households, or about 9 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 below the state average of about 13.5 percent of households earning this minimum wage band but it is far more than the national average of 10.2 percent.
Benton County’s median household income was $59,016 in 2016, higher than Arkansas statewide median of $42,336 and national median of $55,322.