Behind the Headlines

I found out last night through the vine of grapes that is Monroe County – one of the guys we featured in the Homeless Warming Center story received a steady job shortly after the story ran.

Earl, the guy who had welded for more than 30 years but lost his job late last year, is reportedly now making a hefty hourly wage doing what he does best. I was told it was related to our story, so I’m not just basking in the glow on pure speculation. Also, one of the other guys – unclear at this time who, but I’m guessing Al, got some work too. Not sure if it’s ongoing or one time only.

I won’t get all preachy about it, but it’s amazing when something like this can come together. Let me explain a little more. it’s sometimes difficult to do these stories, not because the people we talk to have had hard lives or are basically good but surrounded by an orbit of circumstances they find difficult to fight their way out of. Those are emotional things to hear – like Rose talking about how she has not seen her kids in two years and how it hits her everyday – and they stick with you. But trying to put together a story without exploiting a source or feeling like we’re using them in some way is something I always keep in mind. People are sometimes so trusting with their stories and their feelings and I would hate to abuse that or become the kind of reporter who is in it for the quotes and byline. So, when something like this comes out of the work we do, it’s rather nice and validating.

Also, as Kim Brent the photographer on the project pointed out – what does it say about our community that someone read the article or watched the slide show and decided to act on what he/she saw?

Ugg – I guess that was kind of preachy afterall.