One Unemployed Person At a Time

I have had this idea for a long time. Ever since The New York Times ran their long series of stories about the fatal victims of the 9/11 tragedy, I thought that "form" could be a good one for many other issues. The first one I thought of was for the education system of NYC (where I lived for 25 years). Year after year, stories are run about how bad the city schools are. People get up a head of steam up, and then little happens.

Like the 9/11 series, I thought a small story, 200 to 400 words with a picture, run each day, would not strain the resources of any news organization. No one story would change a system as vast as New York City's school system, but the accumulated weight of a lot of little stories might have the impact needed to improve what is, after all, the most important task we perform as a civilization: to educate our children.

One by one, I am undertaking to convince news organizations to run such a series, about people out of work, in their local markets. I do not know what kind of reaction I will get. I do know this: the elected officials who control our community chests can ignore the occasional story about unemployment. If a radio or TV station or a newspaper runs 365 stories, the plight of the unemployed is harder to ignore.

During the Vietnam War, many newspapers and television stations ran a weekly count of the dead and injured, American and Vietnamese. Not one week's count meant much, even in that era where the news cycle spun much slower than today. As the weeks accumulated, however, and people watched the totals rise, believe me, it had an impact. 

The NYT won a Pulitzer for its 9/11 series. I really do not believe anyone will win a prize writing about the unemployed. The eyes of the press should be focused this prize: the people in these stories. If a news organization undertakes such a project, it will have to be with the hope that the lives of a lot of lonely, desperate people will not evaporate without a sound.

This is what this blog is all about: making noise about the unemployed.

Stay tuned.