A few days ago Margaret Sullivan, public editor at the New York Times, wrote an intriguing post about how well the Times and other newspapers cover poverty in the United States. Her questions include:
- But is it enough?
- Is it the right kind of coverage?
- Where are the gaps, and what is the big picture?”
Sullivan provides a troubling statistic about the state of poverty coverage (at least on the front-pages of newspapers):
The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism found that in 52 major mainstream news outlets, including The Times, combined coverage of poverty amounted to far less than 1 percent of all front-page articles.
So What?
Poverty impacts a significant percentage of the American population. Currently, nearly 50 million people live in poverty (income below $23,550 for a family of four). Given the scope of the issue, all news media should seek to devote more than 1% of their efforts at any level to telling the story.
Sullivan writes, “Occasional coverage — no matter how excellent — doesn’t get the job done.”
- How well is your local newspaper doing in covering poverty issues in your community?
- How much coverage is “enough?”
- How is your local faith community involved in advocating for expanded coverage?