What Should Be In The News?
Afghanistan.
COVID.
The climate crisis.
Voting rights.
Racial justice.
Etc.
There is no shortage of big stories that demand our attention. These stories are not breaking news, although they consist of headlines of the moment. Rather these narratives define our society across decades, if not centuries. As we noted previously, we’re always in the middle of history.
Naturally at Steady we have covered these stories, albeit from our own vantage point. But we also worry that when the spotlight is brightest pointing in one (or several) big directions, a lot else ends up missed in the shadows of our consciousness.
So today in our midweek conversation we want to turn all of you into assignment editors. What stories do you care about that aren’t getting enough attention? We suspect some of you are passionate about public transportation, or caring for mental illness, or exploring the cosmos. Most likely, most of you are interested in some form of all of the above, including many other categories.
So let’s say you were an editor at a newspaper or radio or television newscast. You have your major beats covered, but you have some reporters with some free time (ok, this is a hypothetical) and they are inclined to zig when everyone else is zagging. Where would you suggest they start digging?
Some ground rules for these Wednesday chats (and also the comments sections on other posts):
I want a space where people feel safe to express their views, as long as they are offered in good faith.
I want a space where ideas can be challenged, especially my own.
I want debate. But I want it to be civil.
I want people to come here with open minds, and open hearts.
I want this to be fun as well as serious.
We can agree to disagree without being disagreeable.
I can't believe the press isn't more engaged in Donald Trump's long, long list of crimes while in office. Is he going to get away with four solid years of flouting our laws and our constitution while he was PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?? As a desperate last act, when it was clear he wasn't going to be able to bully his way into another four years, he instigated a bloody insurrection, encouraging his people to attack one of our most cherished buildings, the US Capitol, housing our most venerable institutions, the US Congress.
If the press can't bring themselves to give this a top priority, I don't know how we'll ever survive as a democracy.
While everyone is aware of the great humanitarian crisis for refugees in Afghanistan, and other war-torn countries, I am concerned with the humanitarian crisis here in the US. The folks living in extreme poverty, exacerbated by the structure of our capitalist system, who have no where to flee. Those with not enough food, no transportation, poor housing. The children growing up under these conditions are the most valuable natural resource this country has, and is wasting.