News Coverage - Going Deeper

Looking For Depth

There are stories that lend themselves to in depth coverage. In depth coverage is something public radio listeners expect. They want to look beyond the headlines. These stories also lend themselves to continuing coverage.

After the crash of 2008, listeners looked to public radio and television to give a broader perspective to the great recession. Because of the slow recovery and other issues, this story is still with us.

Disappointing Numbers

Lower than expected job numbers came out last Friday. The number of new jobs was about half of what was expected. NPR reports that 126,000 new jobs were created. Experts were thinking the economy would add 245,000 new jobs in March.

March Employment Report Shows Growth — But Disappointing Numbers

For U.S. Workers, The March Of Progress Slows Down

Contributing Factors

Some are saying the weather had a lot to do with the disappointing numbers. Because of the series of storms that rolled through in February and March...the construction industry took a hit. So did oil drilling.

Taking the Long View

There might be something deeper according to Doug Handler, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight. The economy has been expanding for six years. The thought is this might be a cooling in the economy after a period of sustained growth. Looking further at the longer trend, unemployment over the past year has improved from 6.6% to 5.5% in one year. March may have been a blip...or it may be the tip of the iceberg. Either way, the story lends itself to coverage that goes beyond the headlines. It can go beyond the two in depth stories linked to above.

Something Bigger

As I look through the story ideas below, it occurs to me I'm defining APM's Marketplace's Sustainability Desk. or Marketplace itself. I'm also thinking in terms of using station resources to create something that will have a lasting impact on the listeners we serve. There needs to be a place where overarching stories come to live. A program where these big issues can be discussed. A destination program where we can go deeper. You might be thinking, "No way. We don't have the resources." Think again, You don't have to go it alone. There are partnerships and alliances that can be created to find the resources.

Depth

There are other issues that are effected and effect the employment figures including:

• Unemployment in your region
• The real jobless rate.
• Have people given up?
• Underemployment/Temporary employment.
• The working poor.
• Discrimination. (Estimates of the cost of racism reach as high as two trillion dollars a year.) 
• Unemployment and race 
• Sexism.    
• Ageism.
• Faithism.
• Low wage jobs.
• Job training.
• SNAP benefits.
• Unemployment and social services.
• Unemployment benefits.

These are just some of the issues that could be explored, but I think you get the idea. Jobs matter to our listeners. The economy matters to our listeners. I think we owe it to them to cover this with more than the headlines or just one three-and-a-half minute feature.

Marketplace Wealth and Poverty Desk on Public Radio

A discussion on the Real Life Survival Guide about how we handle personal finance led me to an interesting and much more serious place.




Introducing the Marketplace Wealth and Poverty Desk | Marketplace from American Public Media

Marketplace from APM is introducing the Wealth and Poverty Desk to highlight stories about the concentration of wealth in the United States and the widening gap between those who have that wealth and the rest of us.

The Marketplace Morning Report ran a story on February 27th that tried to explain wealth. Thomas Shapiro of the Institute on Assets and Social Policy at Brandeis explains in the report that wealth is surplus security. According to the story one in four Americans do not have surplus security.

Does this matter?

Late last year Pro Publica reported the gap between richest and poorest is far greater than it used to be. In the Fall of 2011, Max Fisher of the Atlantic reported that the United States ranks among the worst in the world when it comes to income inequality. We're right there with Cameroon, Madagascar, Rwanda, Uganda, Ecuador, Mexico, Côte d'Ivoire, Sri Lanka, Nepal and, Serbia. Some of these countries are embroiled in destabilizing conflicts. The wide gap between rich and poor is a source for political instability.


The focus on accumulating wealth runs deep. Yesterday there were two reports in the Hartford Courant about greed and where it leads. In one story a Youth Leader at the Boys and Girls Clubs admitted stealing $470k from the Waterbury club. In the other, a former CEO of Latex International made a guilty plea to stealing $1.7 million from his company to support his lifestyle. That company's HR Director plead guilty back in December of stealing the same amount. There was also a report on how vandals are cashing in by stealing copper and brass.


A Final Thought
How much would it cost to change things? More than billion people in the world live on less than one dollar a day. It is estimated that it would cost about 20 billion dollars to provide food, basic health and nutrition for those who are going without. In 2002 Americans spend $20 billion a year on frozen desserts. 
http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/ice-cream2.htm

uh...really?

All pledge all the time | Marketplace From American Public Media

WQED TV in Pittsburgh has devoted a digital channel to all pledge all the time.

Station management is hoping that it can raise $2000 a week.

WQED and others believe there are viewers who love pledge shows. It's HSN for the Public TV audience.

Freakonomics for Radio

American Public Media and New York Public Radio Announce Production Deal with Freakonomics Co-Author Stephen J. Dubner

WNYC and American Public Media have come up with an interesting program idea...Freakonomics for the radio.

The launch this fall will include podcasts, web content and bi-weekly features on Marketplace. In 2011 plans are to offer the features weekly on Marketplace. Five one-hour specials will also be available.

There's a lot more information about the offering at PRWeb. The link to the release is above.

KSTX Focus On Hunger

This is a great example of how community service programming can have a meaningful impact on the community. Texas Public Radio continues the Town Hall series with a solutions-based conversation on hunger issues affecting the surrounding community.

KSTX is building bridges between itself and the community. Through efforts like this the station is becoming a key player as a cultural institution in San Antonio. KSTX is playing a larger role. It is not afraid to step outside its walls and to reach beyond its website. Check out the KSTX webpage devoted to this subject and the links they provide to inform the conversation around this issue.