I appreciate Allyson Hoberg's critique and of course am not surprised by Margaret Hastings' dismissal.
I would encourage readers to read the story if they haven't yet (http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z367241A5); in my opinion, it is anything but "trite." There are richer, deeper quotes than sound bites, from multiple interviews with the very homeless people who live on the Island. Unless you're prepared to argue that the people on the Island are incapable of speaking for themselves, I think writer April Wooster went above and beyond what most reporters do to speak to the actual homeless people, not primarily the "experts." That said, Allyson is correct that in retrospect, we would have had a deeper story had we talked to outreach workers (who, in several visits, we never saw on the Island). However, that single omission does not render the story shallow. I do take negative comments seriously and believe our readers should know they are out there. With her permission, Allyson's comments will appear as a letter to the editor in an upcoming Skyway News (without any response from me). Our readers deserve her thoughtful perspective. However, journalists often disappoint activists - their priorities are different than ours ...but that doesn't inherently make us wrong. This story started with a staff member's observation about how many homeless seemed to be living outdoors in a concentrated area. What were their lives like? Why were they there? We had no agenda other than to get THEIR stories. The next step was simple: talk to them. While Margaret may maintain that we "intruded on their living space," everyone who talked to us commented willingly, and we respected those who did not want to comment. Several were thoughtful and appreciated having someone to tell their stories to; it's patronizing to assume they were coerced. Besides - unless we were going to have a story peopled only by activists and outreach workers - how else were we supposed to talk to the very people we are writing about? Although it is a matter of opinion, I disagree with Margaret that we portrayed the police as benevolent. True, we didn't add horns and pitchforks; that's best left to those who are sure of the truth. We simply asked the people of the Island about their experiences with police (ranging from benign to malign) and gave the police a chance to explain their side. Because we are a community paper, we also talked to businesspeople affected by this, as well as elected officials and the two closest shelter leaders nearby. It is a neighborhood as well as societal issue. While Allyson and Margaret are leading a principled crusade for more shelter space, not all stories revolve around that mission. Unfortunately for some activists, some homeless DO choose to live outside in the summer (as opposed to current shelter conditions, which they described in their own words). Others clearly did not want to be there The story DOES point out a shortage of shelter beds, from multiple sources, including Islanders. Skyway News/Southwest Journal have, of course, done many stories about the shelter situation, from a Southwest Journal feature on Margaret Hastings' work to a story or two on her Government Center protests, to a piece about the closing of the county's overflow shelter earlier this year and the how shelter space was affected by changes at People Serving People and the Drake Hotel facilities. In the case of the Islanders, we did not know what kind of story we would get when we started. We honestly reported what we found and what they told us. We let the chips fall and I am proud of publishing this untold story of an obscure but important piece of Downtown. Let the discussion continue! David Brauer Editor, Skyway News and Southwest Journal King Field TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
