Responding to the "economic hurricane"
We don't cover our corporate self all that well. Many times, not well. When the corporate side invests in a community project -- think Festival of Lights or Kids Voting -- the news side doesn't necessary promote it prominently in the news columns.
So, you might ask, when you splash this story on the front page, what makes Operation Greensboro Cares different?
I was asked the same question in-house. Answer: It's a good cause during a time of great community need. With the economy faltering and people hurting, the community should -- and knowing Greensboro, will -- rally to help. The newspaper ought to crusade to help those among us who are hungry and homeless. It is a way to fulfill part of Finley Peter Dunne's call to "comfort the afflicted."
Would we do it if we weren't a major sponsor? That's a tougher one to answer. I hope that we would. The worthiness of the cause is certainly still the same.I hope we would not be slower off the mark, although I fear we would. In any case, I'm glad we're part of this fund-raising. We will be writing more about the need and where the money will go. I hope it helps.
Friday update: Of course, we could have crusaded this way. Just don't tell Allen.
Comments (1)
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So should we feel okay if we put money into reporting a story (reporter salaries, print and web pages etc.) that is essentially a crusade to identify a problem, its causes and its cure, but bad if our organizations puts some money toward solving the problem and/or answering a need? Agreed its a tricky one.
But a lot of people think journalists "stand outside and above" the issues and other people under the banner of "objectivity."
Posted on December 5, 2008 9:47 AM