I originally heard about this NY Times piece through a friend of mine, the photographer for the story. Brett, wherever in the world you and your camera are now, thank you!
Apparently the economic shifts of Columbia, South Carolina parallels closest to the economic shifts of the country, as a whole.
But how could a place this beautiful...
...be such a complete disaster?
Born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina...aka "Cola," much like our beloved (sort of.) little "CoMo," you can understand my excitement to read anything the Times had to say about it. Columbia, SC is my heart, my home, my safe haven. It was extremely discouraging to read about these men and women's personal struggles for financial security because to me, these people were much more than a name. The places described and experiences shared are all ones of which I am far too familiar. They say bad news travels fast...it somehow always manages to find me at Mizzou despite being a 13 hour car ride away. Gotta love technology. But seriously, I really am getting tired of the phone calls reporting another friend's parent having been layed off or buddies of mine not returning to school this semester so they can devote more time to simply making money. It's disheartening. Truly.
My mom called me the other day after she was perusing the isles of Stein Mart for last minute birthday gifts. She told me about this woman, an employee, that was helping women in the dressing room and explaining she was only doing this to make ends meet. She had been forced to take early retirement from a job she didn't mention and even now was having her Stein Mart hours slashed in half because of the economy.
If Columbia, SC really is a microcosm of the country, then the country is in BIG trouble.
...as if we didn't already know that.
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As for my personal news gathering process, I've come up with a technique that is quite entertaining and really does lead me to some great stories. I'm apprehensive to even say what it is because everyone is going to steal my idea and nab the good ones first...but ok. I'll share.
CRAIGS LIST!
I could be on that site for hours upon hours anyway, so why not be looking for potential stories? Much like the phone book technique of just making random phone calls, I scan the random listings for anyone and anything that sounds interesting. And believe me, CoMo provides plenty of unique material! I always enjoy the search for a story. It's like winning a bet when you know you've landed a good one. I love the idea of reporting. Getting to meet so many interesting characters with amazing stories to tell never gets boring. Everything is great...until I get back to the lab. Walking into that room is like walking into a black hole. Hours pass in the blink of an eye and yet, there I am, still editing the SAME PACKAGE. I guess it can only get better from here. If not, don't tell me. I'm trying to remain optimistic for as long as possible.
Haha that's a fantastic idea actually to use Craigslist...Can't believe people don't use it more often for story ideas.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out. I'm glad to see this story shared with others! Just spoke with the writer, about the next few installments of this year long project not too long ago, and it should be very eye opening. Craigslist is a great tool. I did an entire series of 12 photo columns in college from ideas that I found only looking in the classifieds, so you are definitely on the right track.
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