Monday, July 23, 2007
The week-long series that begins today on this page is one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by this newspaper.
“For I was hungry” documents the depth and breadth of hunger in Maine, from the dramatic increase in food pantries to the thousands of children who come to school hungry to the elderly with bare cupboards.
In one way, “For I was hungry” is not a typical newspaper series. Most series are written by news reporters or a team of reporters. But this series was researched and written solely by the Opinion page editor and not only reports the facts of hunger in Maine, but also editorializes about what should be done about this sad and urgent problem.
While the author of the series was a single person, Naomi Schalit, the opinions expressed in the series represent the thoughts of the full Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel editorial boards, which is made up of Schalit, Executive Editor Eric Conrad and myself. Every word and every opinion in the series was reviewed and endorsed by Eric and me.
Opinion page investigative series are rare at newspapers of any size, but nearly unheard of at small daily newspapers like ours. Usually, only metropolitan newspapers with Opinion page staffs of half a dozen or more can free up a writer long enough to delve deeply into a single topic. But this newspaper made a commitment to the community three years ago when I published our vision statement. We want, I wrote at the time, to become “distinguished papers of our size; we go beyond standard news coverage with journalism that informs, probes and provokes.”
“For I was hungry” is one way we can fulfill that vision.
The series begins today on page one. That, also, is not typical. Most editorials appear to the Opinion page and, after today, this series will be seen on that page until the last day of the series, next Sunday. But we wanted to get your attention — and no one misses the front page.
Also contributing to the series were Chief Photographer Jim Evans, page designer Sharon Wood and staff member Liz Comeau, who created the web page packages for the series. The series would not have been possible without the help of Kennebec Journal City Editor Teresa Hineline, Morning Sentinel reporter Alan Crowell and news assistant Dianne Buotte.
HUNGER SERIES BY DAY
MONDAY: The faces of hunger in Maine.
TUESDAY: Taking hunger out of the shadows.
WEDNESDAY: Margot Caswell’s box of food.
THURSDAY: Breakfast for all Maine children.
FRIDAY: An army of angels.
SATURDAY: Can’t even afford green peppers.
SUNDAY: A moral and social imperative.
Reader comments
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"It was very strange to me to see two obese women pictured in this article titled "For I was Hungry"
The article then goes on to tell how one of the woman cannot buy food and gets food stamps but spends money on cigarettes."
What was strange to me was that one woman pays $250 a month in rent TO HER SON! Doesn't the family have a higher moral obligation to take care of it's members than the general public?? I could never imagine making my disabled mother pay me rent.
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The article then goes on to tell how one of the woman cannot buy food and gets food stamps but spends money on cigarettes.
Couldn't you guys come up with people who really have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own?
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