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Street Roots • Dec 1 -7, 2017
SOLUTIONS, from page 11
watchdog role, which is the things that
you can reveal that help people have
more power and see the options and
the efficacy they have toward the
things that you just made them
justifiably worried about.
A.W.: There’s something inherently
egalitarian and democratic about what
you’re talking about. I f you empower
people to have knowledge about a
potential solution, they can get involved
with their local school or pressure
government or put pressure on any
number of organizations or individuals.
They become more active participants in
whatever milieu they are a part of.
D .B .: You have so much more
power. The pressure you bring has
sharper teeth because you can say,
“There are things you could be doing.
And you’re not doing them. There are
no excuses. It’s outrageous,
illegitimate not to do something.”
A.W.: A t the Solutions Journalism
Network summit, in a discussion of
accountability, you said governments
lack of response goes from not being O K
to being absolutely unacceptable and
egregious. That makes this style of
journalism even more powerful and
potent.
D.B.: I think so. Journalism has to
be able to hold people accountable
and it has to keep the pressure on
News / Poetry
"If
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th e n
p e o p le fe e l pow erless.
Pow erlessness is n o t a g o o d
th in g lo r a ie m o e ra e y .
It
b rin g s ©nt th e w o rs t In h a -
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~ OAVIO BOeiySTgiM
people. But if there’s no light at the
end of the tunnel, and it’s all tunnel
and no light, then people feel
powerless. Powerlessness is not a
good thing for a democracy. When
people don’t feel powerful, they don’t
have efficacy. They become tribalistic;
they circle the wagons; they become
very protective. It brings out the worst
in human nature.
A.W.: What potential do you think
solutions journalism has to breathe
some life into the journalism industry,
which has been so egregiously affected by
the decline of print journalism and
lately by the attacks from the Trump
administration?
D.B.: I think the knowledge to build
a better world is available, and
journalists are the most important
people now to change many, many
people from fatalistic, depressed point
of view to being energized in a
grounded way.
Dignity
Page 13
Broken
By Jaison Kirk
The broken man sits alone in a
Room full of broken people.
Each alone, broken, and isolated
Huddling together for comfort.
Breaking each other is the only
Game in town for the broken spirits
Testing the limits of kindness.
The only way up is down.
Silver-skinned people doing the robot
Feeling it but not feeling much
Of anything.
I want to kiss the one I miss
Change in the way I see the world
The change I wanted for myself
Is here
Warmth, comfort, and a hand to pull
M e from the depths.
Standing now that I have picked
Myself up
Wishing someone like myself
Was around then
Grabbing the hand of one like not
Unlike myself
Dusting them off, seeing their needs
Standing for those who can’t
Standing amongst them, never on
Top of.
U
Poverty