This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Dec. 14, 2012 - Dear Beaconites -
This time of year, the holiday season adds yet another level of frenzy to our wired lives. Days already abuzz -- digitally and via caffeine -- get a supercharged shot. Or at least that's how I felt around midnight Monday while ordering presents online, catching up on email, checking the latest news and wondering whether the coffee consumed that afternoon would keep me awake.
Hooked on the speed of digital connections, we can't seem to avoid slipping into the culture of distraction they beget. But it need not be so. The Beacon offers St. Louisans the simple gift of paying attention and the commitment to sustain interest in important issues over time.
We delivered these gifts this week, as we do each week, by reporting on news that matters with depth and continuity. We put events in context so you can gauge their importance, understand their origin and assess what might happen next. We return to the same issues again and again so you can see what leads to progress and get a handle on how to solve problems.
Three Beacon stories from this week accomplished these tasks particularly well.
Washington correspondent Rob Koenig's exploration of the congressional revolving door showed that Rep. Jo Ann Emerson is only the latest of many to spin from elected office to corporate corner office. The only unusual thing about Emerson's decision to lead the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is that she's leaving so soon after reelection.
You may agree with Missouri Sens. Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt that there's nothing wrong with the move, and that it makes sense for Emerson to jump at a rare opportunity. Or you may see Rob's reporting as confirmation that elected officials are out of touch with the conflict of interest sensibilities of their constituents. Either way, the work provides context that you'll find relevant.
Also this week, Beacon reporter Dale Singer checked in on charter school reforms that were signed into law in June. Turns out they have not been implemented; the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education blames budget constraints. "As things stand, even though nearly 20,000 students in St. Louis and Kansas City attend charter schools, only one person at DESE keeps an eye on charter operations, and that is only part of his job," Dale noted. His commitment to pay attention provided a valuable reality check on the state's handling of this rhetoric-laden issue.
In a different way, our Art of Fatherhood series has demonstrated the power of sustained interest. For months, Beacon reporters Kristen Hare and Nancy Fowler have been following artist Cbabi Bayoc's project to paint 365 pictures inspired by African-American fathers. In addition to writing about the artist and the subject, the Beacon has brought to light some of the stories behind the paintings.
The story behind Day 192's painting is about Maraimm Thiam-Hill, whose mentally ill father was largely absent from her childhood. Jabir Hill, her husband and the focus of the painting, is at the center of her family now.
Taken alone, this single image of love and commitment is touching. Taken together, the many images in Bayoc's work challenge prevailing negative stereotypes about black fathers. By paying attention over time, our Art of Fatherhood series piece by piece replaces that stereotype with a more accurate image of real fathers, ordinary and extraordinary.
Amidst the holiday hoopla, we hope you'll find time to check out this Beacon reporting and to join us in appreciating the gift of sustained attention.
Sincerely,
Margie