Guilt Trip

The Tribune carried a story today about Shelley Migneault, a former waitress who can't pay her power bills. This is fast becoming a common form of story in the Tribune: focus on one person or family to 'emphasize the plight of the poor.'

See, Shelley has fibromyalgia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). "Since last fall she has been unable to work as a waitress at Eddie's Supper Club..." Now, my beef is not with Shelley. My beef is with the Tribune.

First, the Tribune often leaves out significant facts that do not fit its world view of the helpless sufferer oppressed by the big bad world. For example, the Tribune does not point out that the primary cause of COPD is smoking, or that studies have found that smoking has been linked to increased pain in those claiming to have fibromyalgia. In other words, she might well find herself in this condition due to choices she made. Does she still smoke? Does the Tribune even ask? Could their failure to ask be due to the fact that she is far less sympathetic if she caused, even in part, her own predicament???

Second, is it really front page news that there is a person in Great Falls who can't pay his or her power bill? I know, I know, it's not just about Shelley. But how many people in Great Falls can't pay? Read the article; it doesn't say. Isn't that the point of the article? Stellar reporting.

Third, what benefits does she receive? Is she truly 'alone' in this plight? It says only that "she hasn't found many assistance programs that help adults without small children." Has she found some? Has she been found disabled by the Social Security Administration? If you want to draw us into her life, tell us the whole story.

Again, I have no knock on Shelley. I hope we never find ourselves in her position. But let's stick to reporting news rather than calculated tear-jerkers or, worse yet, propaganda edited to fit the left-wing world view.