Leave the Child Behind

Folks occasionally ask me why I spend so much time covering the newspaper industry.  Frankly, I cover it because it isn't willing to cover itself. 

Did you read that the Palo Verde Nuclear plant's safety rating was downgraded on Thursday?  Of course you did.  That little fact was covered in all of the Arizona newspapers and dozens of out-of-state newspapers.  That's because newspapers believe it is their job to expose developments in industries that are of interest to Arizonans.  Fair enough. 

But like cops who refuse to give tickets to other cops, the newspaper industry refuses to cover itself.  When the Republic really botches a story are you going to read about it in the Tribune?  Of course not.  When a Legislator says something silly, a CEO makes a mistake or an industry falters, you read it in the Republic.  But when an editorial writer, columnist or reporter makes a monumental error in judgment, you won't hear about it.

Until the bloggers, who would expose the hypocrisy of the news media?

What would happen if Arizona Public Service hired children to read its meters?  Do you think that would be a story?  Are you kidding me?  It would be a series and then it would be a Pulitzer. 

How about the fact that the Republic uses children to go door to door selling papers?  Is that a story.  Of course not.  Just ask the Republic's spokesman.  Oh, that's right, the Republic doesn't have a spokesman because they never get phone calls from reporters. 

Last May, I pointed out that a kid named Benji came to my door with his "adult sponsor" selling Republic subscriptions.  I talked to the Publisher about this and he didn't consider it a big deal.  The paper hires third party vendors and the vendors use children to sell subscriptions.  The practice continues.  I received this letter yesterday. 

Greg:

Earlier tonight I was enjoying listening to the rain outside while watching a movie on the couch.  I then hear someone knocking on my door.  No one I know knocks, they just come in.  I’m single so I guess that’s acceptable.  So I look through the peep hole before answering since it has to be a stranger.  I see a shifty-looking guy with and a young elementary school kid.  I open the door and I notice the guy has an Arizona Republic badge clipped to his shirt.  He asks if I have a few minutes for them to share something with me.  I ask what it is about and the guy tells the kid to tell me.  The kid gives a mini rehearsed speech about how he’s in school, making good grades, staying off drugs and studying hard or something.  He then asks me if I’m interested in subscribing to “The Big Sunday Paper” from the Arizona Republic to support something in the schools that keeps him off of drugs.  The kid’s act was nice, but the guy with him looked like a shady salesman who hated his job.  I told them I wasn’t interested in it because I read it online.  Which I have been doing for years. 

You aren't going to read about it in the Republic or the Tribune.  So I'll say it here.  The door to door subscription trade is a dirty business.  Children shouldn't be used as bait to sell papers.  I don't care how fast circulation is falling or how many third party vendors the management wants to hide behind.  Children shouldn't be used as bait to sell papers. 

Here's an interesting New York Times story about young people being recruited to sell magazine subscriptions door to door and then becoming trapped in a life of abuse. 

More than two decades after a Senate investigation revealed widespread problems with these itinerant sellers, and despite several highly publicized fatal accidents and violent crimes involving the sales crews in recent years, the industry remains almost entirely unregulated. And while the industry says it has changed, advocates and law enforcement officials say the abuses persist.

I'm not saying that the kids who sell the Republic are living in the same deplorable conditions of fear and abuse that the kids selling Time, Newsweek and Rolling Stone are living in.   At least I don't think they are. 

No. I think the kids selling the Republic are being dragged around for hours each day by their "adult sponsors."  They give their 30 second pitch about staying off drugs and out of gangs over and over so that folks who have no interest in buying a newspaper will subscribe in order not to hurt the kid's feelings.  No one is even claiming that the child actually gets paid.  The kids earn "points" so they can go to "camp" or have a party at Chuckie Cheese. 

Sure, the editorial writers will get all worked up about a power line that might inconvenience a tortoise.  They will tell you that the medical care needs to be free for families that make triple the poverty level.  They will complain that the schools are inadequate.  But ask them about the kids who sell their papers and they will look at their shoes. 

That's why I cover the newspaper industry.  Maybe someday it will cover itself. 

Comments

[Thomas]

Special Agent Joe Utah, on leave from Zonitics, tried to start a blog on the Republic and pointing out your issues. What help did he get from AZ blogging folks?

None.

I'd have helped but I am in Flag and never bother with the Republic anymore. Good our covering it but it would have been better working with SAJU. No offense.

[Thomas]

er our= your

[Timothy]

that's "Johnny" Utah, not "Joe."

[Jamie]

On the comment of newspaper salesman, While growing up in less than fully developed area in California we had a nice old man that only lived on the next street or two over that delivered, sold and collected the subscription dues. We never had a pushy sale calls and we never had a stranger knock on the door selling the paper. That way of selling the newspaper has all but come extinict .

[ron]

Well, actually I am MORE concerned about the downgrading of the safey of the Palo Verde Nuclear plant than I am about a kid knocking on my door to sell a paper.

It is amazing how some people apparently like to distract themselves about real concerns about safety in the community to worrying about kids knocking on doors (under the supervision of an adult) trying to sell me more birdcage liner.

Don't you think it's frightening that the Palo Verde plant has never in its history been given a clean bill of health when it comes to safety from the day it opened? Now that should anger all of us who live downwind from it!

[BobH]

Ron: It's amazing how some people like to ignore what is written. Nowhere does Greg say (or imply) that this is an either/or -- that you should care about Palo Verde or the kids, but not both. In fact he says in regard to Palo Verde "... newspapers believe it is their job to expose developments in industries that are of interest to Arizonans. Fair enough."

If you read the NYTimes article he linked (I had read it before), you'll see that it details serious abuse of the kids selling magazines by their "handlers".

When I read it, before reading Greg's post, I had a similar reaction to his -- it reminded me of the complaints, widespread in the media, about labor abuses in apparel plants, in which the media argued that Wal-Mart (for example) was responsible for the actions of their subcontractors. If that's the case, shouldn't the media be held responsible for exploitation/abuse of their sub-contractors?

In fairness, the NYT article briefly hints at this, then quotes magazine executives to the contrary and backs off.

[ron Friesen]

BobH,

Fair enough.

I am still angered that APS/Palo Verde had a 'bad chemical mix' since 1994 which corroded the system and compromised the heat transfer system. (By my math, that's 12 years of known negligence.)

While we are talking about 'exploitation/abuse' of children we should address the huge sex trade of children as young as 4 years old into our state.

Might be time for another William Wilberforce to arise in our world.

ron

[Thomas]

Thanks Timothy, end of day tiredness is my only excuse, you are of course correct.

[Linda]

I worked in circulation for the Republic in Prescott about twenty years ago.
Kids who delivered newspapers were self employed contractors just as adult auto carriers were. The kids were paid by the paper delivered so the more subscribers on their routes the more money they made for traveling the same distance each day. The kid who came to your door travels past your door every day anyway, probably while you are sleeping. He is a hard working guy in business for himself. He needs to earn his own money for some reason. Some families simply can't afford to provide everything their kids want or even need.
The shifty guy with him probably didn't want to be there. I had to do it once and I really hated it. Ughh-door to door sales!
I did it because it was part of my job and I did it for the kids. The sponsor is there so children are not knocking on doors alone.
Delivering newspapers is a time honored way for kids to make money and learn responsibility in America. The real problem is that it really isn't safe for kids to be alone on the streets any more.