Feb. 9, 2012: Stamping out food stamp abuse

Maryann commented on Greater Boston on 02.13.12
For an educated woman Emily Roony showed her ignorance by making comments such as "We took the shame out of it," "Theres 70,000 people on it. Do we really think all these people need it," and "How do I get one." A true journalist knows not to make comments that reflect their own opinions or bias when conducting an interview. A true journalist also prepares by doing research on the topic they are discussing. If Ms. Roony did this she would know that over 50 of the people who receive food stamp benefits are children. Does she really want them to be shamed by their hunger? Or does she think the shame should be reserved for the elderly and disabled who also receive food stamps? If she did her research, she would know that in order for her "to get one" her gross income could not exceed 130 of the federal poverty level. $1,180 for a single person. If she checked the census report, she would have discovered that there are over 43 million people in this country living in poverty and she might have thought twice about the comment"Do they really need it?" If Ms. Roony was a true journalist, she wouldnt have relied on secondhand information that someone saw someone buying a blender with their EBT card. She would investigated and discovered that people make one time large cash withdrawals to pay rent or bills. If Ms Roony so much as even went to the USDA web site to inquire what the amount of an average monthly food stamp allotment for an individual was $200 per month, not per week as she thought, it might have added an ounce of credibility to her title as journalist. It also would have helped if she conducted a discussion with a panel that expressed both sides of the issue. Instead, Ms. Roony now has the general public who are not familiar with food stamps or know anyone who rely on them to feed their families believing that all food stamp recipients are buying lobsterprecooked, not live. Instead of acting as a true journalist Ms. Roony perpetuated the bias against the poor that has now become the norm in this country.