A mixed bag: Homeless in L.A., Doris Lessing and the MBTA

A New York Times article on a recent Los Angeles decision not to arrest people sleeping on the street could be a prime opportunity to discuss homelessness in that city--instead, the article is just another report on a city council decision. The article interviews two people who could have provided statistical information on homelessness in L.A.--one from the A.C.L.U. and one from the Los Angeles Coalition to End Homelessness and Hunger--but the only statistic it gives is the amount of housing the city intends to provide in the near future and the number of homeless living on Skid Row. The article does not suggest that this is the only place in the city where the homeless can be found, so why does it not mention an overall estimate of the homeless population? Also, by mentioning Skid Row, the reporter conjures up many mental images and stereotypes from film, literature and history, but the article itself does not convey any sense of what that place is like, or what the people are like who sleep on the street there. The byline says Los Angeles, but this article could have been written from a desk in New York.

The Washington Post's article on Doris Lessing winning the Nobel Prize offers a much more comprehensive picture. The article offers a brief biography, discusses the importance of her writing and provides an answer from the Swedish Academy to why Lessing is only now being honored for her work. It might have focused a bit more on her writing, but the biographical information is also very informative in understanding the experiences that shaped Lessing as a writer.

The Boston Globe offers commentary along with reportage in an article on the introduction of T-Radio to the MBTA. Reporter Noah Bierman seems to speak for Bostonians as a whole with phrases in the first two paragraphs that suggest a nearly audible groan at the prospect that he will have to listen to Top 40 music, trivia and celebrity gossip while waiting for the T. That said, he does collect quotes from several riders who find the idea favorable, or at least are not so strongly opposed to it.

The Canton Citizen airs concerns about changes near a T station farther from the city in the latest article covering the proposed construction of a large-scale retail and housing development in neighboring Westwood, MA, at University Station. While the article seems to have little new to report, it keeps residents updated on the Board of Selectmen's efforts to make sure the town's concerns are heard.