Ghetto Life 101

I recently listened to the radio piece by radio producer David Isay and two young boys from Chicago, LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman, titled "Ghetto Life 101". The piece is done by the two boys carrying around recording equipment for 10 days to capture their lives living on Chicago's South Side, one of the most dangerous housing projects. The piece is "a portrait of poverty and danger and their effects on childhood," as according to SoundPortraits.org.

I found the piece to be very powerful. It was an honest look at the stuff that goes on in the lives of such young boys that have the unfortunate luck to have been born into such a struggling community. However, that is exactly what some people may have felt was exploitative about the piece. These two boys are tools to tell a story and get the honest reaction out of people that may not have been as open with just a regular journalist. But just because the piece was so powerful and successful, does that mean it was exploitative?

I don't really know if I feel that way. Sometimes a journalist has to be creative in order to get real honesty out of the people they want to interview. If they can add to the piece by having the interviewers be a part of the piece itself, then I think, more power to them.

I guess that I believe that these two boys have gained as much from this project creating it as Isay did producing it. Did they get the same recognition? Yes. I even read online that one of the boys is running for Senator now, 20 years after the piece was produced! I definitely think he got something out of the experience. So, vote Jones I guess!!