Giving "invisible" people a media voice

Excerpts from the award-winning public service journalism series

By Catherine Rourke

2004-2006

Recipient of a 2006 Arizona Press Club "Community Journalist of the Year" Award

This ongoing compilation of journalistic exposés reveals the truth about the everyday reality of the city's "invisible" people, struggling to make ends meet while providing vital services to the local community - whether putting out fires or taking out the trash - in an affluent city that thrives on their labor and contributions to society.

Journalist Catherine Rourke initiated the column in 2004 “to inspire local residents out of complacency and into action.” Designed as "a voice and presence for Sedona's unheard and unseen residents," it offered an in-depth analysis of the issues of those with a weak local media presence: seniors, affordable housing, health care, undocumented immigrants, workplace challenges and other socioeconomic community concerns.

Originally published in the former Sedona Red Rock Review as an ongoing series titled "Tales from the Trenches," these reports are now updated and reprinted here with permission from the publisher, who agreed to concede all copyrights since they were created as a pro bono example of public service journalism without any remuneration to the reporter.

Rourke received a "Community Journalist of the Year" award from the Arizona Press Club in 2006 for her column series, which was selected out of more than 2,000 entries for the award regarded as one of the highest journalism honors in the state since 1992.

The CJOY award recognizes "exceptional writing that enhances the goals of the journalism profession as well as the quality of life of community residents." According to the press club, “...being out in the community, talking and listening to the people who live there and voicing their needs and concerns” rank high among the qualities the judges value in the award competition. In addition, the panel looks for "coverage of local issues that are often overlooked or misunderstood.”

                                          Making sweeping changes by giving all walks of life a media presence...

In its 2006 annual awards journal, the press club reported:

In order to tell her tales, Rourke picks up the garbage with trash collectors, burns toast with waitresses, chases fire trucks with EMTs, makes beds with immigrant housekeepers, delivers meals to shut-ins and flushes toilets with janitors, peeling through the layers of affordable housing, health care, immigration and other pertinent city issues. She chronicles the triumphs, trials and tribulations of the city's residents, celebrating their contributions to the community, exposing their truths, and offering possible solutions to Sedona's socioeconomic challenges.

Her blog, “Rebel with a Clause” also welcomes the “unheard voices” in her community while highlighting what she describes as "the need for “greater coverage of health care issues – a growing concern that is only going to get worse before it gets better.”

Rourke writes in her column: “In the humblest members of our community I have found remarkable courage, amazing resilience, raucous humor, grace under pressure, simple truths and astonishing beauty. My stories are intended to instill greater compassion for these individuals while giving them a presence in a media culture often more focused on high-speed chases and celebrity sensations. In doing so, it provides a pathway to initiate citizen dialogue and catalyze solutions for positive social change. Journalism is a sacred trust because it impacts public thought, opens minds and hearts and ignites the fire of community spirit.”

The following columns sparked some of the greatest debates and community responses, from the city council chambers to the chamber of commerce and the residents themselves.

Click on the story to read the full report:

Trash Collectors: Waste Deep