ArchCity Defenders held the second annual Excellence in Poverty Journalism Awards to recognize and honor journalists who contributed in-depth reporting on poverty, race and class on Thursday, July 12 at Anew Rooftop. In May, ArchCity invited the community to nominate reporters for pieces dedicated to issues that impact marginalized communities.
“Our advocacy really centers around trying to tell the story of what it means to experience and survive poverty every day and how our legal system makes it more difficult for people who are in that situation,” said Blake Strode, executive director of ArchCity Defenders, a civil rights law firm.
“For us the idea of telling the truth, telling stories about people who are surviving poverty and how our community has driven that poverty and continues to exacerbate it every day, that really is critical to the mission of ArchCity Defenders, and without that storytelling we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
Journalists and contributors from nearly 30 local media outlets were nominated and reviewed, and winners were selected in three categories: Advocacy, Audio/Visual, and Digital/Print. A panel of three judges – comprised of John Amman, Nancy Cambria, and Mariah Stewart – chose winners from The St. Louis American, St. Louis Public Radio, Belleville News-Democrat, Webster Journal, and the Riverfront Times.
ArchCity Defenders concluded the awards ceremony by presenting Donald M. Suggs, publisher and executive editor of The St. Louis American, with its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in Poverty Journalism Excellence for his commitment to publishing stories that raise critical awareness in the St. Louis region.
“I accept this award unequivocally on behalf of our colleagues at The St. Louis American, especially our journalists who choose to toil at a community newspaper at modest wages and perform multiple, often thankless, sometimes dangerous tasks,” Suggs said.
Throughout the event, ArchCity Defenders encouraged attendees to come together and rethink the way stories are written about the endemic issues that affect families all around St. Louis. Featuring a “What Stories Need to Be Told?” board, attendees contributed story ideas such as the impact of payday lending on stress, over-investment in policing and jailing, and profiles of people who are targeted by the criminal justice system.
“I am a strong believer that journalism has the power to expose injustice,” said Rebecca Gorley, ArchCity Defenders communications director.
“It has the power to raise and create awareness, and also the power to shape public opinion and guide public action. I would love for everyone to feel like they have a role in this event, and also moving forward after tonight. Additionally, my hope is that editors and outlets and journalist across the board know how important their work is.”
In St. Louis city, one in three people live in poverty; however, less than 1 percent of media coverage discusses poverty, according to ArchCity Defenders. Their stories are underreported and too often not framed within a systemic context. As a result, the misperception of poverty as a personal failing continues to misshape public opinion and misguide public policy decisions, ArchCity Defenders claim.
“Coverage of poverty specifically is rare, and the extent of which one in three people live in poverty in St. Louis this is an area that we need more coverage on,” Gorley said. “We’re really thrilled tonight to honor and recognize local reporters and contributors for their hard work and together we hope to inspire and encourage more of these critical stories to be written.”
Since 2009, ArchCity Defenders has represented over 3,600 people, resolved over 10,000 legal matters, filed 30 civil rights lawsuits, and secured $8 million in judgments awarded and $4 million in debts forgiven.
Suggs said, “Nelson Mandela advises us in his inaugural address as president of South Africa, ‘The time to build is upon us. So it is now. That’s the only way to head off a moral race to the bottom.’”
For more information on ArchCity Defenders, visit www.archcitydefenders.org, call 855-724-2489 or email mail@archcitydefenders.org.
