Category: Hardscrabble Mon Valley Watch || By

In case you missed it, the story I discussed back on Jan. 17 has finally run. Pam Fessler, a correspondent with NPR, traveled around town with state Sen. Jim Brewster and Mayor Mike Cherepko, and spent time at Womansplace and the Bethlehem Baptist Church.

The story was called "In Former Steel Town, Residents Question GOP Candidates' 'Entitlement Society' Talk," and ran on public radio stations nationwide during NPR's "All Things Considered."

Unfortunately, Fessler worked almost no cliches into her story, which renders her ineligible for the Milbank-Littwin Award for Parachute Journalism.

The Milbank-Littwin --- depicting a broad brush on a field of bull flop --- is likely to be awarded to a reporter who best exemplifies the old media tradition of "phoning it in" and making sweeping generalizations based on a few scant minutes of research. Since Fessler spent two days actually getting to know her subject, this story just didn't qualify for the Milbank-Littwin.

. . .

Luckily, we have another entry. Alert Reader Bob Braughler, who was present at the creation of the Hardscrabble Mon Valley Watch in 2008, spotted an actual use of the word "hardscrabble" in this story by reporter Michael Fuoco in the Post-Gazette.

It's about heroin and contrasts the life of an affluent addict in suburban Austin, Texas, with the life of "a middle-aged black man from a hardscrabble Mon Valley steel town." But unfortunately, the story isn't about national politics, so this entry doesn't qualify for the Milbank-Littwin, either, though we appreciated the use of the word "hardscrabble" and we did play the drinking game. (Hic!)

But remember, with more than nine months to go until the election, there's plenty of time! Send your "hardscrabble Mon Valley" sightings to tubecitytiger at gmail dot com.

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