Like others, I was hopeful that the storied news magazine would provide a picture that was not only reflective of how the city got to where it is, but also how it is battling to move forward beyond the old narratives, anecdotes and tales that have defined and confined the city’s ability to grow for decades.
And so I hurried home Sunday evening to make sure I caught the entire presentation by “60 Minutes” correspondent Bob Simon after weeks of conversation about what the revered program was going to show the world about Detroit.
I initially began to be suspect of Simon and his assignment when I read his description of Detroit as another Somalia in the Midwest before his story aired. No big deal, I said to myself. I wanted to give Simon the benefit of the doubt because I can understand how the traveled newsman may be jaded by some of the despair he’s witnessed in the Motor City, like any of us.
Nonetheless, I still wanted to see his story because it was an opportunity for Detroit’s pain and comeback to be told by an outlet that has long built its reputation on fairness, independence and trenchant journalism.
That is why most people watch “60 Minutes” — because they believe that it remains one of the last frontiers of trenchant journalism even as the digital age begins to rapidly transform how we deliver news. That still has not changed the fact that the news program continues to attract leaders at the highest levels in this nation including President Obama who, like presidents before him, still see “60 Minutes” as the outlet to give thoughtful television interviews to.
So I expected a thoughtful analysis, coverage of the biggest municipal bankruptcy that rocked the financial foundations of global powers like China forcing Beijing to examine how it funded its local governments.
To my disappointment, “60 Minutes” only dedicated 13 minutes to telling the crucial story of the largest bankruptcy of its kind in the nation, and the entire segment was based on covering the extreme circumstances in Detroit and the obvious dysfunction of city services, including police and fire, and the ubiquitous blight we have.
Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken Loans, who has purchased almost 40 buildings downtown and moved his signature companies to the business district with thousands of employees, making him a central player in Detroit’s renaissance, was interviewed.
Gilbert has since dismissed the “60 Minutes” report as “ruin porn” and said he expected more from “60 Minutes.”
Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr also was seated for the interview, as was the case with John George of Motor City Blight Busters and Detroit Institute of Arts CEO Graham Beal.
But what the segment failed to show was the efforts being put into bringing the city back. That despite the same old Packard plant “60 Minutes” showed that has been used by national outlets for years as a symbol of Detroit’s decline, Detroit has communities that are rejuvenating themselves into vibrant neighborhoods like Brightmoor and other communities.
There are neighborhoods being transformed into robust communities.
What the segment did not do was to chronicle the number of young professionals — Black and White — who are moving back to Detroit, passing on choices such as New York and San Francisco and choosing the Motor City instead because of its promise of a city with huge potential and their determination to be a part of that resurgence.
What the segment woefully and unforgivably omitted was, in a majority African-American city, the number of people who are diversely engaged in thought and perspective in creating a renaissance Detroit which includes Blacks in prominent positions rewriting the next chapter for Detroit, as an example of what committed individuals are willing to do for their city. This despite the sense of pessimism that often tends to negate the bright lights of transformation and innovation.
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