The vibrant Detroit riverfront was not shown in the “60 Minutes” report.– Photos courtesy Detroit Riverfront Conservancy
Like hundreds or perhaps thousands of people, I looked forward to the CBS “60 Minutes” “Detroit on the Edge” report Sunday evening, especially in the wake of the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history taking place before our very eyes.
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.
Faye Nelson, an African-American, is CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, one of the city’s proud jewels that just clocked 10 years a few weeks ago. The story of the riverfront, a billion- dollar project, is one of the most enduring stories in Detroit’s comeback. The present state of the riverfront sharply contradicts its past.
The kind of coalition that was created to develop the riverfront shows that despite the intransigence around race, honest and diligent people of goodwill can come together for a project and make it work for the greater good.
Why wasn’t Nelson interviewed to tell the story of how thousands of families from all corners of the city and beyond look to the riverfront as peaceful destination, despite the burden and the difficulties of trying to cope with half-baked city services? The riverfront sits between Detroit and Canada, making it an international tourist attraction.
The success of the riverfront is an example of coalition building and that is a story “60 Minutes” correspondent Simon could have told. Detroit and its people are intelligent and creative and the riverfront is a product of that creativity. If Simon wanted to do a meaningful story on Detroit, following are some recommendations for him.
George Jackson, CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, has negotiated every major development downtown. Cindy Pasky, is chairperson of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, an organization that has pivotal in the comeback of the city. U-SNAP-BAC is a community organization on the city’s east side run by Linda Smith that is helping to revitalize the city.
Where Simon failed the journalism test is on the question of balance. Even if the intent of the piece was to be scandalous or extreme, the reporter has an obligation to tell the other side of the story, and there are two sides to every issue.
Contrary to what some believe, not everyone is inclined to gravitate towards the most chilling, titillating or simply unjustifiable negative presentation. The business of journalism requires of those who strictly report the news to do so in such a way that presents a balanced picture of the subject matter. In this case, Simon failed the aptitude test — Journalism 101.
By coming out fully to compare Detroit to Mogadishu, the capital of war-torn Somalia, days before his report was aired, Simon showed the intention of his report: simply confirm his Mogadishu opinions about Detroit by brandishing the extreme on television. He failed the canon of journalistic fairness, which is to strive to be as neutral as possible.
In a rather awkward way, Simon trapped himself in a so-called balanced report that only showed how little attention he has paid to Detroit, and also underscores the danger of walking right into hotbed issues or coverage subjects without an open mind. He came in with his mind already made up. He left with the Mogadishu designation before he unleashed a Detroit report that only confirmed his prejudice.
The “60 Minutes” Detroit treatment should cause all of us to ponder, and especially note what the British journalist Nick Davies wrote in his book “Flat Earth News,” which exposes falsehood, distortion and propaganda in the global media.
Davies contends that sometimes journalists find themselves using recycled information and opinions that are in the public domain as legitimate news. In fact, he says it is not journalism but, rather, “churnalism.”
In this case Simon’s view of Detroit as another Somalia and its direct correlation to his report are part of biased and subjective opinions about the city that often grace the pages of national media reviews.
There is nothing new there. Instead of showing the total perspective about the city, it appears Simon basically ignored the simple journalistic tenet of the fourth estate: tell the whole story.
Even a high school broadcast student could have produced the report that Simon did if they had a camera crew. The report itself was clearly devoid of any cogent analysis of the city’s long historical struggle nor did it give the viewers an understanding of what the biggest bankruptcy in American history means for other financially struggling cities.
Rather, Simon made it look as if getting the real story was difficult and that this was supposed to be the final rendering of what other news organizations have found it difficult to convey about Detroit over the years.
Same old story.
We were greatly disappointed.
Bankole Thompson is the editor of the Michigan Chronicle and author of the forthcoming 2014 book on Detroit titled “Rising From the Ashes: Engaging Detroit’s Future with Courage.” His most recent book “Obama and Christian Loyalty,” deals with the politics of the religious right, black theology and the president’s faith posture across a myriad of issues with an epilogue written by former White House spokesman Robert S. Weiner. He is a political analyst at WDET-101.9FM (Detroit Public Radio) and a member of the weekly “Obama Watch” roundtable on WLIB-1190AM New York. Email him at bankole@bankolethompson.com and visit www.bankolethompson.com.
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