Media Deserves Blame for Homelessness

The San Francisco Chronicle still identifies the homeless problem as primarily caused by problem individuals such as campers in Golden Gate Park, and blames advocates, rather than the media and politicians, for the persistence of homelessness. C.W. Nevius’s August 28 Chronicle column perfectly captured how the media still “enables” the federal government’s abandonment of the unhoused, and shows why the Bush Administration - like its Reagan, Bush and Clinton predecessors - feels no pressure to act.

Even prior to the San Francisco Chronicle’s focus on Golden Gate Park, I had noticed a disturbing trend in papers across the country: a city’s “progress” on combating homelessness was being evaluated without regard to the Bush Administration’s refusal to provide the money to solve the problem.

I attributed this inaccurate reporting to two factors.

First, the traditional media is weary of pointing out Bush shortcomings. Having detailed the president’s abandonment of Katrina victims, the media does not feel the need to provide another major analysis of the “President ignores the poor” frame.

Read More