Holidays bring really dopey story assignments from editors desperate to fill the newspaper. But, hey: 'Tis the season, right?I plead guilty! Yours truly recalls the day when he, too, discovered there were women in prison. And some of them had kids! And that meant mothers behind bars -- on Mother's Day! (Frankly, I'm surprised I could only find two Gannett papers heaving that holiday chestnut into print today. Don't worry: Father's Day is June 15.)
The News Journal, Wilmington, Del.
- Story: Bonding behind bars
- Mom: Lashawnda Jones, 29, a bank robber serving six years, has been locked up since before son Elijah was born.
- Home sweet home: Baylor Women's Correctional Institution, New Castle, Del.
- Obligatory cognitive dissonance: The clank of the metal door didn't frighten 3-year-old Elijah.
- Quotable mom: "Give me the money or I'll shoot you."
The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press
- Story: Missing mothers
- Mom: Patience Francis, 31, sold two hunting rifles to a federal agent for $160. Previous legal run-ins included an arrest for repeatedly stealing from a grocery store, plus a DUI. She has at least three kids.
- Home sweet home: Dale Women's Facility, Waterbury, Vt.
- Obligatory cognitive dissonance: Save for the high brick walls and concertina wire, Saturday’s tea party was perfect.
- Quotable mom: "Nobody told me I was special."
Was it the assignment to spend Mother's Day with a mom -- who was a man, before her sex-change operation? Use this link to e-mail your worst holiday story assignments; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right. Or leave a note, in the comments section, below.[Images: Susan Hayward, in 1958's I Want to Live!]
Might be interesting to mention what some other Gannett papers did with their Mother's Day stories. Must be some good angles out there.
ReplyDelete@3:53 p.m. Anytime anyonewants to point me to some of the great work we all know gets done daily across Gannett, LET ME KNOW! (Please.) How else will I have a chance to showcase it on Gannett Blog?
ReplyDeleteFor good taste, it's hard to match The Courier-Journal, which had a story on what a great job the HBO series "Big Love" does with that ever-popular Mother's Day topic: polygamy. Here's a link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080511/FEATURES07/805110319