February Focus: Day 13
Have we gotten to a point where we simply tolerate incompetence? I cannot go on another day reporting on the absolutely insane people we’ve decided should be in charge of everything. All of their utter bullsh*t just feels intentionally done, and I have no choice but to take it personally at this point. I spent another hour on the phone, trying to find out information about these Covid testing tents. I know it sounds like I’m beating a disgusting, pandemic-era dead horse, but if you’re currently not dealing with it in your city, you can’t know what I’m going through. And I’m not about to move away from Manhattan just because a bunch of knuckleheads are in charge. As far as I’m concerned, this is my beat. I was here first after all.
And besides, where would I go? Where can I possibly run to that isn’t governed by idiots? We’ve got to accept that we’re all under the same umbrella, no matter how much Florida you may be experiencing. The wrong people are in power, and they’re only staying there because they’ve gotten too good at obfuscating the truth. They need just a little longer to make things absolutely miserable for everyone else because they’re scrambling to hide their unspeakable deeds. We’re being lied to every single day and I don’t think anyone would fault me for saying so. There’s a toxic burn over Ohio, a wide open southern border, poisonous fentanyl on American streets, and oh yeah, freakin’ fakeass space invaders overhead (and a little bit of real foreign spying too). And you know there’s at least a dozen more stories where that came from. Tune into how the inflation story unfolds tomorrow when we get January’s Consumer Price Index, out at 8:30AM Eastern!
I’m not worried, I’m utterly annoyed by it all. And I think it’s time I slow down and compile all I’ve got in order to file my final report.
I’m getting nowhere just complaining on the phone, they just give me the runaround. And it’s occurring to me that I may be the only New Yorker on the island who gives this much of a sh*t about it. So I’ve got to look at the other tools in my disposal in order to report what exactly is going on. Writing and newsgathering is all I can really offer right now, and I think if I want to see actual change, I’ve got to flex the latter skills a bit more. I’ve got news editorial skills, but I don’t often have stories of my own to break. But I think I’ve got something here, since no one seems to have the answers I seek. It’s up to me to find them, to own the story and take it as far as I can go; Write up my findings, cite my sources, reach out for comment, and hit publish. My daily reports here are good, but if this is something every New Yorker should care about, perhaps it should be submitted to a nationally-syndicated paper. They take articles from internet randoms, don’t they?
It’s an entirely new direction for me. But I figure I can keep Karen-ing and get nowhere, or start Gina-ing and do something. I’ve got to try a new way to get my story out. It’s the final idea I’ve got, and it just might be the most effective of them all. Don’t worry, I’ll still report on the news of the day. It’s just that one day you may see me be newsworthy in print, too.
balanced & fair 