The Recession and the 'Deserving Poor'

Television news is covering poverty and related issues more but that does not necessarily mean better coverage. And while swelling food-stamp rolls and unemployment lines may become media staples as the economic downturn worsens, the way poverty issues are portrayed remains constrained by political biases and stereotypes. If there's one commonality to the recent surge in coverage of economic need, it's that the focus is on the newly poor—-with particular attention to those who can claim a middle-class background.