Earlier this week, CNN’s website ran a story about Patricia Guerrero, a single mother who, after being laid off from her job, went from earning $70,000 a year to relying on a local food bank to support her family. The article places partial blame for the woman’s dire financial situation on America’s unstable economy.
The story goes into gritty detail when telling Guerrero’s story.
She’s already burned through her savings to help make ends meet, and is drawing unemployment checks. She has had to take extreme measures to pay for her interest-only mortgage of $2,500 a month. In fact, her mother moved in with her to help pay the bills. Guerrero even applied for food stamps, but was denied.
The story reeks of the omnipresent “This could happen to you!” style of reporting, but, in this case, the fear for readership approach may be a positive force. Cases such as Patricia Guerrero’s might scare CNN’s audience into acknowledging the current economy and mortgage crisis.
I am curious to learn of stories similar to Guerrero’s. So far as I have heard, Las Vegas has not been immune to the nation’s shaky financial state. Perhaps there are similar stories waiting to be told.
