Attention, Attention! Write all about it!

Audience piece #1: Written letter to Burlington Free Press

Dear Burlington Free Press,

            I would like to call attention to the increasing food shortages on a global scale. More specifically, I would like to address food concerns in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although this country is thousands of miles away from Burlington, Vermont, I feel the need to discuss this issue to Vermonters.

Stereotypes of Africa are far and ranging. When most people think of Africa, they think of starving children, child soldiers, and blood diamonds. Although these are accurate depictions of a far from thriving country, what has been done to help acquiesce these problems?

On a global scale, some 16,000 children die every day from malnutrition. Most of these children live in third world, impoverished countries. Because the United States is a developed country that yields great power, what can we do about it?

So what? Thousands of people are dying from starvation on a global scale every day, and it’s not just in Africa. The fact of the matter is, the greater demographic of people reading this newspaper are sitting in their nice homes, surrounded by family, and in no position of starvation.

Journalists bring the news to the common people. They’re instructed to go out and report the news as they see it. They go out and find news that would be interesting to plain folks, like me, and bring back their findings.

I find it in good interest for your news staff to cover the pandemic occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. People won’t know about the problem until you bring the news to them.

Most news people follow a motto along the lines of “Making a difference”. By supporting reports and investigations such as what is going on in a third world country and what can be done to stop it, you’re following that example. So, go out…

…And make a difference.

Sincerely,

Alyson Atondo