Dear Editor:
In the 1880s, Joseph Pulitzer famously posted a sign in the lobby of his paper, the New York World, which read: “The World has no friends.”
I’m fairly certain that I will never win one of his namesake awards, so without reservation I can safely say that Pulitzer got it dead wrong.
Sometimes we forget that journalists are human beings, whose job it is to write about other human beings. The minute a writer becomes wholly detached from their subject they effectively lose their humanity. In journalism school, they teach that a good story is one that is excellently researched with quotes from the most authoritative experts on both sides of any given issue. But those criteria alone do not make for the best and most memorable stories. That designation is reserved for those tales that hit the reader on a human-level.
That brings me to the purpose of this letter.
Caren Matzner’s “Mysteries of ‘Maria’” is one of those stories that struck my emotional core. Maria is a woman that was nothing like me. I’m a 33-year-old white male who has had the benefit of a comfortable life. I’ve never spent a cold night on the street or gone to bed hungry. For me it’s a minor tragedy when the hot water is out for a day so it’s nearly impossible to imagine having to bathe with water from the sink in the Hoboken Terminal.
But, back in June I did become a father. The thought of somehow losing my little boy, even in the abstract, is unbearable. Maria never recovered from losing her children. I’ve never felt that type of emotional devastation and I hope I never will. Caren’s series of stories on Maria were full of compassion and empathy, which translated to me, the reader.
Maria was a person that we thought society forgot about; however, only after her death did we learn that her children were looking for the past 12 years. It’s not the type of story that many newspapers report on anymore, but it is a story that demanded being told.
In Caren’s time at the Hudson Reporter, she has written many stories on many topics, but years from now, when she is no longer with the paper, she will be remembered for her many stories on Hoboken homeless. She has provided a voice to group that traditionally has been rendered mute.
There is no doubt that Maria’s is a tragic story, but hopefully it will spur others to take action so that other Marias get the help they need.
Personally, I have led a fortunate life but I know that I haven’t done nearly enough to give back. Caren’s story has prompted me to make a donation to my local homeless shelter tonight, which is something that I’ve never done. And that’s what the best journalism does. It prompts readers, like me, to care a little more deeply about the world they live in.
Tom Jennemann