2001 Batten Award Runner-Up

"Moment of Truth"
Chronicle-Tribune, Marion, IN
www.chronicle-tribune.com

For "Moment of Truth," an unflinchingly honest airing of a larger community narrative that grew out of reaction to a routine "First Baby of 2000" story. The article featured newborn twins of a poor biracial couple with numerous children. An editor's reflection on the community response to that story widened into an expansive look at the reality of Marion, including workforce, image, leadership, health, family, poverty, education and housing issues. The small staff never let the scope of the challenge deter them. Their courage and leadership were inspirational.

Steve Doucette
Designer
Chronicle-Tribune

The recognition that "Moment of Truth" has gotten is really a testimonial to what a newspaper can do when it examines itself honestly and realizes that it's not telling the whole story.

We didn't believe we were telling the whole story. We were too busy covering the news as it happened, whether it was a factory closing or teen pregnancy rates or low test scores in our schools.

Then we learned that our city of Marion had lost more population than any city in the last 10 years in the whole state of Indiana. Shortly after that, a major factory closed, taking 500 jobs with it. We knew that as a newspaper we had to do something, no matter what our resources were.

This effort to tell the whole story of Marion is what "Moment of Truth" became. It was a 10-month, 120-page look in the mirror.

One of the things that has come from the project is that the newspaper has teamed up with General Motors, our county's second largest employer, for leadership summits that have involved over 1,000 people. They have gone into the schools and taken the leadership initiative to our schoolchildren to make them leaders in our community.

Because of "Moment of Truth," the local YWCA bought a house and opened the first home for pregnant teen-agers where they learn about prenatal care and choices and consequences. A private Christian college in our community, Indiana Wesleyan University, has decided to make "Moment of Truth" a centerpiece on its campus. They made volunteering within the community part of its curriculum, a curriculum that hadn't been changed in over 10 years.

Recently, the entire city mobilized for a clean-up operation. Neighborhood groups walked the streets and picked up trash and volunteered to repair 30 run-down homes in the center of the city. In total, 900 tons of trash were removed.

I'm very proud of our small staff - we have 23 people in the newsroom - for its commitment and the determination it took to do this project for 10 months. Most of all, the staff is very proud that the project has made a difference in the community. It's really seeing change.