CPIJ supports “Tapped Out” collaborative special report on poverty from the Philadelphia Daily News

Philadelphia Daily News editorial page editor Sandra Shea led and organized “Tapped Out,” a special report on poverty in Philadelphia, which, according to Shea: “represents a rare collaboration among media and universities,” featuring “the voices of people we rarely hear from: those who live with scarcity.”

Together with the Daily News, the Center for Public Journalism helped organize preliminary meetings and supported, designed and analyzed a citywide survey from the Insight and Survey Center, a survey-research unit associated with the School of Journalism of the University of Missouri-Columbia and the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Nearly 350 randomly selected people from across the city were phoned.

The results of this survey demonstrate that an economically, racially and educationally diverse cross-section of Philadelphians see poverty as one of the most important issues that the city must address to move forward, according to CPIJ Director Andrew Mendelson. More than 70 percent of respondents rated the related issues of crime, poverty and the public schools as “very important” for Philadelphia.

PART ONE: An intimate look at hardship in Philly

• The toughest part? Escaping the ‘poverty mentality’
• He navigated high school and homelessness

PART TWO: How Philly became poorest big city in U.S.

• She puts ‘care’ in caregiver with grand support
• With a boost, a poor youth rises above

PART THREE: Solution to poverty must come from within

• Hunger-fighter determined to share story
• Even going without, they feel blessed
• Overcoming birthright, bad choices to beat poverty

PART FOUR: In Philly, strong opinions on poverty

• Searching for work, struggling in silence
• Advocates: Ways to make a real difference in poverty fight

View: A TIMELINE OF PHILADELPHIA POVERTY

More info: philly.com/tappedout