Media

Basketball | Daily Yonder | Dee Davis | Final Four | Media
Basketball isn't just a sport, it's mythological in much of rural America. By Dee Davis
Tue, 04/06/2010 - 18:15


Dee Davis, Center for Rural Strategies president, writes in our Daily Yonder:

"In my part of rural Kentucky, the best day of the year is the Thursday that starts the NCAA basketball tournament. What a day. There are ten hours of games on the television, 64 teams full of possibility, and you don’t have to wrap any presents. But then there comes the inevitable, the day your team loses, your bracket goes bust, and the team you hate keeps winning. There, in that despair our relationship to the thing we love is tested."

20/20 | Appalachia | Poverty | Media
20/20 Highlights Children in Appalachia
Wed, 11/11/2009 - 16:07


ABC's 20/20 program on vulnerable children and families in Appalachia on Feb. 13, 2008, sparked praise, criticism and debate among journalists and residents of Appalachia.

The program followed ABC's Diane Sawyer on a trip to eastern Kentucky as she reported on poverty, drug abuse, and a dental condition called "Mountain Dew Mouth."

Candidates | Staff | Voters | Media
L.A. Times reports on lack of small-town candidates
Tue, 11/10/2009 - 14:49


The Los Angeles Times reports that some small towns had a shortage of candidates for local office in the November 2009 election.

"State officials and political scientists say finding candidates has always been a problem for small towns and rural communities, but the recession has made it particularly tough this year," reports P.J. Huffstutter.

Perceptions | Stereotypes | Television | Media
"30 Rock" takes on perceptions of small-town America
Mon, 11/09/2009 - 17:40


Is small-town America more virtuous than the rest of the country? Jack Donaghy, the manipulative network vice president on the TV show "30 Rock," thinks so.

In the episode "Stone Mountain" (aired originally October 29, 2009), Jack (played by Alec Baldwin) sets off to middle America to find a new comedian for his late-night comedy show. His rationale is that he'll find someone "more American" (and hence more popular) if he looks beyond big cities.