A Useful Reality Check

I just completed what I must say was a really enjoyable chat on Washingtonpost.com with columnist Michelle Singletary. A link to the chat can be found here.

The chat was a useful reality check, at least for me, as so many of the questions -- there were dozens that could not be answered -- were from people who are truly hurting. In this blog I tend to deal with the lunatic fringe, such as the always amusing stock market conspiracy nutcases, and it is easy to lose sight of the fact that millions of people out there are struggling to stay afloat.

We media people tend to live in a cocoon, and it's useful to get a sense of what's happening west of the Hudson. And what's happening out there ain't pretty. Some of the questions reflected circumstances that were, frankly, heartbreaking.

Anyway, as promised, I'll be happy to answer questions in the discussion section below. Some are going to be emailed to me, and I'll post the ones I can answer.

© 2008 Gary Weiss. All rights reserved.