Ghetto Life 101
Encyclopedia
Ghetto Life 101 is a 30 minute radio broadcast documentary
exploring the lives of residents of the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. The documentary was created by teenagers LeAlan Jones
and Lloyd Newman and produced by David Isay for National Public Radio. The broadcast garnered international acclaim and won several awards.
of Chicago
in 1993. The broadcast footage was recorded by LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman, who were thirteen and fourteen, respectively, at the time. The broadcast centered around interviews with the boys' families, friends, and members of the community.
. The broadcast won several awards, including the Sigma Delta Chi Award
, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
's Awards for Excellence in Documentary Radio and Special Achievement in Radio Programming.
and a Peabody Award
in 1996.
The two documentaries and further footage from when Jones and Newman were nearing high school graduation were condensed into a book published in 1997 entitled Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago.
Radio documentary
A radio documentary or feature is a purely acoustic performance devoted to covering a particular topic in some depth, usually with a mixture of commentary and sound pictures. It is broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD...
exploring the lives of residents of the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. The documentary was created by teenagers LeAlan Jones
LeAlan Jones
LeAlan Marvin Jones is an American journalist and the Green Party's 2010 nominee for United States Senate from Illinois. Jones lives in Chicago's Auburn/Gresham Community.Jones' radio documentaries have received critical acclaim and numerous awards...
and Lloyd Newman and produced by David Isay for National Public Radio. The broadcast garnered international acclaim and won several awards.
Overview
Ghetto Life 101 illustrates life on the South SideSouth Side (Chicago)
The South Side is a major part of the City of Chicago, which is located in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Much of it has evolved from the city's incorporation of independent townships, such as Hyde Park Township which voted along with several other townships to be annexed in the June 29,...
of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1993. The broadcast footage was recorded by LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman, who were thirteen and fourteen, respectively, at the time. The broadcast centered around interviews with the boys' families, friends, and members of the community.
Reception
The broadcast was well received, and praised for its raw portrayal of life in the Chicago projectsPublic housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
. The broadcast won several awards, including the Sigma Delta Chi Award
Sigma Delta Chi Award
The Sigma Delta Chi Awards are presented annually by the Society of Professional Journalists for excellence in journalism.- History :The Awards, according to the SPJ, did not begin in 1932 when the society chose six individuals for their contributions to journalism. In 1939 the awards program began...
, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
's Awards for Excellence in Documentary Radio and Special Achievement in Radio Programming.
Later works
Jones and Newman made a second documentary, Remorse: The 14 Stories of Eric Morse, which explored the backgrounds of people involved with Eric Morse, a five-year-old boy who was tragically thrown from a fourteenth-story window in the Chicago projects by two older boys. Their second documentary won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism AwardRobert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is journalisms award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were established in December 1968 by a group of reporters who...
and a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
in 1996.
The two documentaries and further footage from when Jones and Newman were nearing high school graduation were condensed into a book published in 1997 entitled Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago.
External links
- A 2001 update on the boys' lives.
- An interview with the authors of "Our America" on Charlie RoseCharlie Rose (talk show)Charlie Rose is an American television interview show, with Charlie Rose as executive producer, executive editor, and host. The show is syndicated...
(1997)