Reporting Q&A

Courtenay Harris Bond is a freelance journalist based in Pennsylvania. She is a Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism who reports on a variety of topics, from behavioral health to social justice. As part of the Broke in Philly collaborative, she has contributed to Philadelphia Weekly's "Behind the Frontlines" series, which focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on the jobs of essential workers, and reported "The Kids Are Crying," a series about inequities families face in Philadelphia's foster system. Here are her thoughts on reporting out stories inextricably linked to economic mobility.

THERE ARE SO MANY CHALLENGES FACING ESSENTIAL WORKERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. HOW HAVE YOU DECIDED WHICH STORIES TO FOCUS ON FOR “BEHIND THE FRONTLINES” SO FAR?

We have been looking for folks who have been underrepresented in coverage so far and for people doing essential work that the general public may not be aware of. We want to highlight people who are doing tasks and jobs that people may not be aware of and to bring readers/listeners into those worlds. So for instance, in one story, I went behind the scenes with nursing home workers to show the particular challenges they face. Right now, I'm working on a story about people who work with adults with intellectual disabilities and what particular needs those individuals are having during the pandemic and how the workers are meeting those needs. I am also working on a story about The Philadelphia Coalition on Children and Opioids that is trying to help child-welfare involved families with opioid use issues get better help now, during the pandemic, and in the future.

THOUGH THE WORKERS YOU’VE SPOKEN TO FOR THIS SERIES FACE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS, THE TOUGH CHOICES THEY MAKE ALL COME DOWN TO FINANCIAL STABILITY. WHAT SOLUTIONS TO THESE ISSUES HAVE YOU COME ACROSS IN YOUR REPORTING?

The solutions are hard to come by. People are losing jobs and trying to work from home with children who are also home because schools and daycares are closed. For one of the Behind the Frontlines stories, I looked at DACA recipients and their particular worries, compounded by the pandemic, as they waited for the Supreme Court decision to come down. Several of those individuals said they were putting off school in favor of work at this point because they did not want to accrue student debt when they didn't know if they would be able to stay in this country, and many of them are helping their families with what they earn. For The Kids Are Crying series, many parents said it was hard to meet all the needs DHS was outlining for them to be able to be reunited with their children -- classes, housing, job stability. Many of these individuals were very overwhelmed and stressed. The Coalition story is partly addressing this by pairing child-welfare involved families with opioid use with peer-advocates who have been through the system before and can help them along the way.

WHEN YOU SET OUT TO REPORT “THE KIDS ARE CRYING,” WHAT WERE YOUR MAIN GOALS? DID YOU KNOW IT WOULD BECOME THE SERIES THAT IT DID?

I did not know it would become the series that it did. It started with a vocal group of mothers who were advocating for change within DHS and trying to point out the injustices and inequities in the system. I wanted to look into their claims -- and as I did -- I wanted to explain what it was like for these families who were struggling so much, so hard, to try to reunify with their families.

WHAT IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF FOSTER FAMILIES HAVE YOU SEEN SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF “THE KIDS ARE CRYING”?

There was an outpouring of voices of other families facing challenges with DHS. Also, interestingly, I am now working on the story about the Coalition on Children and Opioids, which is bringing all the players to the table to try to improve the system.