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A mother’s story on the grave cost of addiction treatment in America.
Warren spent more than $40,000 including travel and related expenses to get Erin, her daughter to treatment. The mother had to refinance her house, eventually sell the home, load up her credit cards, and tap out an inheritance from her father and the rest of her savings. The good news is Erin hasn’t had a drink since 2017 but still struggles with an eating disorder.
I think this article for me personally would be very hard to stay neutral and not put my opinion in there. I’ve had similar events happen in my family that have rubbed me the wrong way from this topic in general so if I was assigned to this piece, it would be hard! I think the writer German Lopez does a great job telling the families stories and getting quotes from the mother. If this were turned into a broadcast story I think it would be an interesting one for families who haven’t had to deal with addiction problems. The story would have to be shortened quite a bit since this story is on the longer side. It takes a very strong mother to not give up on her children especially when they have gone through this amount of hardship.
What makes you think the writer stayed neutral? He chose to write it. He chose the quotes and the sources. It’s possible to sympathize with the people you write about. At times your emotions may affect choices you make. But as long as you’re aware, as a writer, that’s acceptable. It’s not possible to 100 percent objective in these kinds of stories.
The opioid addiction mess has been in the news now for a year or two, and stories like this one make it all that much more personal.