The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce didn’t take too kindly to the portrait painted by reporter Alec MacGillis, and we chose to write a letter to PBS and Mr. MacGillis’s employer, ProPublica, a non-profit that focuses on investigative journalism. In that letter, we pointed out what the hour-long special left out, which was mostly all the positive things happening in our community.
MORE ON THE FRONTLINE SPECIAL
• Dayton not ‘Left Behind,’ ready for a comeback story
• Frontline puts Dayton in spotlight as city left behind
• What you thought about Frontline portraying Dayton as city left behind
It seems Mr. MacGillis set out with a predetermined, biased story in mind, regardless of what he found when he arrived in southwest Ohio. In fact, he reached out to our chamber to request an interview, but when we returned his call to agree to his request, he never followed through. We’ve since learned he conducted interviews with other community organizations as well, yet none of the footage was used.
Regardless of his intention, our chamber believed we were left with no choice but to fill in the many empty spaces left by the broadcast. Our letter has gained a lot of attention, including dozens of shouts of support from those who call this great region home. While we were not surprised by this reaction, it certainly has been inspiring.
The point of our response was not to diminish the challenges that lie in front of us. As was mentioned in the letter, we have work to do, as do all metropolitan areas. However, we’ve always found a way to match those challenges with passionate people who have innovative answers. Not-so-ironically enough, these are the people who were most outraged by the Frontline piece.
We believe it’s time to celebrate what we have here. As many people pointed out after our letter was released, Dayton has a history of believing if we do well, we’ll eventually be noticed. That’s not enough in today’s world. We have a responsibility to tell anyone who will listen about the wonderful things happening in Dayton, despite our Midwestern modesties.
In the end, we believe the Frontline special will result in good, even if the reporter doesn’t take us up on our offer for a follow-up story. After watching the piece and hearing what your neighbors had to say about it, how many people asked themselves what they are doing to make this a better place? How many of us set out every day with our community in mind?
We can’t all secure a headline position in Dayton history like the Wright brothers or Charles Kettering, but we can each choose to reflect the shine of the Gem City every day. Whether it’s through an industry-shifting invention or a small gesture of kindness, we’re all writing Dayton’s story – despite what a one-hour special says.
Phillip L. Parker is president and CEO of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.
TAKING A CLOSER LOOK
Several weeks after it aired, people in the community are still talking about the “Left Behind America” documentary about Dayton and its challenges that was broadcast on PBS’ Frontline program earlier this month. Today, we share guest columns from several community leaders. Did you watch the show? What did you think? Email your thoughts to rrollins@coxohio.com or join the conversation on our Facebook page. — Ron Rollins, community impact editor
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