Giving Compass' Take:
- Giles Clasen reports on how media misrepresentations of homelessness can cause devastating setbacks in the lives of people experiencing homelessness.
- How can donors and funders contribute to ethical and compassionate media coverage of homelessness that addresses root causes and the need for systems change?
- Learn more about key issues in homelessness and housing and how you can help.
- Search our Guide to Good for nonprofits focused on homelessness in your area.
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Charles Otto doesn’t think those experiencing homelessness should talk to reporters after one interview and the resulting media misrepresentation of homelessness upended his life.
Otto estimated he has been living on the streets of New York for about thirteen years. For the first years, he found a semblance of stability by panhandling.
It was near Grand Central Terminal that a reporter with the New York Post found him in 2015.
“They were looking for [homeless individuals] to talk to. My friends were like, ‘Nope not doing it.’ I should have done the same,” Otto said.
The next day, the New York Post ran an article with the headline, “This bum boasts he makes $200 an hour panhandling,” contributing to media misrepresentations of homelessness.
“You don’t know what it’s like to get on a subway at 6 am and see your face on every paper. I told a friend I think I’m going to die. It was bad. It got really bad,” Otto said.
Some individuals experiencing homelessness threatened Otto because they felt he put their livelihoods at risk. Passersby yelled at him, possibly because they saw him as exploiting their kindness.
Otto went into hiding to protect himself. A follow-up story the next day by the Post ran the headline “‘$200 an hour’ bum disappears amid newly found fame.”
Otto said the media misrepresentation of homelessness hit him on a deeply personal level. He felt betrayed that the Post suggested he only had a dog to help solicit strangers.
“Everything was out of context. Everything. They didn’t report how lonely it is [to be homeless]. They didn’t write that my dog was my best friend,” Otto said.
The Fallout from Media Misrepresentations of Homelessness
Without the meager income Otto received from panhandling due to this media misrepresentation of homelessness, he eventually lost the room he had managed to secure for $300 a month. He had no choice but to sleep outside, putting himself in greater danger.
What really bothered Otto about the story is that he felt the reporter lied to him and the readers, contributing to media misrepresentations of homelessness.
Read the full article about media misrepresentations of homelessness by Giles Clasen at Invisible People.