NY Times Reporter Goes "Derelicte"

When Tyra sent her would-be top models out on the streets to pose as part of the homeless masses, never did we think the Gray Lady would follow her lead. But last night, the NY Times's Natasha Lennard went into the night to pose as a homeless person, as did 200 others, to test the system. Would she and her fellow faux-hobos get counted by the Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) census takers? The count takes place one winter night a year... and (spoiler alert) she was counted by the organization (at which time she told them she was a decoy).

But was it even that hard to tell? For her part, Lennard wore "two pairs of leggings, thermal sweat pants, two wool sweaters, scarf, gloves, an oversize men’s wool coat" and of course her Holden Caulfield-esque hunting cap. Basically all she was missing was her hobo sack-on-a-stick. Earlier during a debriefing, however, she was given some style tips—being advised not to wear a more form-fitting coat she had planned to. But the devil's in the details, and as the eagle-eyed Faran Krencil at NYLON points out, she neglected to remove her designer nail polish. Krencil says, "Whether or not it was an ethical (or tasteful) approach to the story, the reporter needed a little more help. Is it really a good idea to pair that ensemble with Chanel Nail Polish? Uh, no." And even if it can't be proven that this is Chanel... we'd still j'accuse Lennard of choosing the toxic avenger shade because she thought it would fit her new street style.

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By Jen Carlson in News on January 26, 2010 2:01 PM

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jaycjay

"she neglected to remove her designer nail polish."

So what?

The point of what she and the "200 others" were doing is being completely missed there, as is the reason she was advised to change her coat.

It wasn't all all important that she look like a homeless person (whatever that mean), simply by being out on the streets at night she should have been approached by the HOPE volunteers. As the Times story says, only a small percentage of the people they speak to are actually homeless. The reason not to have a nice coat on was because it would increase he chances of being a crime victim.

"I really hate gimmicky journalism like this"

Personally, I don't see it as that at all. This wasn't one of those tired "I spent a night as a homeless person so I will tell you what it's like to live on the street" stories. That type of approach wasn't taken in it at all, you'll see if you actually read it. It was a report about the oversight of the HOPE program, not about homelessness.