Texas politicians celebrate the virtues of small government by touting the Lone Star state’s thriving economy, low cost of living, business-friendly government and booming suburbs. But there’s another side to that story, and photographer Mona Reeder carefully gathered the images to tell it. Over the course of three years, she focused her camera on the forgotten Texans: the working-poor families struggling to survive even during “good times.”
Reeder said: “In the last two months of 2007, as we were working night and day to meet deadline, there was a wonderful spirit of camaraderie developed with the team of people, from the multimedia staff, photo editors, to the graphics and design staff. We all believed we were working on an important piece and something that was ‘bigger than ourselves.’”
For the judges, “The Bottom Line” proved “you don’t need a passport to tell great stories. You just need a commitment to relationships, storytelling and journalism.”
