Columnist analyzes public health and journalism

Baltimore Sun columnist Dan Rodricks gave a guest lecture at Professor Philip Leaf’s community-based learning course, “Health and Wellbeing in Baltimore: A Public Health Perspective” on Tuesday. 

Rodricks, who hosts the Sun’s “Roughly Speaking” podcast, reflected both on his ow career as a journalist and on crime in Baltimore.

Philip Leaf, a professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, is the primary instructor for the class. Each week, different speakers speak about public health issues Baltimore faces and how students can have a better relationship with and understanding of the city. 

Rodricks began by reflecting on a column he wrote where he left his phone number for individuals with criminal records to contact him so that he could help them find a job. 

“I really felt like I did something with my column,” he said.

According to Rodricks, over the next three years, about 7,000 people contacted him. Most, he said, were men between the ages of 25 and 45 who were coming out of prison or had been out of prison for a while. 

Rodricks found that many struggled to find jobs beacuse of their criminal records.

“What I discovered was the sleeping giant of a story about ex-offenders coming out of prison having a criminal record who are not able to find a job actually wanting a job,” he said.

This problem, he added, is universal.

“It was as if nobody had ever heard about this issue before. It was an awakening. Conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats, men and women, the rich and poor all identify with this issue,” he said. “If you don’t do something about people who come out of prison... they are going to slip back into the life and get arrested again.”

Rodricks compiled a list of businesses willing to hire certain individuals with a criminal record.

One student asked Rodricks whether he uses his writing to affect reform in Baltimore. In response, Rodricks mentioned an article he wrote about a retired couple who, 10 years ago, began handing out backpacks with food to homeless children in Baltimore.

“I wrote a story about them on Sunday, and yesterday I got a call from a very wealthy developer who wants to work with them and help them finance their next project which are modular homes for low-income people,” he said.

Another student expressed concerns about Baltimore’s high crime rate. There were a total of 348 homicides in Baltimore in 2019, the second-deadliest year on record. 

Rodricks explained the necessity of intervention.

“We have to have social workers, counselors, probation people intervene into the life of people in these circles of risk. Why not have a system... so when you come out of prison, you have a place to live and decent health care?” he said. 

However, Rodricks expressed his frustration with the lack of consistency among different leaders when tackling this issue.

“One mayor or police commissioner comes up with an idea and then they lose the election or get convicted of something, and then they are gone, so are their programs,” he said. 

In an email to The News-Letter, senior Julia See stated the necessity of hearing from people like Rodricks.

“The Hopkins bubble is definitely a real problem. It’s hard to address because many of us are only here for a short period of time and are unfamiliar with the problems that the Baltimore community faces. I’m taking this class because I thought it’d help me better understand Baltimore and that would help me in the current volunteer work I do,” she wrote. “I don’t believe in volunteering for people without first trying to understand the community I’m serving.”

Leaf echoed See’s sentiments in an interview with The News-Letter. 

“Hopkins students are going to become community leaders,” he said. “Hopefully as people move from being students, many people from Hopkins would probably go into health care as a profession and understand not only their technical skills but also understand the need and challenge patients have.”

See believes that bringing speakers like Rodricks can have profound effects. She added that his story offered students a new perspective on journalism.

“Many times we put blame on the media for only reporting certain ‘newsworthy’ events and for normalizing deaths and tragedies,” she wrote. “It was good to bring in Rodricks to be reminded what journalists actually do and what pressures they have on them. He’s also a connection to the community, especially for people who might be removed, like us.”