Caffeinated Politics

If one were looking to report on the impact of high grocery prices on the wallets of Madisonians, it might be assumed a reporter would head to Hy-Vee, Metcalfe Market, or a Woodman’s store. But when the WKOW news team chose the story, they went to Whole Foods. Or, as it is comically referred to, Whole Paycheck. From there, the story reported by Ryan Lynch became even more tone deaf.

She decided to use one of the most prominent politicians in Dane County, along with his wife, who were shopping, to underscore the plight of high prices at a grocery store. Fred and Nancy Risser are personable, and I like them. But this story made them look out of touch.

“It’s a luxury to get a peeled egg rather than to boil them ourselves…I figure at our age, we can afford that,” Nancy Risser said.

“I don’t think we’re going to go out and buy any caviar. We love caviar, but we’re not buying it, not at these prices,” Risser said.

The words pushed me back into my chair for the absolute tone deafness of what was being said. Yes, they acknowledged their good fortune and knew others may struggle to make ends meet amid high grocery prices. But for a story aimed at reporting the lay of the land that most people encounter when picking up food items, the story seemed more satirical than serious.

The couple said some items remain out of reach even for them.

While grocery prices continue to squeeze families who are budgeting down to the dollar, the selection of affluent shoppers discussing caviar was simply jaw-dropping for a serious news operation. You would never know that moms are trying to find a way to put protein on the table for their children, or parents are making choices between groceries and rent.

In Wisconsin, since the passage of Donald Trump’s horrific and damaging “Big Beautiful Bill,” 375,000 Wisconsinites have lost all or some of their food share benefits. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports that just under 80,000 food share recipients across Dane, Rock, Columbia, and Sauk counties have had their benefits impacted by the changes. These types of concerns are being registered nationwide. Last month, a new poll by No Kid Hungry New York revealed that 67 percent of New Yorkers have faced tough choices between buying nutritious food and other essential expenses.

While it was being reported on WKOW how the Rissers buy groceries, the station also reported how families across Wisconsin are rethinking their budgets as prices rise, and local food pantries are seeing record demand.

At St. Stephen’s Food Pantry, manager Beth Hawker said the need has steadily increased since she took over three years ago. The pantry, which began in 1973 with a small group of parishioners providing food during the holidays, now serves residents year-round.

Hawker said the number of households seeking assistance has grown each month. Those households can range from a single person to families of 10, reflecting a broad rise in food insecurity across the area.

What draws my attention to this story is the mile-wide disconnect between its stated purpose and its chosen examples. The intention was to report on how inflation is reshaping everyday life, yet the “everyday” it portrayed is a world where a $50 tin of fish eggs being too high to purchase is supposed to be relatable to the average news viewer. Instead of acknowledging the strain on households, cutting back on meat, produce, or school snacks, the narrative followed shoppers where hardship only exists in the most insulated corners of the economy.

From a purely journalistic perspective, I have serious problems with how this story was designed and reported. I strongly suspect that for many viewers of this news segment, it landed with a serious thud.