CT publishes very few manuscripts that spring unbidden from the postal service mailbags. But our cover story is one of those rarities. Joe Atkins, an Ole Miss journalism prof concerned about the spread of state-sponsored gambling in the South, sent us the low-down on that phenomenon. Atkins, who covered the South for the Gannett chain, is a practiced professional reporter. We hope you’ll see his byline again.
An accompanying article on the ethics of gambling was researched by CT’s new project editor, Tom Giles. Giles has gambled only once in his life. At age 8 he visited a county fair and persuaded his parents to place his bet on a horse. He walked away $12 richer; but after what he learned about pathological gambling while researching this article, he’s glad to have quit while he was ahead.
A graduate of Princeton University with a major in politics, Giles gained summer experience in policy research, working in the nation’s capital at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs. After graduation, he interned at our sister publication CHRISTIAN HISTORY, researching issues on Columbus and Bonhoeffer.
William Favata is a recent addition to CT’s favorite-photographer list. Favata spends at least two days a week roaming and recording Chicago’s colorful and distinctive neighborhoods. His familiarity with the urban landscape is based on a project he undertook last year, walking and shooting the 40 miles of Western Avenue, the Chicago area’s longest street. The cover photo for this issue was taken in a largely Puerto Rican neighborhood that will be the subject of a forthcoming photo essay of Favata’s in the Chicago Tribune.
DAVID NEFF, Managing Editor
