Interview opportunity: kids and gifts

Hi,

I'm working on a story for Newsweek and hoping to interview everyday
parents (not millionaires) who continue to give their children desired
but not necessarily needed material items, even though they may have
suffered an economic setback or have found themselves in worse
financial condition because of the economy. Despite their own
financial issues, perhaps these parents feel their kids shouldn't be
the ones to suffer, or still should have all the advantages their
peers have, or maybe don't want the kids to know their situation has
changed. If you know anyone who would be willing to talk about it,
please give me their contact info or ask them to contact me ASAP.

Thanks!
Hilary Shenfeld
(847) 707-7748

(Newsweek) writes:

I'm working on a story for Newsweek and hoping to interview everyday
parents (not millionaires) who continue to give their children desired
but not necessarily needed material items, even though they may have
suffered an economic setback or have found themselves in worse
financial condition because of the economy.

This is why Time and Newsweek are going down the tubes. If you'd posted
that you were looking for parents who'd faced financial setbacks,
interviewed 20 of those, then picked out some who had turned into
tightwads and some who were still spendthrift, OK, that's cool.

Here, it sounds as if you (or, more likely, your editor) has totally
mapped out which kind of source should go in paragraph 10 and which in
paragraph 15. If it turns out that you can't find the right parent to fit
in paragraph 15, then, by golly, you'll have to cold call every parent in
the universe till you find one parent who meets the specs.

You're basically writing a Ricki Lake show article.

Has your editor read the stupid stay-at-home-mom cover story that Time ran
last week. To me, as an involuntary work-outside-the-home mom, the topic
is fascinating, but the story itself was really boring and useless because
of this kind of shallow reporting and formulaic writing.