Patrick Artinian

This story is intended as a chronicle depicting daily life in small-town America. I chose Lawrence, Kansas primarily because of its geographical location virtually in the centre of the United States. But I also focused on this town for sociological reasons. Reading the local daily newspaper, the Lawrence Journal World, on the Internet, it appeared to me that the town was a like microcosm that stood for the entire country. All the major issues and concerns of the nation were represented: violence, drugs, education, taxes, etc.

And so, for my story, I used the Lawrence Journal World as my base, and followed the photographers and reporters of the LJWorld. I did this for two reasons, one practical and the other more philosophical :

• Quick and easy access to information.
• An approach to America “as seen by itself”, or how Americans see themselves through the prism of their own press.

Patrick Artinian, June 1998