Continuing his series on Skid Row, Steve Lopez offered a perspecitve of Dr. Dennis Bleakley in "Offering Compassion, Not a Cure." Bleakley chose to work at a 6th street hospital and is now confronted daily with cases of Tuberculosis, hepatitis, and HIV from patients living on Skid Row. Along with confronting diseases, Bleakley tackles many patients' illiteracy, mental illness and struggle to survive. Lopez used Bleakley to raise the issue of whether addiction should be treated as a disease or as a "moral choice." Lopez combines an appeal to emotion through a heroic doctor and his devastating patients with a tie to morality and people's frequent ignorance concerning those in poverty. Lopez takes the reader with him to discover the dismal condition of Bleakley's patients and gains support in an effective way. He lets the reader distinguish if the government is acting properly towards drug addiction and what should be done. Overall, Lopez effectively communicates the stories of Bleakley and his patients. Since one of the most important aspect of journalism is telling a meaningful story that can spark change, Lopez demonstrates journalism at its finest in this heart breaking piece.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-lopez18oct18,1,6719432.column?page=2