Longterm Unemployed(For NBC News)

Shot a story for NBC News on longterm unemployed folks who are mostly over 50 and are having a difficult time finding work. The subject was Bret Lane and he was laid off after working for a telecommunications job for 16 years. Lane, who had never been unemployed for more than a few days, had an extremely difficult time trying to find work and eventually found a job at a phone bank making a fraction of his previous salary. He now has to cut back, way back, on essentials and is living with his Sister here in San Diego.
It's always sad to see someone who is trying so hard to make ends meet, wants to work hard, has put years and years of hard work and training into their said careers, but has the age issue working against them. Seems like most employers are looking for younger workers whom they can pay less, work harder, and have them around for longer. I see it in my own industry. Gone are the days of seasoned journalists(and Photojournalists), who have spent decades covering local politics, education, arts, science, etc.. and are replaced, at half the cost, by younger people, many just out of School. Now, this isn't to say that younger folks aren't as talented or don't have the skills to do a decent job, it's just that you need employees with maturity and decades of experience to bring knowledge and respectability to any organization. I think it's out duty as a Nation to value to elders.