Vote on which of these stories you like best and CNN will send columnist John D. Sutter to the field to report on the top five as part of his new Change the List project, which pushes for progress in places that need it most. Winning so far? Widest rich-poor gap: What's happening to America's middle class? One state may yield answers. Vote here.
Editor's note: John D. Sutter is a columnist for CNN Opinion. VOTE on what he will cover as part of the Change the List project. The ballot works best on desktop computers and tablets. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. E-mail him: ctl@cnn.com.
(CNN) -- When I asked CNN's readers and viewers to pick the five social-justice topics I'll cover for the rest of the year, I never expected so many of you to select the one with the Econ 101 title: "Widest rich-poor gap." I figured most of the country, or the world, would be sick of reading about the recession and bankers and bailouts. As a person with a job, it would be easy for me to say that's a 2008 story. Time to move on.
But that's why I trust the wisdom of the crowd: You tell me when I'm wrong. America's widening gap between the rich and poor -- and this country's fast-disappearing sense of security and progress and economic stability -- is so far the top pick among the 20 subjects I presented as part of a new project called Change the List.
That tells me that for many of you, it is the most pressing justice issue of our time. I wouldn't have seen that on my own, and I'm glad you did. You encouraged me to look deeper into the issue, and I'm excited that we might be delving into this story together.
The vote is part of a new CNN Opinion project that focuses on bringing attention to overlooked places and issues. I'm asking you to pick stories you find most compelling or important from a list of 20 -- and I'll report on the five winners. Voting closes at 2:00 p.m. ET on Monday, so there is still plenty of time for you to influence the outcome.
Here are the top five issues as of noon on Wednesday:
1. Rich-poor gap
2. Where rape is common
3. Poorest kids
4. Conflict is never-ending
5. America's most endangered river
About 23,000 ballots have been submitted so far, and only 916 votes separate the topics in fourth and seventh places, as of this writing. That's close. (While this story was being completed, "illegal animal trade" jumped into fifth place, for instance).
When I noticed rich-poor gap was such a crowd favorite, I was a little disappointed, to be honest. How could I stop an economy story from being dull and gray? But last night I started doing some research and started to see what many of you had already noticed: that this is a broadly important and interesting topic -- an underreported story, despite the never-ending flood of financial news headlines. (Friends at sites like CNNMoney and NPR's Planet Money have been doing a stellar job of covering the crisis; but does anyone want to read another jobs-report story? And just forget about the Dow.)
Beneath all the spreadsheets and wonkery, this seems to be a story about fairness and people. Is it one about rich folks who caused the recession and got off clean? About poor folks bearing the brunt of the recession? About a return to free market ideals? They're fascinating issues, and I'm undecided on them at this point.
Last night, I watched the documentary "Park Avenue," which focuses on the street in New York that's home to a building it says has more billionaires than any other -- and also a section of the Bronx with a high rate of infant mortality. The stats presented in the documentary are staggering: 1 in 7 Americans is on food stamps; a college degree is needed to compete, but the cost of college has soared since the 1980s; 400 of the richest people in the United States control as much wealth as the bottom 50% of Americans.
I'm glad it's a topic you highlighted for me.
CNN should continue to cover the war in Syria, whether or not you would vote for that. Same goes for this NSA madness. But with Change the List, I'm trusting you to choose. You deserve to have a say in what I cover -- and in what CNN covers. Not because this is a popularity contest, but because I firmly believe that stories are more meaningful for people when they're part of them. No one wants be on the wrong end of a bullhorn.
I'm excited to explore these topics -- any of these topics -- together.
That's journalism in the public interest.
So please vote. Think about which stories are most important, which could have the most impact and which you're willing to be a part of. Encourage others to do the same. And if you've got a few extra Econ books sitting around, send 'em my way.
Vote here: http://cnn.com/changethelist.
Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.
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The views expressed in this column are solely those of John D. Sutter.
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Free speech crackdown: One country ranks lower than North Korea when it comes to free speech. 
No toilets: In one country, 90% of people don't have access to basic sanitation. 
America's most endangered river: Most U.S. rivers are unsuitable for aquatic life, the EPA says. 
Malaria at its deadliest: Malaria-infected mosquitoes killed an estimated 660,000 people in 2010. 
Saddest of the rich countries: Australia is the happiest, according to one survey. Who could use cheering up? 
No Internet -- in the U.S.: Pockets of the United States have little high-speed Internet access. 
Where rape is common: Women in some communities face disproportionate rates of rape and violence. 
High-school dropouts: Many U.S. schools are failing their students. Where is the problem worst? 
Poor kids in the rich world: Kids in extreme poverty suffer stunting and malnutrition. 
Mothers die in childbirth: In one country, one in 100 live births kills the mother. 
Roads that kill: Smarter laws could prevent many of the 1.3 million annual road traffic fatalities. 
Polio still cripples: Polio has been 99% eradicated, but three countries stand in the way. 
Where women aren't in government: The barriers aren't formal, but five countries have almost no female representation. 
Illegal animal trade: Illicit trade in animal parts lines pockets and empties ecosystems. 
Leprosy remains a scourge: The WHO says more than 200,000 cases of leprosy are diagnosed each year. 
Conflict is never-ending: The longest-running and deadliest conflicts aren't always in the news. 
Likely to be locked up: Which U.S. state has the highest incarceration rate? And why? 
Land mines end lives: Land mines still kill thousands per year. What can be done to remove them? 
Drug-dependent state: U.S. demand ultimately drives the illicit drug trade and cartel violence. 
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