New Yorker; 10/22/2007, Vol. 83 Issue 32, p150-163, 13p

The article profiles author and television producer David Simon. Simon, a former reporter for the newspaper "The Baltimore Sun," created the television program "The Wire" about drug crimes in Baltimore. Convicted drug dealer Melvin Williams plays a role on the program. Simon comments how the program depicts the devaluation of people and how much of the program's content is inspired by real events. He describes his struggle to get the program aired on the cable network Home Box Office (HBO).