Hillary Clinton, star of ‘The Matrix’

By S. MOLLY DOMINICK

When reading online news, I hope to achieve a balance between biases by ingesting left-leaning, right-leaning and politically neutral media (to the best of my ability, of course). One of my primary sources of neutral news is Politico and it usually remains up to snuff.

However, today I ran across this image while reading an article on that site:

Source: politico.com

Source: politico.com

Swimming through a sea of high-tech coding wizardry far above the heads of the measly public, Hillary Clinton scowls toward an unknown opponent, contemplating her sinister past…

That’s what I get from the drama-inducing, Photoshop-doctored photo above. In fact, based on this image, the accompanying story may actually be about Hillary Clinton starring in a new sequel to “The Matrix” rather than about a political scandal concerning her responsibleness as a public official.

I understand that Politico was adding character to its content and being a bit creative here. That’s not a bad thing, although it does invite questions about the appropriateness of this when the following article approaches an issue sensitive enough to potentially harm a public official’s reputation.

I also understand that this photo does not necessarily show a political leaning one way or the other. In fact, my thoughts about the photo shifted from two extremes.

My first impression was that her scowl made her seem mean, or just gave an overall negative vibe, paired with her stark black-and-white contrasted coloring. Plus, she seemed overwhelming by the coding (the scandal) surrounding her. But upon further reflection, this image might convey the exact opposite. Her expression could be a face of tough determination in the face of those opponents attempting to tarnish her name. She is distinctly separate from the coding, after all, appearing boldly in front of it.

The English class-style dissection of this image could continue until we’re as gray as Hillary’s ashy-hued, color-manipulated face.

But all fun aside, including an image like this could possibly cross a line into editorializing (or diminishing) an otherwise serious hard news story, depending on how you look at it—which could be problematic for a famously neutral news source like Politico.

Why should media cover Ultra?

By SHAKIRA MOLET

Every year, Ultra Musical Festival invades downtown Miami during the month of March, bringing with it celebrity DJs, crazy parties at South Beach, neon costumes and, of course, electronic/dance music.

But why do news outlets bother covering this three-day musical festival at all? Well let’s look at what else Ultra brings with it other than a good time.

One major complaint residents always have when it comes to Ultra, besides the loud music, is the chaos of downtown traffic. Major streets are blocked off so that Bayfront Park can accommodate the 80,000+ people that attend Ultra, which causes in a drastic increase in traffic for the duration of the festival.

In addition to traffic, Ultra Music Festival also brings safety concerns. Last year, a security guard working at the festival was trampled and was immediately sent to urgent care after receiving severe injuries all over body, especially her head.

Screen Shot 2015-03-29 at 2.58.10 PMOn top of that, many attendees find themselves in need of medical care every year during the festival, resulting in hundreds of fire rescue calls.

It is because of this that Miami-Dade and residents made efforts to prohibit Ultra from returning the following year; however, their efforts proved to be a waste of time when a public uproar convinced officials otherwise.

Like it or not, Ultra has been bringing millions of tourism dollars for years. Though it is true that hosting the music festival costs Miami quite a lot of money and festival organizers pay for much of it, it seems that Ultra, at least for now, will be returning every March as long as those in charge of the event continue to take safety measures and pay for various operating costs.

Though all these issues are indeed worthy of coverage, there is another surprising reason why the media covers Ultra as well as any other musical festival and that is because it gives the public an inside look of today’s youth. For obvious reasons, the media is obsessed with what interests today’s young adults and how this generation continues to change. In response to this, some news and media outlets decide that it is necessary to report what goes on.

Ultra Musical Festival has made Miami its home for 17 years now and with no definite end in sight, it looks like we will be seeing it, and the resulting coverage, for years to come.

What makes news ‘breaking?’

By S. MOLLY DOMINICK

I was browsing Internet news sites today when a giant banner with bright red letters appeared at the top of the CNN homepage declaring there was breaking news!

“Well,” I thought. “Seems important — better click on it!”

And the link brought me to the following news story about a former nurse’s aide who attempted first-degree murder of another woman by cutting a fetus from her womb.

Screen Shot 2015-03-27 at 5.13.05 PM“Wow, how absolutely disturbing and horrific!”

Yes, this news is certainly those things. But, is it “breaking?”

As I have previously understood, “breaking” means more than shocking. It means that the public needs to know this information now — or as quickly as possible—trumping the necessity of all other information in this moment.

And what makes this information so important to the public at large? It must have a substantial impact on people’s lives.

Although a ghastly and interesting find, this story is an anomaly and only affects a small circle of people. This story can be big news and very talked about news, sure—but showcasing it in huge font as breaking news feels like an attempt to merely gain clicks.

Not only are news sites including more and more “clickbait” in their headlines these days, but in this specific instance, they seem to be taking advantage of the horrific nature of this crime to do the clickbaiting.

Although not even remotely comparable, this act is ghastly and horrific in its own right.

Women in media: Where are you?

By CHELSEY SELLARS

Don’t get me wrong, Anderson Cooper is one of my favorite players in the news game, but where are the female reporters?

In the studies conducted by the Women’s Media Center, there was a huge lack of representation of women in the United States media industry in 2014.

“The American media have exceedingly more distance to travel on the road to gender-blind parity,” said Julie Burton, president of Women’s Media Center.

The studies included all aspects of media: newspapers/magazines, TV/digital news, sports journalism, and entertainment/film to name a few.

Amongst all categories, men ruled the media. More specifically, white men were the largest represented demographic.

Gender representation in a newspaper newsroom, years 1999-2013

Gender representation in a newspaper newsroom, years 1999-2013

As an Hispanic, female reporter, what does that mean for me? I already have two strikes placed upon me; right off the bat, I’m at a disadvantage.

Gender disparity in journalism leads to a loss in content quality. For a media company to best serve its audience, it needs to appeal to the public with a variety of voices and topics.

An article on the winged-eyeliner or ailments to menstrual cramps just doesn’t seem as credible coming from a male than a female.

The way a news story comes together is also heavily affected by the gender of the reporter. For example, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas analyzed how many front page stories of The New York Times included female sources in January and February 2013. A whopping 19% of the sources came from females. Nothing shocking here; with such a high volume of men in the media, it only seems natural that they would gravitate towards a male source.

So, to put this in perspective, imagine a headline about a treatment for hair loss. If all the sources for this headline are male, how will this article appeal to women? This privation of women sources can lead to bias in the media; as if there wasn’t enough already.

Jailed over a Facebook post

By DIYA VASUDEVAN

I recently wrote a post about how I dislike the idea of using Twitter because of the repercussions it could have on my image and how perspective employers might judge me from that. Overall, I didn’t believe the that the benefits of Twitter outweighed the negative repercussions.

For me being cautious about what I post is about prospective employment and nothing else. However, for some around the world being cautious is based of a whole other ball game. I read recently that a 19 year old in India was jailed over a Facebook post. As a Third Culture Kid from India, I never really experienced the dangers of being outspoken in a country such as India, simply because I really didn’t live there for a very long time.

How can a teenager be arrested over a Facebook post that didn’t threaten or allude to violence but merely expressed distaste? Well, this isn’t the first time this has a happened. In November 2012 two young Indian women were jailed overnight for a Facebook post they had made regarding a supposedly great (evidently corrupt) politician. They expressed their distaste regarding the fact that the city of Mumbai was treating him like a great leader that he really wasn’t.

I think that jailing someone based solely upon their opinions is ludicrous and, from what I have learned in the few months that I have lived in America, it would not be tolerated here. Having the freedom to say what I want to say as long as I’m not actually threatening anyone is something that I now see as gift. However, the freedom to say what I want when I want especially on forums such as Facebook should not be a privilege, the teenager in India deserves this right as much as I do.

Interactivity elevates news coverage

By MADISON CRAMER

I was catching up on the day’s news recently when I came across an ingenious post at the top of an article.
FullSizeRenderSomething like this may seem basic these days, but it so rarely shows up on news articles.

Journalists have these tools that are waiting to be utilized, so why wouldn’t they take advantage of them? Social media are such a powerful platform for journalists, and incorporating social media into stories takes journalism to another level.

Editor’s notes such as this one are a great way to get readers involved and further their intake of information. Hashtags are so easily used and accessed that it makes sense that journalists include them in their work. This particular author took it a step further, deciding to bring readers’ questions to aviation experts to get the most informative, accurate answers. They’re essentially acting as the middle-man, helping readers learn even more about the subject than they would have if this editor’s note had not been included.

I think every journalist should use these powerful tools that we’re so lucky to have in today’s world to their advantage. Interactivity through social media lifts the bar that much higher in an already innovative industry — one that should be looking to improve every day.

Transgender teen gains attention

By CHELSEY SELLARS

Seems to be that 14-year-old Jazz Jennings is jazzing up the journalism world, but why?1426265888_jazz-jennings-zoom

CNN explains the details on how Jennings, a transgender teen, is taking the media by storm.

An ad for Clean and Clear was just released starring Jennings. She also has a YouTube channel and is currently creating a reality show for TLC called “All That Jazz” about her and her family dealing with life problems from a transgender teen perspective.

So why is she trending? Jennings is one of the few publicized stories of transgender people, making her the current icon of mainstream America.

The media have the power to mold the opinions of the public. Gay rights and gender equality are just some of the many issues that are raging in America. I believe that journalism can be used to give a voice to those who have not been heard before and give these issues the opportunity to find solutions.

If CNN, ABC, and other major television networks would produce more stories about the minorities in this country, I believe that eventually these groups will get the exposure and respect they deserve.

Media get us closer to social causes

By DIYA VASUDEVAN

I am a Feminist. It is not something that just happened, I think I was a Feminist for a long time and just didn’t have a word to express how I felt until very recently.  In September 2014 Emma Watson gave her famous speech for the United Nations ‘He For She’ campaign.

HeforShe event sponsored by UN Women with Goodwill ambasador Emma Watson New York, USA -20/09/2014/SIPA_SIPA837.01/Credit:UN Photo/SIPA/SIPA/1409230856 (Newscom TagID: sfphotos325055.jpg) [Photo via Newscom]

HeforShe event sponsored by UN Women with Goodwill ambasador Emma Watson
New York, USA -20/09/2014/SIPA_SIPA837.01/Credit:UN Photo/SIPA/SIPA/1409230856 (Newscom TagID: sfphotos325055.jpg) [Photo via Newscom]

She defined Feminism as  “The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.”

She gave light to a very misunderstood word, opening it up to males and not just females, to her Feminism was equality for both sexes not just women.

Since then I have actively kept up with the facts, stories, events regarding a cause I feel so strongly about and there has been no shortage of ways in which to access this information. There are not only numerous organizations supporting this cause but also multiple ways in which you can recieve information whether it is through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat etc.

I even had the opportunity to see Secretary Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea Clinton speak on the issue of women’s rights on our campus for the Clinton Global Intiative University less than one month ago.

Chelsea Clinton introduced a newly created website that held all the data possible on issues pertaining to women’s rights. It covered statistics on the number of rape cases in the United States and countries across the world like India as well as the pay gap across the world between men and women. Aptly named No Ceilings the website has all the information you can get your hands on, whether you wish to talk about the data or act on it.

In addition to having all these platforms, Facebook collaborated with ‘He For She’ campaign and planned a live chat with Watson, that was held on March 8th ‘Women’s Day’. Comments posted and questions sent had a chance of being asked during the course of the conversation.

Not only is it becoming easier to access the information we require, it is becoming easier to engage with the information we are receiving, and that is exactly how media is changing the world.

135 killed in Yemen by ISIS attack

By HANYA ALKHAMIS

It just keeps coming. You can never be sure when this Sunni terrorist group will strike again. ISIS was reported to be responsible for the Friday bombing attack that happened in two Shiite mosques in Yemen’s capital.

Killing 135 people and injuring 345, it was said to be the first large-scale attack, planned by ISIS in the Arabian Peninsula country.

Why is it that these types of news articles are not found significant to foreigners and only scare Arabs and get all the media attention from them? Snapchat now uses a CNN app that manages to report any news reports which has kept many people up to date with news, but why not report these types of articles on messages and on social media?

This worries me as an Arab because knowing this means ISIS may strike again, anywhere in the Arab world. Kuwait being a mostly Sunni country can be at risk.

Having to live in threat and not know what may occur is just scary. Reading about this new terrorist attack just raises questions about when will this stop. When will we live in peace in the Middle East?

What about the journalists who cover such stories and reports? What happens to them? Will I, as a future journalist, end up kidnapped and taken away by this group if I speak against their beliefs? What If I am set to report about an attack somewhere in the Middle East, will I be at risk and on the ISIS radar since ISIS is growing bigger than just a terrorist group? Will my career be at risk since journalism requires one to be a risk taker in covering stories like terrorist attacks in the Middle East like ISIS?

Innocent until proven guilty?

By S. MOLLY DOMINICK

Often times in the news, victims of a crime remain unnamed. Ethical practices dictate that journalists must help shield victims from the unfavorable limelight of the media and the unforgiving public eye.

But what about alleged perpetrators? Their names are always included in the news, no questions asked — even when their involvement is not yet confirmed.

Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

Having the story of your victimization published in the news will likely be traumatizing, understandably. But less often acknowledged is that having your name plastered on headlines for a crime you didn’t commit will absolutely shatter your world and all of your connections. Your name will be stained forever because of the association now drawn between you and the incident, even after being proven innocent.

Take the story of Jordan Johnson, for example. He was a University of Montana student found not guilty of rape in a 2013 decision. According to the justice system, this young student is innocent. But look when you type “Jordan Johnson” into Google:

Screen Shot 2015-03-20 at 1.00.38 PMThree of the five pictures loaded first by Google are this student on trial.

Largely due to the media coverage he received, these false allegations will follow him for the rest of his life.

So, omit his name? But how do you avoid including his name when journalists are obligated to provide the public with thorough information? Seemingly, you can’t … yet journalists have collectively decided leaving this informational hole is okay when it comes to the victim.

There is no right answer to what should be done here. Journalism ethics, like any other form of ethics, is a wishy-washy mess of conflicting strong feelings and shaken fists.

But there needs to be some consistency. Either respect the lives of both victim and alleged perpetrator by including neither name, or honor journalism’s obligation to thoroughness and include both.

Social media spreading false information

By SHAKIRA MOLET

Recently, a story about a first grader being sexual assaulted by male classmates has been circulating the Internet. Unfortunately, there is one problem with this story. It’s not true.

10418899_10205284393102517_1206042616331315096_nWhile scrolling through my dash in Tumblr, I found this post stating that the girl in the picture had been both physically and sexually abused by three first grade boys in her class.

According to the post, the victim “suffered scarring to the right side of her face from broken tree branches and rocks” while she was being assaulted in the woods.

After reading this, I wondered why this was my first time seeing such a  significant story. I especially wondered why I had seen this on a social networking site, other than Facebook, before it was reported on any news site. So, I decided to do some research. What I found was interesting.

To my surprise, I did not find this story with that exact picture online. Instead, I found another news story about a seven-year-old being attacked by a kangaroo and receiving bruises all over her face in Australia. You can read the real story below:

http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/793373/roo-attacks-girl-at-wyangala/

So what does this prove? Because of the Internet, it has become possible for anyone to report on the “news,” which is an advantage in the way that there is more coverage; however, it is also a disadvantage due to the fact that absolutely anyone with a computer can just make up a story, add a random picture to it and call it an official news story.

Since this power is in the hands of the public, it is our duty as journalists to always check the sources of information for a story in order not to be duped by false information.

Timeliness required in sports reporting

By MADISON CRAMER

It’s one of my favorite times of the year in the sports world: March Madness. From the days filled with exciting games, one after another, to the upsets that shock the nation, there’s nothing better. But with this “madness” comes the need for fast-paced reporting.

Especially as the tournament kicks off and so many games are played in a row, quick, efficient reporting is essential. Much of the public wants to know the score, what happened, and who did what, all almost immediately. There’s no time to wait. In today’s world of social media, word spreads fast, and that’s what we’re used to. That need for immediate knowledge is what makes timeliness so essential today.

These days, it’s easy to find hundreds of articles about a game right as it ends. The public relies on and expects this, so journalists must deliver. The time crunch on journalists is surely stressful, but it’s necessary in such a fast-paced world, and especially during such a fast-paced event as March Madness.

So, while accuracy is obviously the most important component in reporting, timeliness follows soon after in importance, especially during this crazy month of college basketball.

Don’t miss your deadline!

By S. MOLLY DOMINICK

Since coming to the University of Miami in August last year, I’ve been working on the student newspaper The Miami Hurricane. In that time, one word has been etched into my brain as being most critical to my job as a reporter: Deadlines.

Deadlines. All-day deadline work sessions. Don’t miss your deadline. From the get-go, the word “deadline” has been repeated again and again, with intense focus given to the importance of timeliness.

But timeliness often comes into conflict with accuracy. In fact, this conflict is so pressingly problematic that the Code of Ethics for the Society of Professional Journalists includes the following statement:

“Remember that neither speed nor format excuses inaccuracy.”

Noting this, it’s interesting to me that there’s been such a sharp focus on timeliness, within an organization that trains future journalists, when well-regarded standards of practice warn against doing so.

Even if not heralded as the most important aspect of journalism, timeliness receives the most attention. News, like anything else, is a business—specifically, the business of being first. And from an ethical standpoint, timeliness is essential to bringing news that is relevant and important to the public it intends to serve.

But ideologically, accuracy clearly reigns as just as — or more — crucial. Even if you are the speediest news writer in the world, it will mean nothing if your work is riddled with errors.

But during my experience as a student reporter, I’ve noticed that accuracy is only brought up in conversation once someone has already made an error.

Because accuracy is so important, people assume that others recognize it as such—like it goes without saying. But when you don’t say, it leaves the forefront of people’s minds to be replaced with what you are talking about: deadlines. And people are talking about those constantly.

If we give accuracy as much—or more—time in the spotlight as deadlines, hopefully we can better train ourselves as future journalists to avoid ethical gaffes before they occur.

Covering Ultra will be a challenge

By HANYA ALKHAMIS

The Ultra Music Festival is coming soon. From March 27-29 Miami will be drowning in electronic music and overjoyed youth. Taking place in Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami, Ultra is being anticipated by music lovers and journalists alike.

How does a journalist get a piece written about Ultra? Does he or she attend the festival? Or just cover it by what is posted on the Internet and social media? Personally, as a journalist, I would attend the music festival and talk to people attending. I would also keep a camera ready for pictures and to capture videos of any unusual and new activities taking place. I would even stay until the end of the music festival to get further interviews from the attendants, ssecurity and clean up crew.

I would attempt to talk to Ultra’s public relations team and get a press pass to talk to the musicians and DJ’s that will be playing.

As a journalist, there is no such thing as too much information. You need to get all the information needed, even if you don’t end up using everything you collect. Ultra would be a great opportunity to test my abilities as a journalist and see if I am ready to tackle a challenge that requires so much coverage.

Internet changed meaning of feminism

By SHAKIRA MOLET

Ever since Charles Fourier first coined the term “feminism” in 1837, the public’s view on what feminism is has changed drastically. Most people know that feminists strive for equal rights for women, but if you were to ask a group of women if they were feminists, more than you think would say no. Why would women say that they aren’t a feminist if they believe in the same things?

Unfortunately, the Internet might be to blame.

In the 1990s, many viewed feminists has man-hating women who believed women were superior, but those women were not true feminists. In fact, they were mostly likely misandrists. But no matter whether they were or were not true feminists, that is what many believed feminists were.

Fortunately, many began to question what feminism really is, causing significant role models to step up and clear the air on what feminism really is; however, there are still many who don’t understand what feminism is, but still advocate that their misguided views as feminists views on blogs and other outlets. It is because of these rants on Tumblr, Facebook, and other social networking sites that give feminism a bad name.

As a response to the confusion on what feminism really is and what they strive to accomplish with women’s rights, it is our job to shed some light on this subject instead of just leaving it to the misinformed bloggers.

Twitter’s negative effects for users

By DIYA VASUDEVAN

I remember that, as a child, my mother would often chide me about the lack of filtration in the comments I made and the stories I told. There were no boundaries; I was a brutally honest child — and a loud one, too. Nothing that happened in the family stayed in the family. They often suffered the consequences of what they called my “verbal diarrhea.”

As I got older, though, I’d like to think I figured out what I should and should not say depending on the situation. However, there were times that I slipped up in a big way and was only lucky that spoken words weren’t lamented like the ones we let loose on the Internet. Media forums such as Facebook and Twitter have made it infinitely easier to express our opinions for the world to see and I learned the hard way that once it’s out there, there’s no taking it back.

So, when at 19 my Dad questioned why I didn’t have a Twitter account, I laughed and looked at him incredulously, “Do you really think Twitter is the best tool for someone who has to consciously remind herself of what she can and cannot share with the public?” At which he replied that he simply used Twitter for his work and perhaps I could use it in the same way.

The truth is that a social media forum such as Twitter terrifies me, the number of times celebrities get hauled up for their tweets or accidentally send out a nude picture for all of two seconds someone out there catches them and, like I said before, it’s words or nude images they can’t ever take back.

Twitter is essentially used to capture what you’re doing thinking or feeling in that moment in 140 characters or less. Often times when things are said in the moment they aren’t fully thought through, and these words can be read by future employers, college professors, colleagues and friends and can potentially hinder your future. We have to be careful about what we do and do not post on the Internet and Twitter does not help.

Courtroom coverage is vital today

By MADISON CRAMER

After a major crime or event occurs, speculation by the public becomes almost immediate. What happened? Why did it happen? The list of questions goes on and on. Eventually, the conspiracy theorists emerge. What if this was all planned? What if nothing actually happened?

And so on.

Then, it becomes time for the trial. The conspiracy theorists are out in full force, still trying to convince the public that they’re correct. This is where the importance of courtroom reporting comes in. Inside the courtroom, those who testify are sworn to the truth. Therefore, this is where the real facts are learned and this information divulged in the courtroom is what the public needs to know. It’s the job of journalists to report this information to the public so that everyone can hear the facts.

Granted, some trials are stricter than others, and obviously there’s some things the public just can’t know. But when there’s information to be relayed to the public, journalists should be there. This kind of coverage is vital because, as I first mentioned, speculation is inevitable following a major crime or event. The facts inside the courtroom can help put this speculation to rest. As an example, watch or read coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing case of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in federal court in Boston this week and next week.

Therefore, we need journalists to cover trials in order to inform the public on facts that would otherwise solely be speculation. These journalists are extremely important, and without them, we would be left with endless unanswered questions and theories about what did or didn’t happen.

There’s always another side to the story

By CHELSEY SELLARS

As I placed my items on the grocery store conveyor belt, I glanced over at the gum
and magazine rack.

GL10C1A_2015Upon all the fashion and sugary goods, I found a picture of President Obama’s contorted face on the cover of the lovely Globe: In small print next to Obama’s face, once you get past the bright yellow “psychopathic rages” and “egomania” accusations, reads “making crazy faces in healthcare video February 2015.”

Globe is infamous in America for its questionable headlines and material, so naturally I was skeptical about these allegations. I quickly Googled “Obama makes faces” and stumbled upon this quirky video of Obama teaming up with BuzzFeed to remind millenials of the deadline for Obamacare:

The clip is called “Things Everybody Does But Doesn’t Talk About,” which features Obama taking selfies and making bizarre faces in the mirror. I realized that the picture from Globe was the same one as this screenshot of the video. 

As stated before, Globe is notorious for creating tabloids, but what if you did not know that first hand? What if you were in America as a traveler, and happened to see this crazy headline? You might believe it and go on to share the news.

The media are there to inform the public of what is going on beyond their backyard. However, we cannot be sponges and simply absorb the information. I believe that we should always yearn for knowledge and have some skepticism when it comes to media; the more we investigate, the more media literate we will become.

Kid-friendly YouTube available

By CHELSEY SELLARS

Mom, Dad, not to worry; Little Johnny won’t be accessing those Happy Tree Friends any more. YouTube has now created a mobile app called YouTube Kids that will provide age-appropriate content on a simplified platform so even the youngest of children can use it.

YouTube Kids is available for Apple and Android devices for free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUmMAAPX6E8

The app allows kids to surf through various channels and playlists in the categories of Shows, Music, Learning, and Exploring. There is also a search bar to browse upon other videos, including a voice search component for those still learning their ABCs.

“We realize every family is different, so we’ve built options into the app that help you control the experience for your kids,” writes YouTube on their official blog site.

These options give parents the ability to broaden or constrict a child’s access and use of YouTube Kids:

  • Timer – Parents can set the timer to shut down the app at a certain time; keeps little Sarah and John from watching Sesame Street at 1 am on a school night.
  • Sound settings – Parents can silence the background music and sound effects on the app, keeping all that onomatopoeia to a minimum.
  • Search settings – in case they do not want the kids to wander off the safe viewing on the main screen, parents can turn off the search bar

Covering the color of that mystery dress

By HANYA ALKHAMIS

It was on a Thursday night when everyone was on their phone and staring at a dress, which was either black and blue or white and gold, depending on the viewer.

Pathetic, it was just pathetic to view how people made a big deal over a worthless dress that had no significance what so ever. It was on all Web news sites. And it got considerable mainstream news media attention. Even the national TV networks gave it attention.

Everyone was all over the place about it and yet, if it were to be about the wars and political disputes happening in Arab world, no one would have cared.

The social media’s main topic on Thursday night and all of Friday was the dress and the color perceived by each and every person.

It is insane and foolish how everyone was on his or her phone Thursday night talking about this mysterious dress that was both black and blue or white and gold. Everyone spent an hour or two or even the whole day just to figure out the mystery and Googling the reason why they saw what they had seen.

The image contained a striped dress, a dress that was seen to be white and gold in my perspective. The controversy was all over how one perceives the dress color differently than another. Many argued it was white with gold stripes or blue with black stripes.

The mystery dress was a sight test to test how people view colors differently. The dress is actually known to be white and gold, but there is an explanation why some viewers, viewed the dress to being black and blue.

As some people go through hard negative events in their life they start to see colors a different way. This proves why many people believed that the dress was black and blue rather than white and gold.

Whatever color you saw depended on the emotion you were feeling and the type of mood you were in, and that is the primary reason why people argued about the actual color of this mystery dress.