Inexpensive yacht rentals for ‘all’

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Roxanne Yu

By ROXANNE YU

The countdown for summer has already commenced and we all know what that entails — spending more money for vacation destinations.

During this time of year travel plans are certainly one of the most discussed topics. It’s timely that The New York Times has just released an article in its travel section that promotes the idea of yacht vacations.

The article suggests that yachts could be affordable as long as one knows where to look, indicating that week-long charters are inexpensive and will only cost $5,000 or less.

There are a couple of yacht rental sites that the article links readers to, all of which could render to be useful to those interested.

Although the article was able to touch upon a relevant topic, it has certain limitations and flaws, starting with the title “Yacht Vacations: Not Just for the Rich.”

The title is misleading, as it infers that yacht vacations could well be afforded by every other person who belongs to lower hierarchical class of society. A price of $5,000 may well be affordable for the upper middle class of society, but this does not necessarily constitute the lower middle class, as well as those below this category.

The article, although informative, could have been more interesting if there was more content added to it. The purpose of the article is to inform the public about low yacht rental prices, placed a significant amount of attention towards boat charters, however, left out ideas on what one can possibly do in a yacht for an entire week.

The article could have been a lot more engaging if the writer included more information about yacht vacations, as the article was supposed to cater to those who have never really had the chance to experience and afford such luxury.

It could have also been more insightful if there were a number of sources who shared their own stories on how their yacht vacation turned out to be. This would have been able to help those who are seriously considering a yacht vacation.

As journalists, we often like to keep our published works straightforward in order to merit the full attention of the reader. It’s extremely hard to measure when an article is underdeveloped or not, but to our benefit it is better to report the entire story that includes additional facts rather than publish one that is half baked.

Peace and Colombian coca crops

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Etty Grossman

By ETTY GROSSMAN

While reading the news on Monday morning, I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed that The Miami Herald wrote an article about other important things happening in Havana, Cuba, something beyond President Obama’s visit.

The headline read “Will peace halt Colombia’s coca boom?” At a first glance you, probably, would never know that the article was about the peace talks grinding along in the island; but since I’m Colombian I knew right away so I kept reading.

The newspaper did a great job informing the public about the negotiation process, which started more than three years ago. The information was precise, truthful and without biases.

However, what surprised me the most was that instead of focusing on the breaking new the author, Jim Wyss, added a completely different angle to the story.

The fact that negotiators had set Wednesday as a deadline for a final peace deal, was mentioned, but the whole story demonstrates how the decision could affect farmers.

Throughout the story, Wyss proved the world wrong by portraying what farmers in Colombia actually want. The consensus among coca growers is that they want to be out of the business but, for that to occur, the government has to build roads, marketplaces and create an economic ecosystem where legitimate crops can thrive.

Sadly, while coca hurts thousands of people all over the world, it is also a survival crop for the majority of those farmers. Cesar Duarte, a Colombian farmer, is aware of that but he also thinks that “that’s worrisome, and that’s why we’re saying we no longer want to make our living growing coca.”

Even though the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) wasn’t out of the equation, the story didn’t take any particular side, instead, it served as a voice for a minority that is being highly affected by the situation and at the same time abandoned by its own country.

So media, somehow, allow us to have a voice.

Opening relations with Cuba

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Robyn Shapiro

By ROBYN SHAPIRO

After President Obama traveled to Cuba a couple of days ago, the U.S. continued, as a country, to open relations with Cuba. It was the first presidential visit to Cuba in more than 90 years.

The “Rachel Maddow Show” did a 45 minute segment on how each Democratic president since John Kennedy (and including JFK) has tried to reopen relations with Cuba, but none have been successful until President Obama.

While many people see this as a positive progress into the future, many Cuban Americans would disagree.

Even though Marco Rubio dropped out of the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, I felt that his opinion on Cuban relations had the most accurate representation on why Cuban Americans are against opening relations with Cuba.

“The policy (Obama’s) is based on the illusion that more commerce and access to money and goods will translate into political freedom for the Cuban people. This will not work: The Cuban people are not free because the regime — just as it does with every aspect of life — manipulates and controls to its own advantage all currency that flows into the island. More economic engagement with the U.S. means that the regime’s grip on power will be strengthened for decades to come, dashing the Cuban people’s hopes for freedom and democracy,” Rubio stated on his Web site.

The Miami area is a very unique part of the United States where the story of people escaping the Cuban regime is a common one.

In an interview I did with civil engineer Jose Vega in Coral Gables, he stated similar opinions to Rubio after explaining to me that his family fled Cuba when he was 13 years old. His parents decided to leave Cuba so that he could have a better life. He started in the United States very poor and built his own business, and he prides himself on being a successful representation of the American Dream. He knew that in Cuba he never would have had that opportunity.

While the rest of the United States cannot relate to his story and the story of many Cuban Americans, it is important to take into consideration the first-hand experience they’ve had while we make progress in international relations in the future.

While I have found the news media covers both sides of this opinion, the minority side (Cuban-American side), is less understood and therefore should have equal attention to the pro-Cuba relations side.

Obama juggles baseball, diplomacy

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Victoria De Cardenas

By VICTORIA DE CARDENAS

President Barack Obama made a historic journey to our neighboring island Cuba, making him the first president in 88 years to visit the island.

He started of this trip by tweeting to Cubans using the local slang.

The president had his daily scheduled filled, down the second, but many Miamians, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, were not happy about it.

The thought of their president visiting a communist country who is responsible for the death of many fighting for freedom is what is troubling many Cuban-Americans.

“Mayor Gimenez does not believe the Cuban government has made any significant changes to respect human rights, free enterprise, free expression, or a free press, and therefore the government does not deserve the honor of a visit from the leader of the free world,” said Michael Hernandez, the mayor’s spokesperson.

Many believed he was on vacation, which is not the case. News outlets have been highlighting Obama’s attendance at the historic baseball game as if he should not be there. It seems that the general public along with news have forgotten that to make relations with anyone you must do something in common and get a general understanding of the other person.

The news media are scrutinizing Obama even further by asking how he could be attending a baseball game after the news of what happened in Brussels. But the news media should know better, he had a schedule to follow and gave it support with the Cuban people before the baseball game.

In my opinion, there is not much he can do from the Caribbean island other than send his condolences. Did they want him to go to a terrorized country and send his condolences?

It’s not like he knew this was going to happen and decided to go to Cuba to “vacation” anyway. The president made promises and intended to keep his promises but the news made it seem as if he was a heartless president. Specifically, local news made him seem like he couldn’t care less by showing protests in the streets of a heavily populated Cuban community.

I understand news is supposed to or is expected to show both sides but conversations seemed to be very one sided here in Miami.

Former CBC host acquitted in assault

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Mia Pollack

By MIA POLLACK

Jian Ghomeshi has been no stranger to the spotlight in the last few years. Cameras have consistently been on his trail, as well as his family, since news broke from the Toronto Star that he allegedly assaulted three women, including one of his co-workers at the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. The former CBC host was charged with four counts of sexual assault in 2014.

Following the speculation, the CBC dismissed Ghomeshi from his high profile position, in which he got to interview actors, musicians, politicians and other public figures. As a one-time listener, he was good at his job, but leads me to wonder, especially with his female guests and coworkers – maybe he was a “little too good” at his job.

On March 24, Ghomeshi was acquitted of his charges, following his first court date in early February in Toronto. He plead not guilty to assaults that supposedly taken place in 2002 and 2003. The trial lasted eight days.

According to CBC News, his team of lawyers released a statement saying that he had been “rightly acquitted of his charges” and that “our system of justice, that is what must happen in every case regardless of who is accused or what crime is alleged. That is precisely what occurred in this case.”

Since CBC was Ghomeshi’s former employer and the crimes he had committed to these women took place in the public-broadcaster’s headquarters in Toronto, they had the best coverage of the events. The CBC was there every single step of the way.

In the light of the events that took place on Thursday, Ghomeshi’s acquittal comes as a shock.

It had been revealed that the witnesses gave inconsistent testimonies; the only testimony that remained somewhat accurate was Lucy DeCoutere, leaving the judge to believe that her statements undermined her credibility.

According to the Toronto Star, the key factors that led to Justice William Horkins to letting Ghomeshi go included:

The unnamed witnesses claimed that they did not know how to navigate the “proceeding.”
Justice Horkins said, “all 3 witnesses had similar stories’, but the ruling had to made individually rather than a part of a pattern.
In the end, all Justice Horkins had for evidence were the three witnesses accounts, if he couldn’t believe them true he could not convict Mr. Ghomeshi of his crimes.

As mentioned before, due to Ghomeshi’s high profile career, he had the opportunity to interview several actors, politicians, and other public figures on his radio show.

Zoe Kazan, an actress Ghomeshi interviewed back in 2013, opened up on her Twitter about the treatment she received from the now “free man” and how she now feels about it.

It is truly absurd in my opinion that the judge felt there was not enough evidence to indict Ghomeshi on his crimes. There is evidence from the CBC that he did commit these acts, even from the witnesses, but maybe from these women, they did not speak up enough during the trial to put their assaulter away.

Not much attention for iPhone release

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Sarah Brandt

By SARAH BRANDT

A few days ago, on March 21, Apple announced at their famous press conferences the new iPhone Se.

Now you may be thinking, but didn’t they just release the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus? Well, yes, and that is exactly what everyone else is thinking, too.

When the iPhone 6 was released out into the world, people were running to the store and could not wait to get their hands on one. They were per-ordered months in advance and the media was talking about it nonstop. However when looking at the news media now, after the release of the iPhone Se, there has not really been that much attention geared towards it. The media is now more focused on dealing with bigger and more important issues, such as the presidential campaigns and the attacks in Belgium.

Looking at CNN, an article can be found about a study done with the iPhone and other Android phones and how the “Siri” responds to crisis modes, such as “Help me, I was just raped.” This study is very important, but again, not front page news.

I believe that the reason as to why the news media has not covered the release of the new iPhone Se that much, compared to the previous iPhone models may be due to multiple reasons. The iPhone Se, looks very similar to the iPhone 5, and therefore it not a new design, secondly there have already been so many iPhones, maybe people/media are finished and do not want another iPhone. Lastly right now in the world there are a lot of important events that are much more serious than an iPhone release.

Maybe once people are able to start buying the actual iPhone Se, then we may hear more about it in the media.

The pain of being in the public eye

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Breana Ross

By BREANA ROSS

Constant public scrutiny should be added to the job description for the president of the United States. Part of being the face of the free world means being under the world’s microscope and subject to criticism for any little thing.

The latest criticism of President Obama from the news media stems from his choice to still go to a baseball game in Cuba, even as the Brussels attacks were happening.

Not long after bombs had blown up at an airport and subway station in Brussels, President Obama was enjoying a ballgame with his family and the President of Cuba, Raul Castro. The pictures of the president’s fun-filled day at the ballpark spurred controversy among Republican presidential candidates and within the news media. The main point of criticism is that President Obama should have returned home to help deal with the matter instead of continuing leisure in Cuba.

However, it is not like the president did not address the matter at all. President Obama made remarks about the terrorist attacks when he spoke in Havana on Tuesday. “What they can do is scare and make people afraid and disrupt our daily lives and divide us,” President Obama said as he explained his rationale for staying at the baseball game. “And as long as we don’t allow that to happen, we’re going to be okay.”

The real question is, what is it the critics wanted Obama to do in that moment? The attacks had already happened. There is nothing he could have done to change that and he addressed the matter through a speech, just as he would have done if he were home. There is really no reason for him to have been criticized, except that Americans need a scapegoat to criticize for everything. Being the president of the United States makes Barack Obama a perfect candidate.

The number of times President Obama’s face has appeared on the front of a magazine, newspaper, or website being criticized for doing something completely normal is infinite. The public eye is always watching and the news media always has something to say about the president’s behavior.

Custom bike goes against UCI standards

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Wyatt Geller

By WYATT GELLER

Rules are rules when it comes to athletic competition and sometimes creativity does not help you win a race.

Bike maker Robert Egger had a vision to invent a new model, even though it would not be permitted in races such as the Tour de France because of Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) rules.

According to CNN, this bike is referred to as “Fuci,” which, if you sound it out, it does not ring a good bell. The back wheel is larger than the front wheel, which is illegal for racing.

What also makes it a crazy creation is that Its headlights are inside the seat, so they beam out from the holes leading towards the back of the bike.

The bike also has a lithium battery that is also banned from competition, which reminded me that I can no longer store my hover board in my dorm.

I would love to buy one of these bikes, although I do not know the price of it. Great work by Robert.

Obama reaches out to Cuba

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Jean-Paul Aguirre

By JEAN-PAUL AGUIRRE

It is difficult to avoid getting caught up in news sometimes, especially when you are so close to the situation being covered.

Living in Miami, almost everyone and their mother has been talking about the recent visit the president took to Cuba as he met with the nation’s current head-of-state Raul Castro.

Local television news stations sent crews to Havana and were chronicling the events that transpired each day President Obama was there, live, as they had their anchors report from familiar locations in Havana.

NPR broadcast President Obama’s speech live on March 22. Even ESPN had reporters in Cuba to cover the exhibition baseball game between the Cuban national team and the Tampa Bay Rays.

I felt like I was being bombarded by news about Cuba and there was no way to escape it, but maybe that was just because I live in Miami a place that will directly feel the impact from the negotiations that were being conducted.

Although I felt as though the news media was spending too much time on Cuba, maybe it was just the right amount for the rest of the country.

CNN and other national news networks would leave a few minutes to report anything important that was happening, but they did not spend an exorbitant amount of time over analyzing every exchange between President Obama and Raul Castro, although I am sure the urge was there to do so, and I am content by that decision.

Miami local news had to go there and cover what was going on or else they would have been left behind and would have suffered had they not gone. Network news stations only covered parts that were essential and had proponents and opponents debate on the effect this visit will have on both nations.

After separating myself from the situation, I believe that the way the news media covered the visit was predictable, yet appropriate.

‘The Milkshake that almost killed Castro’

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Roxanne Yu

By ROXANNE YU

I have recently got into the habit of becoming more informed of what’s going around worldwide by consistently updating myself with the latest news that CNN and The New York Times have to offer. I have, however, been recently disheartened about the current explosions in Brussels and distanced myself away from the news.

It has come to my attention that individuals, similar to myself, also feel the weight of the information overload about the situation in Brussels. Every few hours, the headline changes from the city’s current death count to the identification of the bombers who staged the phenomenon.

It’s great that the Internet allows its users to stay informed on stories that make the breaking news headlines, but there are also times when there’s a much needed break from all the tragic events occurring in the world.

I never really go past the opinion section of CNN, but I decided to scroll all the way down to find out whether I can read something a bit more uplifting and a little less depressing than what I’ve come across the past few days.

A video called “The Milkshake that Almost Killed Castro” appealed to me, and without any hesitation, I clicked on it. The concept of the short video is great, the title is extremely intriguing, the material is timely (with Obama currently in Cuba), and above and beyond everything else the content is factual and informative.

Within a minute and 32 seconds, the video was not only able to keep its viewers attentively watching, but was also able to effectively discuss the CIA’s many attempts of assassinating Castro.

The video opens with a sound bite that introduces the context of the topic. The first thing that’s heard is the voice of a young man as he narrates, “March 1963: The CIA is planning to kill Fidel Castro using his greatest guilty pleasure- a milkshake.”

Everything about the video is contemporary, which does somewhat limit this resource to attract a younger audience. Other than that, as it is found in the very bottom of the web page, it’s also not something that can be found right away.

But, if you just so happen to be feeling drained with the excessive amount of tragic news you are hearing, it’s really worth your time to check this video.

World terrorized following Brussels

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Etty Grossman

By ETTY GROSSMAN

After a week full of politics, terrorism hit the news again.

This time, ISIS, who claimed responsibility for the attacks, sent two suicide blasts on Tuesday morning; one to Brussels’ airport and the other one to the Metro station.

Even though news channels still providing updates of the situation, at the moment 30 people were reported as dead and 230 were wounded in both attacks.

After Belgian police released a notice that includes a photograph of a suspect “wanted for terrorism,” it went viral. Not only news media exposed the image with the intention of collaborating with the country but social media also used it to promote a bunch of support hashtags. #jesuisbrussels, #prayforpeace, #prayforbrussels, are just a few.

The majority of the news media attributed the attacks to links of the city to extremism and terrorist plots and the recent capture of a terrorism suspect Salah Abdeslam in Brussels’s predominantly Muslim Molenbeek quarter.

Others blame Belgium’s intelligence and the lack of sharing important information with their citizens, but CNN made a completely different accusation. In it’s claiming “ISIS noted that Belgium is ‘participating in the international coalition against the Islamic State.’ Belgian warplanes flew 796 sorties and launched 163 airstrikes over Iraq from September 2014 to July 2015, according to the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition, and were set to resume these operations this summer.”

What they intended to say is that Belgium, although it is the victim right now, is also responsible in some way.

However, for me, The New York Times is the newspaper with the best coverage. Updates are uploaded within every three minutes, what proves that they are completely committed to the situation. They also created a link where people with no idea about what’s going on can enter and rapidly understand the issue. Questions such as: What happened? Was it ISIS? Where is the investigation heading? Why Brussels? are answered.

What I found really intriguing is CNN’s attempt to add the political process in this hurtful scenario.

Is this the accurate time to do this? Do people care more about what Trump thinks about the attack than human sorrow?

Maybe they do and that’s the reason behind these attacks; there are many humans but little humanity.

Beyonce hires model with disease

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Sidney Sterling

By SIDNEY STERLING

This past week, Jillian Mercado, a 28-year-old model and blogger, was chosen to be the face of Beyoncé’s new “Formation” clothing line. And I know what you are thinking. In the news media we hear about models every day, so how is this different?

Mercado was born with muscular dystrophy, a hereditary condition marked by progressive weakening and wasting of the muscles. She is permanently confined to her wheelchair and often faces limitations due to her disease. However, she has not let her condition hinder her hopes and aspirations to be a model and fashion blogger.

Beyoncé and Mercado fans can access her work by going to Beyoncé’s online store (shop.beyonce.com). On the site, the world can see Mercado showcasing her talent for modeling while wearing famous Beyoncé phrases.

For example, on Beyoncé’s online shop, Mercado poses in a grey sweater that says “I twirl on them haters” and a black hoodie that says “smack it smack it smack it.”

Beyoncé hand picked Mercado to showcase her new “Formation” line because she wanted to emphasize the need for diversity and acceptance in the modeling and fashion world.

Vogue gave Beyoncé and Mercado their stamp of approval by saying in an article that they think “Beyoncé is making a statement with this move, giving light to the importance of including more models with disabilities.”

The Today Show stated that models like Mercado “continue to break barriers in the fashion world, proving that diversity is a good thing.”

Beyoncé, Mercado and fashion fans are praising Beyoncé for this groundbreaking choice proving the acceptance by the social media world.

However, the news media are making it seem like this is Mercado’s first rodeo. She also modeled for Diesel and Nordstrom earlier this year

Obama visits Cuba, meets with Castro

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Melissa Cabral

By MELISSA CABRAL

President Barack Obama made history on Sunday when he became the first president to visit Cuba in 90 years. The president was joined by his wife Michelle Obama, her mother, and daughters, Sasha and Malia.

President Obama and his family arrive in Havana on Sunday (Photo courtesy of The White House).

Upon their arrival, they were greeted with a warm welcome by Cuba’s top officials with one important figure visibly missing, President Raul Castro.

The Cuban leader met Obama the following day at the Palace of the Revolution in Old Havana and shook hands and sat down for a meeting where major topics were discussed.

Obama’s visit is part of his effort to let go of the past and build a new, positive relationship with Cuba after decades of hostility between the island and the U.S.

Obama announced that he wants to take on the hard task of coming to an agreement with the Castro administration to improve the human rights system through out the country.

“Change is going to happen here and I think that Raul Castro understands that,” Obama said in an interview with ABC News taped Sunday night.

“Our intention has been to get the ball rolling, knowing that change wasn’t going to happen overnight,” Obama said. “Although we still have significant differences around human rights and individual liberties inside of Cuba, we felt that coming now would maximize our ability to prompt more change.”

Before their sit-down, as they walked through, Obama was overheard telling Castro that he enjoyed his tour of Havana Sunday night along with his family.

He toured the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception and met with Cardinal Jaime Ortega, a major key to improving the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. Outside of the cathedral, thousands of Cuban residents gathered hoping to catch a quick glimpse of the American president and his family as they stepped out of the church.

With the newly relaxed restrictions on who can travel to Cuba, thousands of more Americans are expected to follow the Obamas’ footsteps and fly to Cuba. This will hopefully not only build a new dynamic between Cubans and Americans but also improve their economy.

The Cuban public was thrilled to have the American president setting foot in their country. The last U.S. president to visit Cuba was Calvin Coolidge in 1928.

Journalist denounces Obama’s visit

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Kate Hovan

By KATIE HOVAN

This week, President Obama made a monumental trip to Havana, Cuba, a sign that the diplomatic relation between the U.S. and Cuba is gradually stabilizing.

Obama is the first sitting president to visit Cuba in almost 90 years, according to The Miami Herald. Officials have also said Obama plans to be very candid with Cuban president Raúl Castro about his hopes for the future of the Cuban people.

In a further effort to improve relations, the Tampa Bay Rays also took the field alongside Cuban baseball players in an exhibition game on Tuesday. Cuban baseball players will now have the opportunity to continue their careers with the MLB.

Unfortunately, many Cubans and Cuban-Americans have anything but positive feelings toward the baseball exhibition and Obama’s historic visit, especially within the Miami and South Florida area.

In a beautifully penned open column in The Miami Herald, sportswriter Dan Le Batard, who is of Cuban descent and a UM School of Communication alum, shed some light on the background of the political situation that is unfolding.

“Obama and Jeter and ESPN head toward communism like it is another cruise port, so many symbols of Americana descending on a rotting island stuck in the 1950s, and it doesn’t feel quite right back in Miami, like watching a funeral morph into a party,” he writes. “The history of my own people feels like it is either being ignored or trampled here, and I’m not quite sure which of those feels worse,” Le Batard wrote.

Le Batard speaks on behalf of countless Cubans with his article as he explains just how strange it feels to watch the U.S. praise small actions that are doing so little to compensate for Cuban injustice.

“Fidel Castro outlived my grandparents. His regime continues to haunt my old-exile parents. My pain might be borrowed. But, damn, as that sting returns to my eyes, I can assure you that it is real,” he continued.

While President Obama’s visit to Cuba is an historic one, I must side with Le Batard in this battle of responsible reporting.

Prior to reading Le Batard’s article, I had not understood the extent of the political turmoil that uprooted so many Cuban citizens. He provides his family history and the challenges they themselves experienced in the face of communism, an unlikely opinion with slim chances of survival amidst the conventional news stories.

With this new progress in the U.S.-Cuba relation, it’s even more important for the mainstream media to educate people on the history of the situation and the major changes that still need to be made in Cuba before any justified celebrations can take place.

Brussels and news media coverage

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Maria Luiza Lago

By MARIA LUIZA LAGO

When I read the report on Fox News about the Brussels attack, I remembered of what I learned about source trust and how we should use our sources in journalism. First, to tell the readers about the exact number of injured people on the attack, they used as a source a CBS tweet. Shouldn’t they be asking the Belgium authorities about it instead of basing their number on a tweet of another news organization?

With that, I go to the second point where in the article is cited an “intelligence source with firsthand knowledge of the investigation” about where the attackers were focusing more the explosions and where it exactly happened.

If Fox News had a “firsthand knowledge of the investigation source” why not ask them the exact number of injured people on the attack? The name of the source is not cited on the article which makes me even more confused and suspicious about the kind of information that the text provides.

The hurry about giving the information to the readers, specially on breaking news cases, is not uncommon in journalism. But we have to be careful in those situations. News reporting is an art and it is supposed to be done in a way we can offer our readers the most accurate information we could have gathered.

In a time where news organizations are trying to have a say on a certain topic, sometimes some inconsistencies can slip and the effects are directly reflected on the journalist and on the reader that consumes this type of information.

The article has other trustful sources, from officials and new agencies, but there is still a lot of citations from other sources not related to Fox. Sources in this type of story are really important (in all types of stories) but focusing on this one, the readers want to know accurate and precise information and it would be helpful if the information was checked and crossed checked with other official sources or if they could have more warranty that the data or the quotations were taken by the journalist that wrote the piece.

The Zavantem Airport in Brussels and a subway station at the heart of the city were bombed by the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS) on Tuesday morning. According to The New York Times, at least 30 people were killed in the attack and more than 230 people were wounded. Social media and news media companies are using the hashtags #BrusselsAttacks and #prayforbrussels to talk about the subject and relate to other articles about it on social media.

Millennial’s redefining ‘breaking news’

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Grace Bernard

By GRACE BERNARD

Early Tuesday morning, ISIS carried out three attacks in Brussels, Belgium. Immediately after, the news media began reporting on the details showing the world how the term “breaking news” is being redefined.

It’s no secret that the technological advances in the last 10 years have had groundbreaking effects on how news outlets function. And it’s even less of a secret that Millennials are glued to their phones.

The news media took note of this fact. And with sales of print news outlets declining, they responded with an increase in revolutionary websites and apps that can be accessed almost anywhere.

The effects of this new industry are obvious. A Millennial myself, I check my phone as soon as I wake up. This morning, I instantly noticed eight CNN notifications on my screen, an immediate signal that a major news story had broken.

At 3:29 a.m., 8:29 a.m. Brussels time, the first notification of a suspected terrorist attack was sent out by CNN to it’s mobile-app subscribers: “There are reports of two explosions at the airport in Brussels, Belgium, according to CNN affiliate VTM.”

According to a TIME report, the attacks occurred around 8 a.m. In less than 30 minutes, the entire world was notified of the actions of one terrorist group.

The live updates didn’t stop there. A number of my mobile notifications were less than one hour apart.

Furthermore, all major news outlets were also reporting on live updates, on-site pictures, videos and interviews to report on the attacks in more detail.

Magazines not typically associated with reporting on serious news stories like Vogue and People made use of the unlimited space offered on the Internet. Both had articles featuring updates of the situation in Brussels.

Social media outlets like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr showed similar responses to those seen in the aftermath of the Paris attacks last year. Most notably, Facebook’s Safety Check feature was once again activated.

The reason that all of these advances in both the immediacy and participation in the notion of breaking news are possible is because of widespread usage and dependence on technology.

Millennials are too often criticized for their dependence on their smartphones and social media. But without these markets they’ve created, these advances would’ve never been made. There simply would’ve been no need.

Palestinian teacher wins $1 million

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Victoria De Cardenas

By VICTORIA DE CARDENAS

An elementary teacher has won a $1 million prize recognizing the “outstanding contribution” she has made to her profession.

Hanan Al Hroub, from Bethlehem in the West Bank, was awarded the Global Teacher Prize at a ceremony in Dubai Sunday.

Hroub became a teacher after her husband and her children were shot on the way home from school. “It transformed my children’s behaviors, personalities and academics,” she says in a video broadcast on CNN. “I felt that I was alone in getting my children through this. No teachers had helped us get my children back on track.”

Hroub and her family decided to take matters into her own hand. They created games amongst themselves and invited the neighborhood children to play.

Over time, the children’s behavior and grades began to improve. She took those skills and began teaching to help children reject violence.

“I tell all the teachers, whether they are Palestinian or around the world: ‘Our job is humane, its goals are noble,” says Hroub. “We must teach our children that our only weapon is knowledge and education.”

Pope Francis announced the award to Hroub via video conference. “I would like to congratulate the teacher Hanan Al Hroub for winning this prestigious prize due to the importance that she gave to the role of play in a child’s education,” Francis said.

It is moments like this that the media should focus in on every detail. A story like this could boost the overall moral in the country and across the globe. Instead the media likes to focus presidential hopefuls who say very disturbing things and agitate the public.

In order for the country and the world to move forward and accept one another of different faiths, race and beliefs, we need stories like this. Stories of people that invest in children and the betterment of the world around us.

I saw this article earlier this week and it only came up once in my newsfeed, but I saw plenty of stories on the negatives of life. I understand that the news gives people what they want but how about giving the people what they need? An uplifting story like this one shouldn’t be so hard to locate on a news website or hear it in front of a television.

News should consider giving an outlet to uplifting news.

The truth about ISIS and women

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Robyn Shapiro

By ROBYN SHAPIRO

ISIS is one of the most horrifying and inhumane terrorist groups that has come to power in the Middle East.

Recently, The New York Times published an article stating that ISIS captures unaffiliated women and keeps them as their sex slaves.

In addition to this, the terrorists force the women to take birth control in order to satisfy commandments of the Islamic law so that they can continually rape them. The Times states “It is a particularly modern solution to a medieval injunction: According to an obscure ruling in Islamic law cited by the Islamic State, a man must ensure that the woman he enslaves is free of child before having intercourse with her.”

Women would be circulated through different houses for different men to have their way with them. Men would often give these slaves as a gift, so once they were satisfied they would give the women to their friends for their pleasure.

Before each encounter, women would take the birth control in front of the man before they would proceed. The men sometimes got so hysterical about the potential of a woman being pregnant they would take them to a hospital for a pregnancy test. If the woman was found to be pregnant they would physically abuse them until they consented to abort.
In the interviews The New York Times had with women who escaped, the women stated that despite the situation they were happy that they were forced to take birth control.

Although pregnancy would have been their only relief to the constant abuse, the women stated “No one wants to carry the child of their enemy.”

More than 700 individuals have been reported as rape victims of ISIS terrorists, but each woman has been raped an uncountable amount of times.

Although articles like this are indescribably sad, heavy and difficult to read, it is important that the American audience has some exposure.

The media does a good job covering how we are battle ISIS, but we are often deprived of the details that encompass the horror of their acts.

While too many articles like this one would make readers cynical of the media, I do believe it is essential to have some understanding of the actions of this terrorist group in order for us to truly comprehend why we need to help those affected by them.

It is the media’s job to inform the public of worldly affairs, and while much of the world is filled with horror, we should be conscious of these actions so that we as a people can have awareness, empathy, and a passion to fulfill justice.

Bias, opinions of political news coverage

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Breana Ross

By BREANA ROSS

Most news viewers are aware that different news stations have different political views that affect the way they report news. MSNBC tends to lean more towards liberal and Democratic views while Fox tends to support conservative and Republican views.

The news from these stations is reported in such a way that reflects these views. For example, one MSNBC talk show host had no problem sharing her political opinion as she discussed her analysis of Donald Trump’s recent violent rallies.

After a series of clashes between protestors and supporters at Trump’s rallies, Rachel Maddow decided to break down the events on her MSNBC show. The way Maddow chose to discuss and present the information was an interesting approach. Her overarching point was that Donald Trump’s rhetoric during his rallies led to the recent outbursts in Chicago and elsewhere. Maddow takes many pieces of factual information and connects them together to support her opinion.

First off, Maddow points out that the last three stops on Trump’s campaign trail, Chicago, Cleveland, and St. Louis, all contain a great deal of racial tension. This tension stems from the recent police killings of unarmed black teens in these areas.

Maddow points out that many of the recent instances of violence at Trump’s rallies seem to be racially charged. She then begins showing clips from Donald Trump’s speeches at his rallies, where he calls for “a tougher America” where protesters should face consequences, possibly violent ones.

Trump also mentions that he would pay the legal bills for anyone who beats up a protester. Maddow uses factual traces of racial tension and clips of Donald Trump’s speeches to convince viewers of her opinion that Donald Trump’s rhetoric has led to the violence that has erupted between his supporters and his opponents.

Although Rachel Maddow is a talk show host and is allowed to insert her opinion in discussions about politics, her presentation of the information is an example of how news stations can present biased news. Connecting facts to form what is ultimately an opinion is dangerous when presenting news to viewers.

DIGITAL NEWS REPORTING

Journalism and Media Management Department, School of Communication, University of Miami