Measles problem needs news coverage

Posted on by

By RYAN GRILLE

A measles outbreak is occurring in Washington state, resulting in Gov. Jay Inslee declaring a state of emergency. The outbreak has occurred largely due to the recent anti-vaccination movement that has been growing in the United States. The outbreak has also spread to Oregon. The news media are covering this outbreak through several lenses, each of which is important to focus on.

First, the news media are covering the anti-vaccine movement and how it has become a modern health crisis. News organizations are issuing reports about the safety of vaccines and why it is important for parents to vaccinate their children. This is an excellent example of what reporters should do. They should keep the public informed with proper factual information in order to keep their community safe. A misinformed public can, and has proven to be, extremely dangerous.

Another element that the news media are focusing on is the political side to the issue. Lawmakers in Washington state are looking to pass a bill making it illegal to refuse to vaccinate a child for personal reasons. The news media are covering the topic while examining the public reaction to these proposals. Reporters should keep the public informed about the politics of their local government.

Unfortunately, not all reporters are handling this situation properly. Less credible news outlets are publishing misinformation both about vaccines and the lawmakers involved. In today’s social media climate, it is not only important for reporters to check their facts and maintain a high standard of ethics, but news media consumers should also be alert about the news they receive. The handling of this measles outbreak could potentially save, or endanger, the lives of many, and it is important to cover the issue thoroughly.

Couple jailed after mistreating children

Posted on by

By: KARLI FEINSTEIN

On Tuesday morning in Wise County, Texas, a mother and her boyfriend were arrested after police received a domestic disturbance call regarding four malnourished children stuck inside a home.

According to authorities, the children were found under clutter and grime. The children’s age ranged from 1-5, there were three boys and one girl. 

Two of the four children were placed in a barn crate that was converted into a sleeping space.

According to CNN affiliate, KTVT, the two oldest children ages 4 and 5 were the ones stuck in the crates.

Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said when he found the children, they were hungry and thirsty, and covered in feces. Akin also stated that the children didn’t talk much when the police arrived at the home. 

“Our deputies and our lieutenant fed and gave water to those children. And due to the malnourishment and other concerns, EMS was called; emergency medical was called,” Akin said.

The biological mother to four of the children was identified as Paige Harkins. Her boyfriend, Andrew Fabila, is the biological father to one of the kids. 

The domestic disturbance call was made in the first place due to an altercation the couple was having. When the authorities showed up, Fabila had multiple cuts on his face.

Harkins and Fabila were both arrested on four counts of endangering a child. Harkins was also charged on one count for aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, Akins said. The couple is currently being held at Wise County jail. 

The children were taken to a hospital in Fort Worth for further assessment. They are now in custody of Child Protective Services. 

I believe this horrific situation is something that should never occur. The fact that there are still people out there who treat their children like this is just disgusting and morally wrong. If you’re going to have a child, you better understand the responsibility it entails. You can’t treat children like animals and leave them in crates to die. I don’t think stories like this ever get enough coverage from the news media. I concur that if we were to focus more on issues like this, people would know how wrong it is to mistreat children.

How much should we cover the shooter?

Posted on by

By NAOMI FEINSTEIN

It has been one year since the worst mass shooting in United States history. On Valentine’s Day 2018, tragedy disrupted the happiness and love at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

According to authorities, a former MSD student brought his semi-automatic rifle into a freshman building where he shot and killed 17 students and faculty in less than 10 minutes.

During the immediate aftermath of the shooting, survivors, which included students David Hogg, Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky and Jaclyn Corin, launched a campaign called the “March For Our Lives” to end gun violence around America. Additionally, they vowed to never forget the lives lost by making sure their names are always brought up in commemoration.

After the shooting, the news media goes through the usual script of covering a mass shooting: explaining what happened, the lives lost and background of the shooter. However, many of these young activists are calling for the media to stop glorifying mass shooters.

Most recently, USA Today published a story in honor of the one-year anniversary of the shooting. In doing so, the reporter, John Bacon, highlighted all the key figures at the center of the shooting to discuss where they are today, which included discussing the young student activists and the shooter along with an image of him in court.

In response to the article, David Hogg appeared on MSNBC where he said, “They’re [USA Today] one of the best news organizations at making shooters famous in the first place. They always plaster the shooter’s face everywhere. They always give them several hundred pages of coverage.”

Hogg advocating for news media outlets to change how they cover mass shootings is part of the broader campaign called “No Notoriety” that began as a result of the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting. There have been studies done to show that many mass shootings are repetitions of each other as perpetrators see the news coverage of the shooting and want the notoriety of being a school shooter. These aspiring shooters who hope to achieve fame see that is a real possibility through the news media. Thus, this campaign is calling for the news media to stop naming and showing pictures of the shooter.

News media outlets face difficult decisions in covering mass shootings. Now, many, such as Anderson Cooper, are pledging not to name the shooter during coverage or release any images. However, the American news media have the responsibility to keep the public well informed about what is happening around the globe and nationally. Yet, they need to be responsible in reporting. Instead of focusing on who it was, the news media must focus on why or how it happened.

We should use the news media coverage surrounding mass shootings to better understand why this keeps on happening and find the solutions to prevent them from happening in the future rather than as a means to talk about the shooter. When the media glorifies and identifies mass shooters, the victims are hurt twice: once by the perpetrator and the media. Since it seems as though mass shootings are going to be a constant in the U.S. for years to come, news outlets need to do their jobs but must be mindful of the victims and their families because their wounds are consistently reopened due to reappearing images and identification of the shooter in the news.

How to get away with murder

Posted on by

By LIAM FABRE

The Democratic Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, openly embraced infanticide and dressed in blackface thirty five years ago. Which story did the media jump on? Surprisingly, the latter.

Northam is working on legislation with delegate Kathy Tran, that would remove all time restrictions on abortion. Women would have legal access to abortion up until the point of birth. This raised many questions among pro-life advocates and, reasonably so, as abortion gets more and more complicated as birth approaches.

Northam was asked what he would do in the event that the baby would be accidentally delivered during an abortion. Northam responded,

“If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”

Though Northam was not fully clear, it is safe to say this so called “discussion” that would ensue would revolve around whether the baby would be kept alive or murdered. The idea that a beautiful, healthy, breathing child would be murdered outside the womb is abhorrent.

One would think such a story would draw a great deal of news media attention, however, the day after he made this statement, a photo of the governor in blackface surfaced. All media attention turned to this issue and his other comments were pushed to the back burner.

The American people need to comprehend the severity of Gov. Northam’s comments. Yes, the photo is disgusting and he must face consequences for his actions. Both issues are inexcusable, this is not an either or scenario. A representative of our government is calling for newborn babies to be murdered. Wake up America.

‘Modern Family’ comes to close

Posted on by

By LAUREN YELNER

CNN and ABC have both recently announced the renewal of the 11th and final season of the hit show “Modern Family.” The show, which has been running for 10 years, is a favorite of many people. Each character depicts a family member that we all know and love, making it easy to relate to the show.

CNN announced the end of the show in a news story that did not come as a surprise to many. Fans understand that the writers can only come up with a few more topics before the show is exhausted. CNN included a tweet from one of the main actors of the show where he expressed that it will be very hard to leave something that meant so much to him.

The announcement also featured a quotation from the co-creator and highlighted the 21 Emmy awards, multiple Screen Actors Guild awards and the Peabody that the show received in its time on air. While many are sad to see the lovable show come to an end, many are excited to see where the characters lives will end up.

Global warming crisis continues

Posted on by

By SHANIKA ISAACS

According to NASA, global climate change is increasing rapidly as its impact continues to affect the environment around us. As time progresses, we continue to see ice glaciers melting, the rise of sea levels, more frequent and severe forest fires, increase ocean acidity, extreme winters, heat waves and the list goes on. However, with new information surfacing and the fate of the United States changing, President Donald Trump seems less concerned about this evolving world crisis.

“WHAT THE hell is going on with Global Warming. Please come back fast we need you,” said President Trump.

As the play on words pertaining to a serious issue, nature will continue to take its course. Likewise, the unattended struggles of Puerto Rico since the hit of Hurricane Maria in 2017, will continue to cripple the country up to this date.

Collin Powell once said, “Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”

The president’s administration still intends on removing the United States from the Paris climate agreement which will have severe impact on the world. The Washington Post states that while the Trump administration ripped up clean-air rules, U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions shot up 3.4 percent last year, putting the lie that market forces alone will adequately drive down the country’s carbon footprint.

President Donald Trump instead continues to focus on the opposing party funding his $5.7 billion border wall and threatens another partial shut-down for Feb.15 if it is not funded. Why are we so heavily invested in the smaller problems and not more focused on the bigger ones? Where are our priorities as a nation moving forward?

Grande drops album ‘thank u, next’

Posted on by

By CAMILA MUNERA

If you know anything about the singer Ariana Grande, you know that she has been through an ordeal the past few months. From her ex-boyfriend dying from an overdose to a failed engagement, Grande has been through quite a lot. 

Although, Grande’s music career one can say has never looked better. After recently releasing her album “Sweetener” on Aug. 17, 2018, Grande has decided to drop yet another album. 

The new album entitled “thank u, next” after one of her top singles just dropped last night on all streaming devices including Spotify and Apple Music. Grande also decided to drop a new music video as well. 

With the Grammys coming up, many thought Grande would be performing as she is nominated for two Grammys this year. 

“Good Morning America” published an article written by Michael Rothman explaining the controversy behind her reason for not performing. 

Apparently Grande had a falling out with Grammys executive producer, Ken Enrlich. Enrlich quoted in an Associated Press report that he had discussed with Grande about the possibility of performing at the Grammys, but the singer felt it “was too late for her to pull something together.” 

Grande had a lot to say about Enrlich’s comment on Twitter by mentioning that what Enrlich was saying was nothing but a lie. 

The singer expressed herself by saying that she is deciding not to perform when she felt that her creativity and self expression was being stifled by Enrlich. 

It truly is a shame that probably the most successful singer of the year won’t be attending the most important music award of the year. 

This type of publicity will not look good on Enrlich as he is the reason behind why the popular singer will no longer be presenting herself at the Grammys. 

Don’t miss out on music’s biggest night to see if Grande takes home any Grammys at 8 p.m. on Feb. 10 on CBS. 

Florida city commissioner resigns

Posted on by

By PAIGE FLANNERY

The city commissioner of Madeira Beach, Fla., resigned this week after receiving criticism from complaints that she had allegedly groped her male co-workers and licked their faces during work events and meetings. Nancy Oakley had been the city commissioner of Madeira Beach from 2007 to 2013 and also from 2017 to 2019.

Oakley submitted her resignation letter on Tuesday, in which she denied the claims. She wrote that she was resigning to “still the controversy” and also wrote: “I maintain my innocence and am pursuing the paths of appeals available.”The complaint was filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics in February 2017 by former Madeira Beach City manager Shane Crawford. He said that Oakley had made “unwanted sexual advances” toward him and director of the city’s public works department and the city marina, Dave Marsicano, at a fishing tournament in 2012.

According to the report by the ethics commission in response to the complaint, Crawford said that Oakley had “grabbed his crotch, and slowly licked him from his Adam’s apple all the way up his face.”

The report also include details of an incident between Oakley and Dave Marsicano. Marsicano said that during a meeting in 2012, Oakley “hung on his neck, grabbed his crotch, and licked his face.” He also said that Oakley had hugged him and tried to kiss him on numerous other occasions.

According to a press release, the Florida Commission on Ethics found at a meeting on Jan. 25 that Oakley violated the state’s ethics code by “misusing her position by exhibiting inappropriate behavior toward city staff.” The press release also states that it was recommended that Oakley be fined $5,000 and publicly censured by the governor. A Madeira Beach spokesperson confirmed that Oakley’s resignation was accepted on Wednesday night.

Muslim inmate executed in Alabama

Posted on by

By LESLIE ANNE DOMINIQUE

ATMORE, Ala. — Muslim inmate Dominique Ray was executed by lethal injection under the order of the U.S. Supreme Court after requesting to have an Islamic spiritual mentor in the execution chamber on his day of death.

According to sources, shortly before the case was brought to the U.S. Supreme Court, Ray argued that his Atmore Prison did not accommodate Muslim inmates in that a prison-employed Christian chaplain stayed in the chamber to offer comfort during lethal injections. However, his prison along with the state refused to grant for an imam to be present. Due to “security reasons,” Ray’s imam, Yusef Maisonet, was only permitted to view the execution in the next room, separated by glass.

Ray gained the attention of the nation when he challenged this decision at the federal appeals court. On Wednesday the court granted him a stay of execution, while they decided if Ray’s case violated Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by “preferring one religion over another.”

However, less than 24 hours later in a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court allowed for the commencement of the execution on Thursday. His imam was not in the room.

Ray was sentenced to death after he raped and murdered a 15- year old, Tiffany Harville whose body was discovered in a cotton field. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall called Ray’s execution a “long-delayed appointment with justice.”

Conservative justices claim that their abrupt decision was due to the “last-minute nature” of Ray’s appeal. Whereas, liberal justices find the ruling to be inevitably wrong.

Ray’s case brings to question if the Establishment Clause was actually violated. Many argue that Christian prisoners have been granted the right to have a religiously affiliated leader by their side during execution so, why is Ray’s case different?

As Alabama’s first execution of 2019, Dominique Ray’s case is still being reviewed. Although he was not granted his religious rights, the conversation about church and state will continue.

Glacial​ melting expected in Himalayas

Posted on by

According to Official apartment released on Monday, at least a third of ice in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region would melt at the end of this century. The area also includes the world’s highest peaks Mount Everest and K2. 

Global warming is the biggest problem that people needs to face and resolve. This problem is very serious. Global warming had influenced the balanced of the climate. The melting glaciers and some disasters. According to official apartment reports that glacier volumes could decline between 45% and 90% through the 21stcentury. 

The high temperatures also influenced and threated eight countries including China, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. “The consequences are pretty extreme. We are concerned, and we are worried,” said Philippus Wester, the chief scientist with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Melting glaciers and global warming will impact food and water supplies, the influence not only on these eight countries, it could push sea levels higher around the world. The result will be devastating. 

According to the report that people have less experience on the solve the ecosystem problems. The Author hopes the Government can find good ways to prevent these situations. People need to protect this planet. 

Trump to meet Kim Jong-un in Vietnam

Posted on by

By HUY TRAN

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam, a country chosen as a neutral location for their second nuclear summit meeting, on Feb. 27-28.

“Kim and I will meet again on Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam,” he said, but did not say where in Vietnam.

Trump made the announcement in his annual State of the Union address to Congress, confirming rumors about Vietnam being chosen as the venue for their second meeting, saying it was part of “a bold new diplomacy” that has already yielded potential results.
Mr. Trump expects the meeting to improve a diplomatic effort that has seemingly stalled since their last meeting in Singapore.

“If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one.”

“I like him. I get along with him great. We have a fantastic chemistry,” Mr. Trump said. “We have had tremendous correspondence that some people have seen and can’t even believe it. They think it’s historic. And we’ll see what happens. Now that doesn’t mean we’re going to make a deal. But certainly I think we have a very good chance of making a deal.”

Vietnam, which has diplomatic ties with both Washington and Pyongyang, offers advantages for both leaders. Vietnam is an easy flight for Kim’s shorter-range aircraft, and for Trump, it offers a symbolic nod to a communist country that has improved relations with the United States since the end of the Vietnam War.

The U.S. President visited Vietnam for the first time in 2017 when he attended Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s annual meeting. I think the location of this upcoming meeting is chosen because of two reasons.

The first is that Vietnam is the setting of the United States’ last major war, a possible reminder of the devastating and long-lasting effects on the country. The second reason is to show how a Communist country can rise up from international isolation and establish a booming economy in a short time.

Glacial​ melting expected in Himalayas

Posted on by

According to Official apartment released on Monday, at least a third of ice in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region would melt at the end of this century. The area also includes the world’s highest peaks Mount Everest and K2. 

Global warming is the biggest problem that people needs to face and resolve. This problem is very serious. Global warming had influenced the balanced of the climate. The melting glaciers and some disasters. According to official apartment reports that glacier volumes could decline between 45% and 90% through the 21stcentury. 

The high temperatures also influenced and threated eight countries including China, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. “The consequences are pretty extreme. We are concerned, and we are worried,” said Philippus Wester, the chief scientist with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Melting glaciers and global warming will impact food and water supplies, the influence not only on these eight countries, it could push sea levels higher around the world. The result will be devastating. 

According to the report that people have less experience on the solve the ecosystem problems. The Author hopes the Government can find good ways to prevent these situations. People need to protect this planet. 

News media react to Super Bowl

Posted on by

By RYAN GRILLE

As the championship game of the NFL, the Super Bowl is easily the biggest sports event of the year. Not surprisingly, this results in a massive amount of attention from news media outlets.

This year, the big game saw the New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, making it the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever. Naturally, the sports media reported on the game and the athletes involved, especially Tom Brady. But, of course, there is more to the Super Bowl than just the game.

The halftime show sponsored by Pepsi saw pop band Maroon 5 performing alongside rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi. There was also a surprise appearance by the characters of SpongeBob SquarePants in memory of the show’s creator Stephen Hillenburg. The entertainment media widely reported on the performance, including several articles commenting on singer Adam Levine revealing his nipples on stage. Several articles also commented on the quality of this show, many discussing it in a negative light.

Most bizarrely, however, was the news media reporting on the various Super Bowl commercials. Several articles commented on the ads, including debating which ads they enjoyed and which ones did not work.

This may seem trivial, but there are reasons why the news media would want to report on both the halftime show and on the advertising. Not only are several news outlets connected to the corporations that provided the advertising, but these articles are also written with the awareness that these topics are of major interest to viewers.

Put it simply, the news outlets are simply writing these articles in order to generate revenue. While these topics may seem big now, they are soon quickly forgotten until next year’s Super Bowl and serve as nothing more than a distraction to bigger and more important issues.

Special needs wait-list to be dropped

Posted on by

By KARLI FEINSTEIN

On Monday morning, at Pace Brantley School of Special Education in Longwood Fla., Gov. Ron DeSantis made the announcement to eliminate the 2,000-student wait-list for The Gardiner special needs program.

Eliminating the wait-list will make it easier for kids to receive the help they need. The Gardiner Scholarship is set to begin in the 2019/20 school year and will be fully funded, according to DeSantis. 

“As we’ve met with people and talked about these very valuable scholarships, the fact of the matter is we have close to two thousand families who are on the waiting list,” DeSantis said.  “I have allocated enough funds to get rid of the wait list for Gardiner Scholarships entirely.”

The Gardiner Scholarship is used to provide students with disabilities funding that can be used for specialized services such as speech or occupational therapy, tuition for private school, contribution to college, instructional materials and more.

There are about 12,000 students who participate in the program. Qualifying conditions include Down Syndrome, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, and autism. The Scholarship currently has around $124 million dollars to spend. DeSantis wants to allocate another $18.7 million to get rid of the waitlist. 

Brittany Wilson, a mother of two special needs kids currently on the wait-list states, “Just having this scholarship just opens our world, it just allows me to have the confidence and the hope that I can do what’s best for them, whether it’s at home or whether it’s at a private school.”  

DeSantis is doing an amazing thing in my opinion. Its already hard enough for special needs kids to live a normal life. Medical expense already cost so much leaving parents with barely enough money to send their kids to a good school. I believe eliminating the waitlist for this scholarship program will make it so much easier for parents to receive the money they need and deserve for their children.

Fact-checking Trump’s SOTU address

Posted on by

By NAOMI FEINSTEIN

President Trump delivered his second State of the Union address to both chambers of Congress Tuesday night. In his speech, Trump made calls for unity and bipartisanship. However, along with many of his hopes for the future of the country, he discussed and reflected on matters pertaining to immigration, the economy, and foreign policy among others.

Throughout his speech, Trump made a number of claims that I, myself, wanted to make sure were correct. Therefore, when I went to read different news outlets reactions to the speech, I found some interesting pieces about examining the accuracy of Trump’s claims. It is quite unnerving that different news media outlets have to “fact-check” our president, someone who we trust to tell us the truth.

I applaud these different news media organizations to go through the president’s speech and check for falsities. We live in a country where we are bombarded with falsehoods and so-called fake news. However, we rely on these presidential addresses to hear about the state of our current affairs. But, now we are left thinking, what are we supposed to believe?

I particularly enjoyed The New York Times piece titled, “State of the Union Fact Check: What Trump got Right and Wrong.” Today, our news media landscape has become very partisan, making unsubstantiated claims about our government. However, in this piece, a number of reporters came together to detect falsehoods and exaggerations in the president’s speech by presenting data and information that disproves what he said.

When Trump spoke about immigration, he said, “The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime — one of the highest in the entire country, and considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities. Now immediately upon its building with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is on the safest cities in our country.”

However, New York Times reporters prove that this statement is false by showing that El Paso has never been one of the most dangerous cities in the United States and prior to the building of the border fencing in 2008, the city’s crime rate had already been decreasing.

If the story had failed to provide the evidence for which Trump’s claim was false, I would be less likely to believe it. As we know many say Trump has lied previously; however, many of those claims have lacked support. These reporters tracked the accuracy of these claims through extensive research and that is what you call good journalism.

It is through strong reporting like this that a democracy flourishes. The press or the Fourth Estate helps U.S. citizens stay well informed and holds officials accountable. The advent of the free press was grounded in the idea that it serves as watchdog of government and this piece serves as a tool for citizens to track the progress of our country under President Trump for the last two years.

Measles spread in Washington state

Posted on by

By LAUREN MAINGOT

An outbreak of measles in the Pacific Northwest is averaging more than one new case a day according to state health officials, intensifying their push for parents to vaccinate their children.

On Jan. 22, a public health emergency was declared in Clark County, Wash., a metropolitan area near Portland, Ore., with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state. Most of the 49 confirmed cases as of Monday were unvaccinated children under the age of 10, according to Clark County officials.

The highly contagious disease has reemerged in anti-vaccination hot spots over the past several years. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 10 states have reported measles cases in 2019, mostly in and around cities where families choose not to vaccinate for medical, religious or philosophical reasons.“If you have a population that is unvaccinated, it’s like throwing a match into a can of gasoline,” Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County’s public health director, told The New York Times. “And immunization rates have been dropping.”

The measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is 93 percent effective at preventing the virus according to epidemiologists, and measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 as a result of its high effectiveness. Before the vaccine’s introduction in 1963, there were four million measles cases in the U.S. each year, with its victims experiencing high fever, cough, and signature rash. Untreated cases can lead to encephalitis, a potentially fatal inflammation of the brain that can cause permanent neurological damage.

Seventeen states, many of which are now experiencing outbreaks, allow parents to exempt their children from vaccination for unspecified personal reasons. Some parents who choose to take part in the anti-vaccination movement are concerned that vaccines can trigger autism, a theory debunked by medical professionals according to The New York Times.

Multiple media outlets have been covering the increasingly frequent outbreaks across the U.S. and world as they arise. Top stories include the 64 reported cases in New York’s Orthodox Jew community in late 2018 and reports of the highest level of measles in Europe since the 1990s. The extensive coverage is an indicator of the overall breakdown of “herd immunity” to measles.

The New York Times has featured articles explaining the science and importance of vaccines, and CBS News further explained the ineffectiveness of various home remedies like the over-consumption of Vitamin A.

In addition to emphasizing statistics that strongly encourage vaccination and referring to sources criticizing weak vaccination policy, these stories are an example of news companies using their influence as a catalyst for political change, adding pressure to state legislators to take a stronger stance on the issue.

Clickbait in the news media

Posted on by

By GIANNA SANCHEZ

One of the most common forms of getting someone’s attention online is the use of clickbait. Clickbait, by definition, is the content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page. I was a victim to this clickbait when USA Today posted an article titled “Liam Neeson wanted to kill someone.”

Once clicking on the article, I see that it’s not solely about Liam Neeson at all. One of the stories features him, however, the article’s main focus is what happened in news this week. The top story is about Liam Neeson, but as you read more, you can find political news and more global worming coverage.

This is a problem that I have encountered not only with this specific article, but with many news sites and articles around the internet. This wasn’t too much of a problem before the internet became prominent in the journalism world as the phrase “clickbait” hadn’t even become a phrase.

Clickbait titles almost seem like a necessity now. Every news site uses them to draw in viewers and clicks on to articles. Although it can be a good marketing tactic to get more people on a web page, it makes stories more about drama than the actual story. These titles have crazy names like the one from USA Today. They make people think they have to read it because something couldn’t possibly be so crazy.

Behind these crazy titles, however, are just the same stories we are used to seeing. Even though the style of journalism behind them hasn’t changed too much, the titles still throw off viewers and generate more excitement or drama than the articles themselves.

Rather than trying to think of a great title to get people to click on their articles, they should focus on how they are reporting their news. We should try and give the facts rather than come up with a scandalous title.

If convicted, will El Chapo stay in prison?

Posted on by

By ALEXA ECKEMBRECHER

Deliberations for El Chapo’s fate have officially begun earlier this week after nearly three months of testimony.

The week, however, ended on Thursday seemingly positive for Joaquín Guzmán Loera as his jurors did not reach a verdict. He was seen smiling and hugging his attorneys after U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan dismissed 12 jurors from the federal court in Brooklyn.

Guzman-Loera, 61, is accused of leading Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and trafficking tons cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamines across the Rio Grande into United States — among other things. He previously twice escaped from maximum-security prison in Mexico and in closing arguments by prosecuting attorney Andrea Goldbarg, it was said that he was devising a third breakout prior to being extradited to the U.S.

The defense, nonetheless, claims Guzman’s role has been exaggerated by cooperating witnesses and that he is just a mere scapegoat in the drug world. El Chapo’s wife even claimed to have never even had any idea he was a criminal.

But what is undeniable of El Chapo is that he captured the world’s attention and gained a legendary status in the eyes of many, despite the thousands of people ruthlessly murdered by his savage Sinaloan cartel. This can be attributed to the mass media attention he has garnered for decades.

Jurors are expected to continue deliberating on the 10 criminal counts, one of which consists of 27 criminal violations, next Monday. If convicted in the United States, he could face life in prison- unless he escapes, again.


Booker joins list of 2020 candidates

Posted on by

By MCKENZIE STOUTE

With the next presidential election only one year away, many have been wondering who is going to take on current president Donald Trump in 2020. At this point, Americans are insisting to know who they will be looking as candidates in election before hand. Since President Trump was elected, people have been making assumptions about who will be running against him and who won’t be. We even have had talk about music artist Kanye West running for president.

Although the next election is more than a year away, there are very few things the public knows for sure, but slowly but surely we will start to receive confirmations of who is officially running.

So, what do we know for sure? Cory Booker, a 49-year-old New Jersey senator, finally  announced that he will officially be running for president as a Democratic candidate in 2020. Booker, who is a Stanford University graduate and Yale Law School alumni is more than certified for the position.

The announcement of Booker running for office is no surprise being there has been talk about him running for over a year now. Booker’s platform has always been one of love and unity and plans to stick with that message throughout the campaign.

“The lines that divide us are nowhere near as strong as the ties that bind us. When we join together and work together — we will rise” is the message the senator attached to the video announcing his presidential campaign.

This video shows clips of the civil rights movement and the most recent movements we’ve had like March for our Lives and the Women’s March on Washington. Through showing support for group protest and coming together as Americans, peacefully, to make change, Booker is hoping that the stark contrast between his message and our current president’s message is what will lead him to winning the 2020 election.  

Knicks trade Porzingis to Dallas

Posted on by

By LESLIE ANNE DOMINIQUE

It was announced on Thursday that the New York Knicks traded, Kristaps Porzingis along with Trey Burke, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Deandre Jordan, Dennis Smith Jr, Wesley Matthews and two future first-round picks.

Porzingis, a 7-foot-3 Latvian, first round draft pick, was once booed by Knicks fans when he took the court. However, upon realization of his undeniable talent, averaging 22.7 points per game, he soon became the King of New York.

So, why exactly did the Knicks trade New York’s golden boy?

Along with being out this entire season due to an ACL injury, rumors had been speculating that the All-Star athlete wanted out of New York. Having allegedly skipped meetings regarding his future on the team, management began to make moves for the removal of Porzingis. After all there was no agreement for an extension to his contract before this season.

A meeting was held this Thursday with management in which Porzingis expressed his disdain for the team’s future plans. General manager Scott Perry says he “no longer wanted to be a part of our group.” Upon what seemed to be an instantaneous meeting, the Knicks granted Porzingis’s wish to be traded to the Dallas Maverick’s.

Although management has faced serious backlash due to the block buster trade, Steve Mills, president of the Knicks, stated while on a conference call, “We feel like we did the right thing. When you try to think about how you want to build your team for the long term, you don’t want to commit a max [contract] to a player who clearly says to you he doesn’t want to be here. That would be a disservice for our organization and disservice to our fans.”

Hours after the announcement, Porzingis addressed fans on Twitter saying, “New York will always have a special place in my heart. Grateful for everybody who made this journey so special for my family and I.”“The Unicorn” left New York with a heartfelt message but also with many questions about the future of the franchise.

The Knicks haven’t had legendary athletes since the 1970s when Walt Frazier brought the city two rings and the 1990s when Patrick Ewing graced the court. Carmelo Anthony was also adored by the city but he tanked in his later years.

The team now desires to build itself around young players. Considering the team has the current lowest standing in the league, they may be a shoe in for Duke’s ultra-talented, Zion Williamson, who is presumed to be the No. 1 2019 NBA Draft Pick.

The Porzingis trade could possibly bring the Knicks into a new era of success, or this may simply be the Knicks running another talented player out of the city.