Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize in literature

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Elizabeth Gelbaugh

By ELIZABETH GELBAUGH

Bob Dylan received the prestigious honor of the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday. Dylan is a far cry from the Swedish Academy’s typical choice, being a commercially successful musician instead of a high-brow, lesser-known writer with a strong political or social message.

However, when you take away the vocals and instrumentals, the lyrics left on the page bear a remarkable resemblance to poetry. The Swedish Academy recogn bob-dylan ized this and treated it as such.

Many see this award as a broadening of the standards of literature, expanding the category to include music and potentially other untraditional art forms.

“The old categories of high and low art, they’ve been collapsing for a long time,” music critic David Hajdu said in a New York Times article, ”but this is it being
made official.”

Although many are praising the institution for expanding its literary horizons, others are not so pleased. Many people from the literary world voiced their disapproval on social media.

“I’m a Dylan fan, but this is an ill conceived nostalgia award wrenched from the rancid prostates of senile, gibbering hippies,” Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh wrote on Twitter.

Both The New York Times and the BBC included this tweet in their articles on Dylan’s win. For the sake of objectivity, news media are obligated to include the opinions of those in disagreement with the Swedish Academy’s choice.

But does this publication of disapproval stifle evolution of the arts?

After receiving such backlash, the chances of reverting to the old method of separating high and low forms of art may resurface, causing a step back in this artistic progression.

Instead of immediate criticism, perhaps the news media should take a moment to appreciate the significance of this award and what it means for the future. Dylan’s talent and individuality was finally recognized, and, for the sake of future generations, the news media should acknowledge this accomplishment to the same extent that they have noted the disapproval.

More from the celebrity dating beat …

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Madison Brown

By MADISON BROWN

Rapper Mac Miller said on Power 105’s The Breakfast Club on Thursday morning that he and his girlfriend singer Ariana Grande are in love.

“Just because we are two people who are in love and have a great relationship doesn’t mean I am going to get weird about this incredible music we make,” Miller said when asked about how the impact the news media have on his relationship.

Lately, Miller and Grande have been attracting lots of news media attention about their newly confirmed relationship.

Earlier this week, Grande got into an argument about it with radio host Ryan Seacrest on his morning show On Air with Ryan Seacrest.

A comment Seacrest made about a photo of the couple that Grande posted on Instagram sparked backlash from the singer.

“If I post something, then that’s what I’m willing to share at the moment. That doesn’t mean that you, Ryan Seacrest, with millions of listeners, are entitled to more information,” Grande said, avoiding Seacrest’s question about whether or not her photo was posted to confirm hers and Miller’s relationship status.

Today’s news media are heavily preoccupied with Hollywood couples. Just ask Brangelina.

It seems as if the news media need to know who is dating whom at all times, which poses the question: are celebrity’s relationship statuses public information? Or does Grande have a point?

Say goodbye to Brangelina

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Elizabeth Gelbaugh

By ELIZABETH GELBAUGH

After more than a decade together, celebrity power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie separated on Sept. 15. According to CNN, Jolie filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

Though the pair were only married for two and a half years, they share six children, three biological and three adopted.

Brangelina fans around the world were shocked and craved more insider information. Millennials feed off of the latest celebrity gossip and entertainment news, but where should entertainment news media draw the line when it comes to delving into the relationships and breakups of celebrity families?

Whenever children are involved, divorces always seem to be messier. But how will constant publicity and prying eyes play a factor in the couple’s ability to divorce peacefully?

Many celebrities go to great lengths to keep their children out of the spotlight and give them a “normal” childhood. However, the Jolie-Pitt children will have even more difficulty coping with their parents’ divorce than ordinary kids with headlines plastered on every front page and media website, from tabloids in supermarket checkout lines to media alerts and twitter feeds.

“I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids,” Pitt said Tuesday in a statement to CNN. “I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time.”

Unfortunately, I doubt reporters and paparazzi will take the pleas of this concerned father to heart.

So why do tabloids and even reputable news organizations, such as CNN and the New York Times, continue to report on celebrity divorces, regardless of the strain placed on the families, especially children, involved?

The answer is simple: money. News media organizations need revenue to survive and more eyeballs mean more ad revenue.

The news media are driven by the public’s voyeuristic interest, but coverage of private lives, even of public figures, seems incredibly invasive. In the case of Brangelina, not only are the media dragging the private details of a celebrity relationship out into the open, but they are taking innocent, and potentially unwilling, children along for the ride.

With this breed of celebrity news taking over, it’s easy to forget that the media’s original role is to act as a watchdog on government and serve the needs, not merely the wants, of the people.

Swift unrecognizable on Vogue cover

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Sarah Brandt

By SARAH BRANDT

Taylor Swift is on the cover of the May issue of Vogue. She looks completely different than usual in a rock and role style outfit and a completely different hairstyle. Taylor has already been on the cover of Vogue several times before, yet this is a new change for her.

This cover has gotten a lot of attention since it was released to the media. Swift is well known all over the world, which is probably a reason as to why her cover is attracting a lot of attention. But the main reason as to why everyone is taking about this specific one is because of her hair. Taylor has rocked many long hairstyles but no matter what she still manages to look awesome and have people talking about her.

Another reason as to why her Vogue cover has gotten a lot of attention is the story inside. Taylor mentions that for the first time in 10 years she does not have a specific plan of what she wants to do. She did not mention any new music yet, but she for sure is working on something very soon.

Additionally she addressed Kanye West’s new song where he says he made Taylor famous. For this we have to rewind to seven years ago when West argues at the MTV Video Music Awards that Beyoncé should have won the award instead of Taylor.

Overall, Taylor Swift will continue to attract the news media’s attention. No matter if it is posting pictures on Instagram with her boyfriend Calvin Harris or changing up her style for a magazine cover.

No more stormy wedding days

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Roxanne Yu

By ROXANNE YU

Even if an incredible amount of time is dedicated to the tedious marriage planning process, a perfect wedding day is never guaranteed.

There are just certain things over which wedding planners don’t have control .

Every bride dreams of a picture perfect wedding day when her daddy walks her down the aisle, but so many different things can go wrong. I’m not talking about a dress malfunction, rather a more contending force of nature that is well beyond human control — the weather.

What happens when the bride and groom are in the middle of exchanging vows in a beach wedding and it starts to storm?

Seems like members of our society have once again outdone themselves by creating a solution for rainy wedding days.

Based from an article released by CNN, rain-free wedding days are now offered by a UK-based travel company. A technique called “cloud seeding,” a scientific method to increase precipitation patterns is made use of during this process. The catch: to ensure a sunny day, it will cost you $150,000.

Although the article could have added additional information about the process of cloud seeding as a whole, it did a great job of catering to a broader audience. For obvious reasons, the target audiences are engaged couples, however, the writer, Jon Jensen, was able to transform the scientifically grounded topic of cloud seeding to appeal to the general public.

Jensen was able to attract a less scholarly crowd by discussing what cloud seeding is all about through means of reducing the use of complicated scientific terms. Also, the inclusion of humor in Jensen’s article, as well as incorporating a scaled pinch of mockery towards the idea of paying a large amount for a sunny day, did make the article engaging. In fact, before he ends his article, he writes a “Do it Yourself” 5 step outline, which is particularly for those who don’t want to spend $150,000 to stop the rain.

Other than that, the only thing Jensen could have included was success stories of married couples who paid the $150,000 fee. The aspect of incorporating more sources would have made his article more credible as a whole.

Equal Pay Day gains nation’s attention

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Robyn Shapiro

By ROBYN SHAPIRO

Every since World War I and World War II, when women started working the same jobs as men, there has been a gap in the earnings between them and their fellow male counterparts. Every since 1963 when the Equal Pay Act was established, women were supposed to get paid the same amount as men for doing the same job, however this has not been the case.

Although in the past 20 years the pay gap between men and women has decreased by 20 percent, at this rate it will not be until 2059 that women will receive equal pay to men.

This discrepancy between men and women is relevant to both low paying and high paying jobs. Back in October, Jennifer Lawrence spoke out saying that she was paid less than her male co-stars in the film “American Hustle.” This was discovered when Sony e-mails were leaked by hackers who called themselves the “Guardians of Peace,” in which other messages about Angelina Jolie and even President Obama were exposed.

“When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with dicks, I didn’t get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself,” she writes. “I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early.”

Women often receive a lesser pay than men because they don’t know they should be negotiating for more money. Most of the time the women are not aware of the fact that their male counter part is getting paid more.

I think the discrepancy of salary between men and women in this era is unacceptable considering both genders can occupy the same jobs. As the media’s role to be the watch dog of society, I hope that giving more light to this topic will make women more skeptical of their salary and more active to receive the pay that they deserve.

Body image at center of attention

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Robyn Shapiro

By ROBYN SHAPIRO

For decades, the news media has provided society with our standards “beauty.”

Today, when someone thinks of a model they think thin, tall, structurally defined, striking, and other adjectives. Girls and boys alike use glamorous movie stars as their standards for beauty and often when they feel they can’t live up to those standards, they feel negatively about themselves.

Recently, CNN posted an article called “model has a cheeky response to fat-shamer” about British model Iska Lawrence who responded to a comment on an instagram photo where someone called her “a fat cow.” She responded of a series of photos, one where she is eating a bag of chips and flipping off the camera and another where she surrounds herself with bags of chips lying down. In the first caption she said “who gives an F what anyone thinks of you. YOU are the one who decides your self worth.” Lawrence is a model for Aerie lingerie and also a co-editor for Runway Riot, which promotes beauty at any size.

While the news media is making an effort to recognize the impractical beauty standards, I feel it will be difficult to solve the deep seeded societal standard.

In the second half of the article, the writer talks about how famous comedian Amy Schumer was featured in Glamour Magazine in an issue that “celebrated plus size.” Schmuer was not aware of this issue and was insulted by their feature.

“I think there’s nothing wrong with being plus size. Beautiful healthy women. Plus size is considered size 16 in America. I go between a size 6 and an 8. @glamourmag put me in their plus size only issue without asking or letting me know and it doesn’t feel right to me. Young girls seeing my body type thinking that is plus size? What are your thoughts? Mine are not cool glamour not glamorous,” said Schumer.

While in the first half of the comment she celebrates plus sized women, as the comment continues it is apparent she was insulted the fact the magazine considered her “plus size.” If being plus sized is beautiful and healthy, then why would she be insulted to be recognized in the feature?

While the standards are progressing to become more realistic and accepting, when role- model like celebrities can’t truly accept them it becomes harder for the rest of society to accept them as well. I appreciate the movement to accept all body types, but I believe it will be a gradual acceptance before the thoughts of body love will be solidified in society’s mind.

Amy Schumer slams Glamour Magazine

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Mia Pollack

By MIA POLLACK

The Condé Nast publication Glamour Magazine has included Amy Schumer in a special “plus size” edition without permission.

Earlier this week, actress-comedienne Amy Schumer, called out Glamour Magazine on Instagram for including her in their special-edition issue for plus-sized fashion.

Schumer, 34, is best known for her Emmy-Award winning show, “Inside Amy Schumer” and summer 2015 hit, “Trainwreck.” She has certainly been received well considering her accolades in comedy and in Hollywood. She is the reigning funny lady, and even when it comes to body image, has joked about it herself, but I think this cover line pushed her limits a bit too far.

The line read: “women who inspire us,” and the list included voluptuous super model Ashley Graham (who also graces the cover), Melissa McCarthy and Adele. Schumer wrote back in response to the line that she, “…thinks there is nothing wrong with being plus sized. Beautiful healthy women. Plus sized is considered size 16 in America. I go between a size 6 and an 8.”

Being included in this list of women obviously came as a shock to Schumer, who also wrote that, “@glamourmag put me in their plus size only issue without asking or letting me know and it doesn’t feel right to me.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @amyschumer

Eventually, Schumer took her frustrations to Twitter, asking her followers what they thought of the flub that the Condé Nast publication made, leading to the mag’s editor-in-chief Cindi Lieve to respond.

Lieve wrote in her tweet that, ““We love Amy Schumer, & would never want to offend her,” wrote Leive. “To be clear, @glamourmag special edition never called her plus-size.”

According to the Toronto Star, the special edition issue of the magazine included Schumer in their pages due to the fact that in a 2015 cover-interview, Schumer talked in length about body positivity and that talking back to body shamers IS inspiring.

Schumer also got a ton of support from Lena Dunham, star and creator of HBO original series GIRLS. Following Schumer’s strongly worded message to the publication, Dunham spoke to People Magazine that there should not be categorization in fashion.

“I think fashion should be for women and it should be for all women,” says Dunham, 29.

Schumer’s reaction disappoints me, just as much it did her following: it amounts to body negativity for the young girls who look up to her for her confidence in herself, no matter if she was a size 0, 6, 8 or 16.

Weekend in Naples gains world attention

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Sarah Brandt

By SARAH BRANDT

She is 20 years old, he is 23. If you have recently been reading about fashion, the name Gigi Hadid is not uncommon to you. She is a famous model, who recently walked her first Victoria’s Secret runway show with best-friend Kendall Jenner. Gigi’s recent boyfriend is the former one-directoner Zayn Malik.

The two have recently been photographed for Vogue in Paris. From sitting on a motorcycle to overlooking the city of Paris, their pictures are all over the Internet and attracting attention worldwide. Websites such as the Huffington Post, the Daily Mail and all teen websites from PopSugar, to teen Vogue have covered this as their top story of the week.

Zayn’s recent music video, Pillowtalk starred Gigi. Once this video was released the public went crazy about their relationship. This shoot with Vogue only confirms their relationship. It has attracted a lot of attention from the fashion and entertainment media. As Gigi Hadid has been on multiple front covers of magazines all over the world and walked in multiple fashion shows and Zayn used to be in One Direction, also known worldwide, it is no surprise that their photos are very popular.

This goes to show that even though they are both already very well known to the public and their fans all over the world, they can still manage to attract a lot of people by doing something as simple as a photo-shoot together.

The article you shouldn’t miss

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Roxanne Yu

By ROXANNE YU

You can easily tell the difference between a well-written food article from one that is poorly composed. It’s not enough for the photos on the screen to make your mouth water.

“Eat like a local: 10 Chinese dishes you can’t miss in Xi’an.” It’s not hard to agree that seeing an article like on CNN will just make you want to scroll down. Knowing the Chinese, who have a reputation of eating all sorts things, dogs, chicken feet, turtle soup — you name it, the article doesn’t seem too appealing.

Not everyone can write about food. It’s one thing for a photographer to take a photo of an appetizing meal and allow the picture speak for itself, but it’s a completely different undertaking for a writer to transcribe the smell, taste and savory of the dish by making it seem as though it’s right before the reader’s eyes.

As disappointing as the title may sound, the content surely made up for the mundane nature of the headline. Even before the lead comes to the reader’s view, there are 10 pictures that set the tone of the article. There was nothing too exotic that could be outside the range of an American who has only ever come close to Chinese food by means of ordering from the nearest Panda Express.

The lead immediately catches the attention of the readers. The writer, Shen Lu, opens with the statement, “The Terracotta Army may be the most famous landmark in the central Chinese city of Xi’an, but the Shaanxi capital’s array of noodles, breads and dumplings are the tastiest way to be transported back to ancient China.” The tone is engaging, and the message captivating.

As Lu proceeds with her article, she lists one local delicacy at a time, describing what the food is made of, how it will be served and eaten, and she also includes the address of where it is best served at. If there happens to be contact information of the restaurant, she does not fail to list it too.

I’ve tried to save the best for last — the food (and juice) that she has included in her list of 10. Among the few things that are part of the list are Xi’an meat burger, soupy dumpling, cold noodles and pomegranate juice. In order to cater to the American audience, she carefully describes how a certain delicacy is similar to a specific American-made food. She also inserts the Pinyin (system of writing Mandarin Chinese using the Latin alphabet) translation of the dishes.

The article is written with colloquial language to keep the readers engaged. Lu also managed to keep the description written under every dish short, but informative. To cap it all off, how can the article get any worse to know that all the dishes are affordable and easily accessible (in China, of course!).

Kesha says she was offered ‘freedom’

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Melissa Cabral

By MELISSA CABAL

In an Instagram post shared Sunday, singer Kesha says she was proposed a deal to gain her “freedom” only if she issued a public apology and retracted her accusations of sexual assault against Dr. Luke.

The pop singer first sued her former producer back in 2014 for battery and sexual assault and is seeking to cut off all contractual ties with him.

In response, Dr. Luke filed a countersuit and called her allegations “defamatory.” In his own words, he said he “didn’t rape Kesha” and “had never had sex with her.”

In the Instagram post she says, “I got offered my freedom IF i were to lie. I would have to APOLOGIZE publicly and say that I never got raped.”

“THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS behind closed doors. I will not take back the TRUTH. I would rather let the truth ruin my career than lie for a monster ever again.”

In February, a New York judge denied her bid for a preliminary injunction that would allow the singer to record music outside of her contract.

The news of the judge’s denial spread quickly which led the public and even celebrities like Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift to reach out to the singer in support.

As of now, her legal battle continues as she refuses to release music for the label until the contract is broken off.

Hyzagi strikes at publishers, editors

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Mia Pollack

By MIA POLLACK

This week’s fashion story has gone viral.

You’d never think a fashion industry insider would rip his peers to shreds, let alone publicly, but this week, one did.

The now deemed “blacklisted freelancer,” Jacques Hyzagi did the unthinkable; he went on a tirade, going after the publishers and editors that put his eloquent stories in their magazines, in a now viral story published by the Observer on Thursday.

He went after any major fashion publication you can think of, Vogue, The Atlantic, GQ, New York, but the most important one of all is Elle. Hyzagi described in his 4,000-word piece what it was like to work at a fashion magazine through a story in which he snagged an interview with the notoriously shy Comme Des Garcons designer, Rei Kawakubo. (Hyzagi calls her the “Bob Dylan of the fashion industry…”).

In the article, Hyzagi explains that the sought after meeting with the Japanese designer was called on and off within such a short time span, that he describes his thought so perfectly, you can imagine it yourself: “You would think that the extremely rare interview of the most sought after and talented living designer in the world would be of importance to ELLE.” But clearly, do to the unknown fate of the interview, the importance factor became less apparent.

When hunting around the Internet for reactions, fashion mega-blog Man Repeller was right on it. Deputy editor Amelia Diamond had incredible insight into the article: “I am not in the position to make fun of another’s writing or editing, nor am I remotely qualified to question another human’s mental state. Snark, no matter how tempting, is unhelpful. But I will say this — a vague, politically correct understatement for the sake of my take on professionalism: There are many things odd and off about Hyzagi’s piece that have me questioning its validity on multiple levels.”

Later she answers the question as to why the story exploded for fashion insiders and lovers. Did it explode due to the fact that the author of the article spews forth so much anger and hurt that we can’t do anything but assume it is honest? Or because we want an insane amount of honesty or this hostile kind of honesty?

From DIamon’s point of view in answering these posed questions, she states that you obviously cannot believe everything that you read, but that she is pretty sure that it’s not an accurate picture of reality.

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.

Obscure ‘carrot man’ rises to fame

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Roxanne Yu

By ROXANNE YU

There are all sorts of things that social media are capable of, and one of its major strengths is its ability to turn an average middle class individual to an Internet sensation overnight.

On rare occasions, some people who do try to stray from the spotlight get dragged into it without their consent. Nearly a month ago, photos of a charming young farmer were put up online, which spread quickly throughout Filipino news media and gained a considerable amount of attention in the public sphere.

Jeyrick Sigmaton did not expect that his good looks would take him anywhere outside the indigenous community in which he grew up. Born and raised in the northern region of the Philippines, Mountain Province, Sigmaton decided not to attend high school so he could work full-time to help his parents support his six other siblings.

All thanks to Edwina Bandong, Sigmaton’s photos went viral on social media.

Bandong happened to be around the Mountain Province area when she managed to take a photo of a farmer who was carrying a heavy load of carrots onto a delivery truck, hence the nickname “carrot man.”

The news media caught on to the rising hype of carrot man that was going on in the Internet and decided to seek out Sigmaton.

One of the country’s most prominent broadcast journalists, Jessica Soho, made the trip to Mountain Province to get to know more about Sigmaton.

Soho hosts her own news magazine television show that airs every Sunday evening, a show that many Filipino families watch on a regular basis. The fact that Sigmaton was featured on her show made the farmer an even bigger “celebrity,” as it catered to a larger nationwide audience.

“I’m proud that my picture was sought-after. Because of this, a lot of people gained interest in the people who reside in Mountain Province as well as in us, Igorots.” -Jeyrick Sigmaton, “Carrot Man.”

The news media are the source of opening new topics of discussion within a particular issue. In most cases, they do initiate debates and disagreements and they rarely function to unite everyone into one mainstream idea.

In the case of carrot man, Soho was not only able to tell a story behind the man in the photographs, but was also able to inform the public about the culture, struggle and livelihood of Igorots (indigenous tribe members.)

Soho was able to incorporate the timeliness of Sigmaton’s fame and link it to the issues that surround native tribes that still exist around the country. She exemplified great journalism techniques that can be deemed praiseworthy.

‘Spotlight’ restarts conversation

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Mia Pollack

By MIA POLLACK

Since its release in November, the latest Academy Award winner for Best Picture, “Spotlight,” is still causing quite the conversation.

The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival back in September 2015, focuses on the Boston Globe’s investigative journalist team and its exploration into cases of extensive child sex abuse in the greater Boston area by a large number of Roman Catholic priests.

The film won top prize at this past Sunday’s Academy Awards, as well as best original screenplay, and the English newspaper, The Guardian, is calling it “a great thing for journalism.”

The author, Alicia Shepard, says that the film is and should do wonders for the news business, but also better the public’s understanding of journalism to “ultimately inform and do good.”

Marty Baron, who is the former executive editor at the Globe, portrayed in the film by Live Schreiber, said that the film expose a whole new generation about why journalism is still so important. He also spoke to the British publication about how “…painstakingly demonstrates how difficult it is to penetrate a powerful institution such as the Catholic Church- but it proves that it can be done.”

Baron went on to say that endeavors such as this are critical and time-consuming, and that we as journalists need to do more of it, not less.

Following the films big win in the ‘best picture’ and ‘best original screenplay,’ Baron Tweeted:

The wins were even followed up by commentary from the Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley.

He says to Vanity Fair, “Spotlight is an important film for all impacted by the tragedy of clergy sexual abuse. By providing in-depth reporting on the history of the clergy sexual abuse crisis, the media led the Church to acknowledge the crimes and since of its personnel and to begin to address its failings, the harm done to victims and their families and needs of survivors…. The media’s role in revealing the sexual abuse crisis opened a door through which the Church has walked in responding to the needs of survivors. Protecting children and providing support for survivors and their families must be a priority in all aspects of the life of the Church…. We continue to seek the forgiveness of all who have been harmed by the tragedy of clergy sexual abuse and pray that each day the Lord may guide us on the path toward healing and renewal.”

Additionally, the L’Osservator Romano Vatican newspaper published a front-page editorial on the film’s Oscar win, earlier in the week.

Hollywood industry rag, Variety, calls the highest honor in film, a “triumph of excellence over ego.”

Hair swap of the century?

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Sidney Sterling

By SIDNEY STERLING

The apple really does not fall far from the tree. Last year, Kim Kardashian nearly “broke the Internet” when she sported her newly dyed golden hair at Paris Fashion Week.

Now, her sister, Kendall Jenner, concealed her luscious brown locks in a bright blonde wig to strut down the runway in Balmain’s showing at the 2016 Paris Fashion Week.

Balmain had some of the top supermodels in the world change their hair color to the opposite hue to walk the runway for her clothing line.

For example, blonde bombshells, Gigi Hadid, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Devon Windsor rocked brunette wigs. While, brown haired beauties, Kendall Jenner and Alessandra Ambrosio, showed off their new platinum locks.

It is safe to say that the news media went insane about the hair swap of the century.

Even ABC News gave its two cents. In an online article, ABC stated, “Adding to the hairstyle drama, Hadid, who’s also 20, strutted out straight after Jenner, and in the place of her enviable blond locks she sported dark hair with a chic center parting.” However the news outlet also observed that, “The playful hair confusion was cheered by front row attendees Kanye West and mother-in-law Kris Jenner.”

Screen Shot 2016-03-04 at 12.42.56 AM

Entertainment and fashion gurus at eonline.com simply said, “Kendall Jenner, you look different …”

Even NBC Miami could not resist covering this “extremely important” news break. In an article they stated, “It was a tongue-in-cheek move on the part of Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing.”

It is interesting to think why a local station found it imperative to cover a story that contains zero relevance to South Florida news, interest or safety.

Just like the credible news sources mentioned above, fans of Balmain and Jenner, love the bold hues and stylistic choice by the designer.

Once again, to no surprise, the Kardashian empire somehow finds a way to steal the spotlight in the news media just by slapping on a wig.

Screen Shot 2016-03-04 at 12.44.37 AM

We have more important issues to worry about and do not have time to “break the Internet” when supermodels change their hair color.

What do you think of the news media’s reaction to the swap? How do you feel about NBC Miami taking the time to cover this “extremely important” story? Is our media focusing and reporting on irrelevant news?

Andrews testifies in stalker, hotel lawsuit

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Kate Hovan

By KATIE HOVAN

Earlier this week, Fox sportscaster Erin Andrews finished testifying in a $75 million lawsuit against a stalker and the owner of a Nashville Marriott hotel.

Andrews claims that the hotel allowed a stalker to occupy the room next to hers in 2008. The stalker, Michael David Barrett, recorded nude footage of Andrews through a peephole and leaked the videos onto the Internet. Barrett has since served time in prison for his crime.

Andrews believes both the hotel and her stalker are responsible for emotional damage.

In her testimony, Andrews also alleged that ESPN, her employer at the time, refused to let her continue reporting on college football until she spoke publicly about the matter. Andrews said that the network wanted her to clarify whether or not the incident had been a publicity stunt.

In a field like journalism, where the “truth” is of the utmost importance, Andrews’ situation begs the question: when is human compassion more important than an accurate story?

If you ask me, ESPN undeniably overstepped its boundaries by asking a woman who was a victim of sexual exploitation to relive the incident on national television.

Whether or not it had been a publicity stunt, ESPN should have treated the statements of a fellow employee with the highest respect and consideration. Forcing any person, male or female, to speak about such a sensitive subject is a tasteless invasion of privacy.

I truly hope that Andrews is exaggerating the way ESPN addressed the situation. It would be a shame to learn that such a respected sports news network lacked the basic human compassion necessary in dealing with sexual exploitation.

As a note for other networks in the future: sometimes “getting the story” just isn’t worth the damage to a person’s mental and emotional health. Always be cautious.

DIGITAL NEWS REPORTING

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

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