Kanye West’s $53 million debt

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Sarah Brandt

By SARAH BRANDT

“I write this to you my brothers while still 53 million dollars in personal debt… Please Pray we overcome… This is my true heart…” Kanye West.

Kanye West Tweet

The above-mentioned post came from rapper Kanye West, which he posted on Feb. 13, 2016.

This was just a few days after his “Yeezy Season 3” presentation and his new album release “The Life of Pablo”.

His statement has been publicized all over the news, such as CNN, The Guardian and on Billboard. With this plea, he made himself the target for a lot of Kanye haters. Now hateful memes can be found online, including his comment of his $53 million debt.

West is very popular in the music industry and he had just recently released his brand new, and much anticipated album “The Life of Pablo.” Already, after he presented the world his new record, he received a lot of hate, from viewers and the news, about how his presentation of the album was nothing spectacular and he just simply pressed a button to play his songs. The fact that a few days later he posts this tweet does not make him much liked to a few people.

West had also posted the following, a few minutes later: “Mark Zuckerberg invest 1 billion dollars into Kanye West ideas,” also on Twitter.

This statement is very ironic and funny, as Zuckerberg is the CEO and founder of Facebook and not Twitter, and will most definitely not invest $1 billion for Kanye. The Guardian went on discussing West’s further tweets and pleads to other “tech billionaires.”

Kanye West is a very well known rapper, who just came out with a new “Yeezy” season and a new album, now happens to be in $53 million debt. Hopefully with his tweets, which are very clearly receiving a lot of attention from the media, which is not necessarily always positive, he will soon find someone to relieve and save him from his debt.

The Bowie tribute of all tributes

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Mia Pollack

By MIA POLLACK

There’s no question that every time Lady Gaga makes an appearance anywhere, she goes all out. I mean, from the hair, the make up and the outfit, she’s always making a statement.

This year, Gaga was asked to perform a tribute to the late, great, David Bowie, and she certainly did not disappoint. From the moment she walked on the carpet in custom Marc Jacobs and a flaming red wig, paying homage to Ziggy Stardust.

When the time for her performance finally came, the crowd that filled the Staples Center went absolutely wild. She ran through 10 of the artist’s hits from the 1970s and 1980s, making it one of the longer, but more technologically advance performances of the night.

During the telecast Monday night, Intel released commercials featuring the singer on how the company collaborated with the star, 29, to bring her performance to life. As ABC News reported, in one of the commercials Gaga explained, “we wanted to create an expression of not only David Bowie’s magic, but also to show that there is magic that can be made with technology.”

According to Fox News, Gaga told them that it was one of the most difficult things that she’s ever done, as the icon served as an extremely influential person in her life.

The influence definitely showed in her performance.

The Telegraph from U.K. picked up on the fact that Gaga’s performance was a hybrid of her unique stage presence, along with that of Bowie’s with wide-eyed facial expression and fluid movements. The true strength that the U.K. newspaper thought was her vocals, immaculately imitating Bowie’s strong accent that shined on “Space Oddity,” “Suffragette City,” “Fashio” and “Rebel Rebel.”

Though the performance seemed to be a favorite among the crowd inside and audience watching at home, the one person that did not seem overly thrilled was the late singer’s son, David Jones. Billboard reported that Jones’ Tweeted a cryptic message, which many thought to be a diss to Gaga’s stellar performance. I think he got the idea for this from searching Lady Gaga on Urban Dictionary…

Controversial Yeezy re-release is Friday

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Sidney Sterling

By SIDNEY STERLING

Adidas will restock Kanye West’s personally designed Yeezy Boost 350 Pirate Black shoes on Friday to retailers and consumers around the world. Anyone who follows sneaker news and Kanye West in general knows this is a huge deal for the “sneaker head” community.

Landing Yeezy’s during a scheduled release, for their retail value of $200, could entail reselling the shoes for around $800 to $1,000. However, due to high demand, most shoppers just want to flaunt that they were lucky enough to snatch a pair.

Prior to this release, Adidas first debuted this design in August 2015 and it immediately flew off the shelves. Due to high demand and West’s exposure, they are re-releasing the Pirate Black color for a second time just six months later.

Retail stores like Champs, Footlocker and Adidas held raffles to avoid overcrowding, long lines and potential safety hazards on the actual release day.

Social media platforms, fashion bloggers and mainstream sites have been raving and taunting West for weeks regarding the re-release of his shoes, his new album and recent twitter rants/tangents. Maybe the timing of all these events is not a coincidence.

News outlets available to the everyday consumer are exposing West for “broken promises” to his loyal fans.

In a story, GQ stated, “Despite Kanye’s intentions to make the sneakers available to a wider audience, the only big box stores that will be carrying them are Finish Line, Foot Locker, and Champs. And you can only claim a pair at those stores through raffles you either already had to wait in line to get or should be currently in line to get.”

In lieu of the drop of the Yeezy’s, West conveniently claimed he was $53 million in debt from launching his own clothing line.

Screen Shot 2016-02-18 at 11.53.21 PM

In response CNN said, “Oh, Kanye West. Wow. Even by your attention-grabbing standards, this was a weekend to remember.”

On another note, fans of West and his designs had a more positive take on the situation.

Rolling Stone’s Grammy moments

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Maria Luiza Lago

By MARIA LUIZA LAGO

The 58th annual Grammy Awards was full of good performances and tributes to great artists, like David Bowie and Lionel Richie. The Rolling Stone magazine did a review of the 20 best and worst moments but overlooked certain important aspects of some performances, like criticizing Adele for a minor sound issue and putting as the “worst” moment the non-attendance of Rihanna, even knowing she was sick and couldn’t sing.

The magazine analyzed important parts like the performance of Lady Gaga in honor of David Bowie: “her nods to Bowie’s performances showed a true obsessive, what made Gaga’s performance perfect was the way she captured the spirit of the man’s work throughout his career”; and the “notable solo performance” of the artist The Weekend, as well as other great performances of Taylor Swift, The Eagles and Stevie Wonder with the Pentatonix group.

The worst moments, however, were in part understandable. Others weren’t. The tribute to Lionel Richie performed by John Legend, Demi Lovato, Luke Bryan, Meghan Trainor and Tyrese Gibson was good until John Legend stopped singing. Even Lionel Richie, who was at the event, stopped cheering as he listened to his own work being sung by the other performers, as Rolling Stone pointed out.

Another worst moment was the duet of singers Tori Kelly and James Bay that seemed out of pace when both tried to sing both of their singles on the same time, and the music and scenarios were not good enough compared to the other performances.

What I think Rolling Stone may have exaggerated was the fact that one of the “worst” moments was the fact that, in Adele’s performance, the piano microphones fell into the piano strings, making the sound dissonant and, as noted by the magazine, “sounded like a fork on a guitar and a volume drop that nearly silenced the singer.” I think despite the audio trouble, Adele’s performance was good, there was no problem with her voice or whatsoever and I wouldn’t judge as a bad performance someone that wears a “messy bob” as being the worst part of the Grammys.

Also, Rihanna didn’t show up at the event due to bronchitis. Her doctor told her not to sing and the magazine also pointed that out, but still, “Rihanna bails.” Her performance was not even judged as good or bad and her condition forbid her to perform.

Grammys bring race issues onto stage

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Breana Ross

By BREANA ROSS

Under the dim lights of the stage, multiple black figures immersed from the darkness in a straight line. As the figures became closer to center stage, it became apparent that they were shackled, chained together. Even closer, it became visible that the figures were dressed as inmates. They continued to walk in unison, closer and closer to full visibility, until the leader of the line reached the microphone that waited in the center of the stage. The head of the line was award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar and he was about to deliver a controversial, political performance on one of the largest music stages in the world: the Grammys.

Lamar, a popular African American rapper known for his songs about the struggles within the black community, delivered a powerful performance with many messages about racial injustice, African American heritage, and self-hatred intertwined. The performance began with Lamar and his background dancers in chains and dressed as prisoners while he rapped his song “The Blacker the Berry” which discusses oppression issues surrounding the Trayvon Martin case. Lamar rapped, “You hate me, don’t you? You hate my people. Your plan is to terminate my culture,” among other lyrics.

As the mood of the performance shifts, Lamar and his dancers drop their chains and begin to dance. Lamar then walks on to another set on stage with African dancers around a fire and begins to sing, “We gon’ be alright,” a lyric form another one of his popular songs. He ends the performance alone on stage, once again, rapping about racial injustice and oppression towards African Americans as an image of the continent of Africa with the word “Compton” written inside appears on a screen behind him.

Any time an artist, politician, or anyone for that matter, has the courage to speak on an issue of race on such a large stage, it is a hit or miss with the news media. Some times the individual receives enormous praise in the media while other times there is major backlash. In this case, Kendrick Lamar’s Performance was raved about within the media.

USA Today and the Los Angeles Times called Lamar’s performance “the only one that mattered.” CNN and many other popular entertainment news outlets covered his performance, all in a positive light. However, this positive reaction by the news media is drastically different from the reactions spurred by Beyonce’s Super Bowl performance.

Beyonce’s Super Bowl performance was also an attempt to bring light to the struggles of African Americans, but using a different approach. Beyonce’s back-up dancers all sported “Black Panther” attire as their outfits for the performance. Although a subtle message, this sent the media into a frenzy over Beyonce’s intentions. Some claimed the bold move was racist and anti-police.

Others connected the Black Panther reference to support for the Black Live Matter movement. Regardless, the media picks and chooses which racial messages to accept and which to reject. When one decides to discuss the “race issue” on a world stage, there is a risk attached, one that can impact the favorability of the artist in the eyes of the media.

TV show contestant wins $120K car

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Melissa Cabral

By MELISSA CABRAL

It’s Dream Car Week on the popular game show “The Price is Right” and one contestant’s dream just came true.

Contestant, Francesca Penko, became the lucky first participant to become the winner of her dream car on the TV show on Monday. Penko, a wedding photographer, won the grand prize of a 2016 Aston Martin Vantage GT Coupe worth $120,265.

To win the luxury vehicle, Penko participated in a Spelling Bee game in which she was asked to guess the price of three different household items. Lucky for her, she guessed all three correctly and was presented with the difficult choice of finishing the game and walking away with $25,000 or to keep playing for a chance to win her dream car with the risk of losing the previous money won.

Although it was a risky move, Penko chose to continue playing for the chance to win the grand prize. Host Drew Carey, tried to convince her to keep the cash but the audience encouraged her to go on for the big prize. She chose a card and Carey flipped it over revealing that her card had the word C-A-R written boldly on it.

Penko jumped up wildly and screamed in disbelief as her husband shouted in joy from the audience. The show is not known to give out such luxurious vehicles or prizes so this was big moment for everyone involved.

Beyonce gets political at Super Bowl 50

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Victoria De Cardenas

By VICTORIA DE CARDENAS

The Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers Sunday night at Super Bowl 50, but many are talking about the halftime performance.

The halftime show began with Coldplay and an array of fireworks, streamers, flags and a stadium full of color. Fans held up signs that read “Believe in love.” Coldplay was then joined by Bruno Mars who performed his big hit from 2015, “Uptown Funk.”

Beyonce joined in and that is all anyone is remembering from the halftime show.

Beyonce was accompanied by 30 back-up dancers and flames blowing with every line in her new single “Formation.” But her special effects were not what people were talking about.

Beyonce’s dancers were dressed eerily similar to the Black Panthers, with berets and afros. While “Queen B” wore a Michael Jackson inspired outfit. The outfits alone caused controversy.

The star released the music video of “Formation” the day before the big game. The video referenced the “Black Lives Matter” movement with police officers and a young black boy wearing a hoodie and “stop shooting us” on a written on a wall behind him.

Beyonce’s political statement during the Super Bowl shocked many people, including former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani.

“I think it was outrageous,” Giuliani said. “This is football, not Hollywood and I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive.”

Others had opposing views.

Black Lives Matter activist Erika Totten said Beyonce’s message accomplished exactly what the movement is supposed to do.

But why are news outlets bursting at the seams with Beyonce’s call for equality? Could it be because she never engaged in political discussion before?

Most media outlets seem to have forgotten that Coldplay was the headliner and Beyonce and Bruno Mars were guests. Coldplay clearly made a reference to gay rights with the bright rainbow colors on stage and in the stands. Why don’t I see journalists over-analyzing Coldplay’s contribution to recognizing gay rights? It was their halftime show anyways.

Could the news media be scrutinizing Beyonce’s performance because she’s black? If that is the case, Beyonce’s message should have be heard and seen by all. It is unfair that a celebrity of her status is being put under the microscope by the media because she addressed the racially charged issues in America.

Articles all over the Internet are criticizing her performance and her contribution to bring attention to the social injustices. Instead of trying to inform and unite the public, the media does the exact opposite.

Beyonce has found her voice and speaking out through her music, but she’s not the only one to do it. I hope to see news outlets acknowledge other celebrities who are trying to draw attention to social issues as much as they did for Beyonce.

Sandy Hook victim father up for awards

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Wyatt Geller

By WYATT GELLER

Saxophonist Jimmy Greene has endured tremendous grief ever since his daughter, Ana Marquez Greene, 6 at the time, was killed in the Sandy Hook shootings back in December of 2012.

Greene continued by composing music and an album, “A Beautiful Life,” to honor Ana. The album is up for two Grammy Awards this year: best jazz instrumental and best arrangement for vocals, as these are his first two nominations.

The nominations are a huge honor for Greene, but he wishes his daughter was there to see it.

According to ABC News, Greene said, “There is not a day that goes by that doesn’t have tears and just incredible sadness, … Music is a language in and of itself and it’s a language for me that kind of picks up where words leave off.”

It was not always easy for Greene to continue playing the saxophone.

“So the process of making the music, it was fraught with tears and a lot of pain, but it was a necessary expression, just like talking is a necessary expression.” Greene said, in a report from CBS News.

His time and effort towards his saxophone playing has helped Greene cope with the loss, as he has continued to do what he loves the most and that is to perform.

The 58th annual Grammy Awards will take place this Monday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Snowboarding video gets attention

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Sarah Brandt

By SARAH BRANDT

Casey Neistat is a 34-year-old American film and YouTube content creator. He currently has two million subscribers and 459 million views on his YouTube channel. On an everyday basis he films everyday vlogs, in which he shows his viewers his daily activities and his family.

About two weeks ago, New York City was struck with a gigantic blizzard and snowstorm. News reporters and police were warning citizens not to drive around because it was too dangerous. This, however, did not stop Casey and he got out his truck, attached chains and a rope to the back and decided to snowboard throughout the city.

He had cameras all over, which allowed him to get footage from many different angels. He collected the clips and uploaded the video to his channel. A few days later his video was broadcast all over the world. It was shown on newscasts in Germany, Switzerland, England, Australia and many other countries.

Even news network Web sites such as CNN and ABC did stories on his video. A lot of news media decided to cover Casey and his video, and it was all in a positive light.

The reason for so many news sites covering this specific video was because as you can see in the video that Casey is the only one driving through New York. This is a very rare occurrence, as the city is always full with lots of cars and people.

New York City is also a city known to many other countries around the world, and they were also aware of the big blizzard going on. Therefore, it is no coincidence that various countries decided on reporting on Casey Neistat’s video, which brought much attention and enjoyment to most readers.

With this Neistat has without knowing produced a viral video. The fact that his video was covered by so many news sources boosts his YouTube channel and the video now has 1.5 million views. And, of course, it gave a tremendous boost to his career as a filmmaker .

Giuliani criticizes halftime show

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Jean-Paul Aguirre

By JEAN-PAUL AGUIRRE

This past Monday, Rudy Giuliani stirred up some controversy over the Super Bowl halftime performance by Coldplay, which featured Bruno Mars and Beyoncé.

The portion of the performance by Beyoncé referenced ongoing social issues being confronted in the U.S., such as the Black Lives Matter movement, while also celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panthers.

The performance proved to be quite divisive as both proponents and opponents advocated their positions on the various platforms, from online-opinion articles to morning shows on national news networks.

The former mayor of New York, Giuliani, expressed his deep offense by Beyoncé’s performance on “Fox and Friends” on Monday morning. He said that it was “outrageous” and that it was an attack on law enforcement.

The story has not made major waves in the form of newsworthy topics on local or national news stations. I feel that it is appropriate that news stations have not blown the story up to extreme proportions, as they have been known to do recently. I feel that it may be worth mentioning as a tidbit during segments, but the nation should not concern itself with an insignificant feud.

The nation is immersed in the presidential campaign, especially now with the presidential primaries and caucuses in New Hampshire and other states. Following the campaign to try and figure out which of the candidates might take the lead in the race for the White House is more important.

This is one instance where I feel the media took the right approach with covering the Beyoncé-Giuliani story. It contains the news element of prominence, which would permit it to receive some attention, but not enough to allot more time than is necessary — like what we have seen lately with some stories, such as the woman who pulled over the police officer, or if you watch ESPN, the ongoing saga with the Cleveland Browns and Johnny Manziel.

SAG Awards places diversity on display

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Mia Pollack

By MIA POLLACK

Diversity was the night’s Big Winner.

Last Saturday, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, or SAGs for short, aired on TBS and TNT. The ceremony, held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, is probably one of the most special evenings to take place during award season.

Why, you may ask?

It is because the small and big screen stars are voting to nominate the work of their peers and later send a few home with the night’s top honors. When the nominations were dolled out in early December, the contenders for the infamous Actor statue came from all walks of life, creed, color and sexual orientation.

It is a great deal of difference compared to the controversial list of all white nominees for this years Academy Awards.

The nominees, which influenced the hashtag #OscarSoWhite, getting the news media and a slew of black actors talking about a boycott of the award show that is set to air on ABC on Feb, 28. Legendary filmmaker Spike Lee took to his Instagram account to say, “we cannot support it and I mean no disrespect.… But, how is it possible for the second consecutive year all 20 contenders under the acting category are white? And let’s not even get into the other branches.”

With the sound of the public and media outrage, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs has even stated to industry publication Deadline that she was disappointed in the way the nominations turned out.The controversy lead the media and the public’s attention to the body of voters that make up AMPAS, mostly “older white males that are out of touch with today’s movie goers.”

Again, this is extremely different from the body of voters that make up the Screen Actors Guild, which is why I think the SAG awards gain so much attention, because actors are giving awards to their peers, making it all that more special.

I remember watching the award show and having actor Idris Elba be a fixture at the podium, having won awards for his work in Netflix’s “Beasts of No Nation” and the BBC’s “Luther,” and saying, “ladies and gentlemen, welcome to diverse TV.”

According to reports from South Florida Times website and the Associated Press, Elba did not make a direct reference to the crisis that has been sweeping through Hollywood over the last few weeks.

There was so much diversity seen through the night at the awards ceremony, and it especially hit home for so many watching at the Shrine or at home on the couch, when “Orange is the New Black” took home gold for the second year in a row for ‘outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series.’”

Laura Prepon, who accepted the award with her cast standing beside her, said, “Look at this stage. This is what we talk about when we talk about diversity. Different race, color, creed, sexual orientation.”

Diversity was definitely a surrounding theme of the evening and no one said it better than Viola Davis, “we’ve become a society of trending topics. Diversity is not a trending topic, it’s just not.”

NBC’s ‘Friends’ hold rare reunion

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Melissa Cabral

By MELISSA CABRAL

Looks like they’ll be there for us one more time.

It’s been 12 years since the show’s record-breaking finale aired in 2004. NBC has announced that the stars of the hit show, “Friends”, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc will all take part in a new two-hour special honoring director James Burrows on Sunday, Feb. 21.

Noticeably absent from the announcement is co-star Matthew Perry, who played the sarcastic character, Chandler Bing on the show. It was announced that the actor would not be able to make the reunion as he is in London in rehearsals for his play.

The cast is reuniting to partake in a special tribute honoring the comedic director, Burrows, who directed 15 episodes through out the 10 seasons of the show. Although this is a special about the director, fans from all over the world, including myself, are eager to see the cast mates back together after all these years.

The two-hour “Must-See TV: A Tribute to James Burrows” will air at 9 p.m. ET Feb. 21 on NBC. The special will also bring together other iconic casts. Among them: “Mike & Molly,” “Taxi,” “Cheers,” “Frasier,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Will & Grace.”

Philippine media’s take on Ms. Universe

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Roxanne Yu

By ROXANNE YU

There has been a 42-year drought since the Philippines claimed the Ms. Universe crown and now that a Filipina holds the title, the Philippine news media cannot stop talking about her.

It has been more than a month since Steve Harvey, the 2015 Ms. Universe host, mistakenly announced that Ms. Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, instead of Ms. Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, was the winner of the 2015 Ms. Universe Pageant.

Ever since the crown was removed (literally) from Gutierrez’s head and placed on top of Wurtzbach’s, Philippine news media have portrayed Gutierrez as a bitter first runner-up while Wurtzbach’s grace and humility have been put under the spotlight.

The phrase “love your own” certainly holds true in the case of Philippine media coverage of the pageant and of Wurtzbach. By all means, it is only typical that Filipinos show pride and favor towards their chosen representative in an international event. It does however become questionable when journalists come into the picture and compromise professionalism with nationalism.

Content that is viewed and published on a national scale must be kept transparent regardless the news that is being reported on. The pageant is no exception.

Negligently, Philippine media covered the turn of events in such a manner that merely highlighted a one-sided Filipino perspective. Whenever Ms. Colombia is mentioned on Philippine news websites, there has been a prevalent pattern suggesting that video clips and quotes have not been acquired as primary sources.

Although it may be unlikely and too costly to send reporters to Colombia, Philippine media could have made an effort to contact Gutierrez through phone call, at the very least.

Perhaps the emergence of the newly strained relationship between Philippine and Colombian fans has also played a role for the Philippine media to not reach out any further. After all, who would want to heighten the existing awkwardness going on between the two countries?

‘Offend America Again’ Trump on SNL

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Elayna Paulk

By ELAYNA PAULK

NBC is currently under fire for being the hosting network for “Saturday Night Live,” which has recently agreed to allow Donald Trump to be its most recent special guest.

Protesters argue that it is the values of Donald Trump that make his appearance on a comedy show “not funny” and “blatantly disrespectful”. American Actor, John Leguizamo has gone as far as boycotting the show and says that if Trump Hosts then “I won’t watch SNL anymore”.

“I’m all for freedom of speech, don’t get me wrong. I believe in freedom of speech,” Leguizamo said in a Yahoo News interview. “This is different … If he had said those things about any other ethnic group, he would not be on that SNL.”

Leguizamo continued, “I mean for him to go around saying that Mexican people are coming across the border are murders and rapists and all the horrible things he said is so dangerous,” Leguizamo said in the interview. “People have been hurt because of his words, because he incited. And he said, ‘well, my followers are very passionate,’ which is also his lack of sympathy and empathy is ridiculous.”

Media outlets such as ABC, Entertainment Weekly, Business Insider, and CNN Money have since reported the incident by remaining neutral. The issue remains though, if we keep using Donald Trump for comedic entertainment, can we trust him as a politician?

Instagram star quits social media

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Meredith Sloan

BY MEREDITH SLOAN

Australian model and Instagram star Essena O’Neill announced she was quitting social media this week via YouTube.

https://youtu.be/Xe1Qyks8QEM

According to ABC News, O’Neill, who had more than 700,00 followers on Instagram and 260,000 subscribers on YouTube, posted a shocking confession announcing that social media made her “miserable” and that online and mobile-sharing platforms can be unhealthy. She decided that she wanted to shut down all of her accounts.

According to CNN, O’Neill’s social media friends Nina and Randa Nelson published a YouTube video alleging she was doing this as a stunt to get more followers.

https://youtu.be/WB3HtCMfZic

All social media platforms have been exploding with both support and opposition for O’Neill’s stance. This debate has been a hot topic for news organizations alike.

I support O’Neill’s stance because her issue with social media is situational. She said that she didn’t like how the pressure to be perfect influenced her mental health. She also said that she wanted to set a good example for her younger sister and show her that she doesn’t have to be perfect and likeable online to be happy.

I do think that social media outlets are informative and necessary in this day and age for the spreading of information. Although, I don’t think that personal business accounts like O’Neill that promote unrealistic body images and clothing brands are necessary.

Raven-Symone: The saga continues

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Elayna Paulk

By ELAYNA PAULK

To follow up my earlier blog regarding the coverage of of Raven-Symone and the series of unfortunate events that came with it.

Raven Symone has struck a chord with us all — again, but this time it’s not without serious consequences. After her statement on the young girl in South Carolina that got brutally assaulted by a police offer, which blamed the young girl for being “on her phone” during class, there has been a petition to remove Raven Symone from “The View.”

The Washington Times, Huffington Post, NBC, as well as many other news outlets, have since reported on the petition, on Change.org that addresses the petition to Barbara Walters, that says:

“Raven Symone has been spouting her ignorant and self hating spiel on the view for long enough, from stating that she wouldn’t hire somebody for having a ghetto name, to openly complaining about reverse racism, the final straw was her comment about the recent viral video of the school police officer assaulting the student, where Raven Symone said “get off your phone in school then.” African Americans and black people around the diaspora need a voice representative of their views and not a voice representative of what white people want us to say. We need strong black role models in prominent positions on television an Raven Symone cannot provide that. That is why I ask that we petition to remove her from The View.”

The news media coverage has played a major role in the success of this petition, which currently has 106,185 out of the 150,000 signature goal. The coverage of issues, such as these, and the persistent conversations on social media outlets can finally put an end to the disaster that is Raven-Symone.

NASA did big favor for ‘The Martian’

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Xiao Lyu

By XIAO LYU

NASA scientists held a news conference on Monday said they found the flowing water on the surface of Mars, making a significant breakthrough in searching for new life in the universe. However, with the vast news media attention, the news conference has been considered as a public relations blitz for the movie “The Martian” that opens in theaters nationally today and a chance to generate more money.

Three days prior to the news conference, NASA released a notice for the news conference on its official website, inviting the media and the public to participate. It was conventional when NASA was going to release a major scientific discovery and it would effectively become a spotlight.

During this time, the information was widely disseminated via the Internet and large-scale professional media coverage. The brief news conference notice of Mars grew into a spontaneous communication of science, all kinds of knowledge about Mars gathered around the Internet and the news media, arousing wide public concern.

NASA always attached great importance to the popularization of its work. NASA publicists build science website for each project, set up scientific periodical team, invited the public to participate in activities. It was interpreted as NASA was trying to allocate more money to Mars. President Obama said in 2010 that he would increase NASA spending by $6 billion over five years and finish designing a heavy-lift launch vehicle by 2015. But NASA’s current $18 billion annual budget is dispersed widely across scientific priorities, with the program receiving less than $500 million.

Another thing that was able to sustain public excitement was “Mars Mystery Solved” coordinated with the film “The Martian,” and the film is now in theaters. Although NASA has said it was a coincidence, it also was a stroke of immense fortune, given the vast media attention the discovery garnered just days within the opening of a film and the huge audience for the movie. People will be more aware of the agency’s plan to actually put people on Mars.

DIGITAL NEWS REPORTING

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

Tag Archives: Entertainment news