Contributed by Amanda Bagnall-Newman and Sarah Seaton Humor provides a much needed balm to help temporarily escape the horrific news of tragedies. After researching various late night comedy shows and their approaches to major tragedies, we have formed a hypothesis that laughter is the best medicine. Some people may think it is too soon to make a joke, but if laughter is the best medicine, why do we shy away from it?
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Contributed by Chase Lindgren
Google's most recent April Fool’s Day prank did not go as expected. The “prank” was designed to allow Google Plus users to click on a “Drop the Mic” button after sending an email. This made it so the person sending the email couldn’t reply, and it was accompanied by a GIF of an animated minion dropping a microphone. While this was a fairly amusing “prank” that Google pulled, it created a plethora of problems for people who use Google Plus professionally. Some people claimed that they lost their jobs because they tried to send emails to their editors and accidentally clicked the “Drop the Mic” button. Others claimed that they missed out on job opportunities because they were unable to send their resumes to the proper people. This affects those of us who use Google Plus as a reliable way to send and receive emails. Not only that, it also brings up the topic of many large sites doing strange or annoying things for April Fool's Day. When it goes from being a prank to an inconvenience is a very fine line, and it is something for all of us to look out for in the next year. If the Lakeland websites or Blackboard decided to “prank” the students on April 1st, some students could miss due dates or make a possibly career-changing mistake. Taking a step back, however, we should ask: what seems to make these larger companies—mostly internet-based—have to participate in April Fool’s Day year after year? After a certain point, nobody is really getting pranked. Instead, the websites just make a drastic change that can be occasionally funny but occasionally not so funny. And since many of these major sites—i.e., Google, TIME, YouTube, etc.—are media that we use everyday, a big change can have a huge impact for many people who use these sites professionally and for their income at home. The fact that our personal and professional lives are so closely integrated into the online world may not bode well for our future generations. When eventually our schooling, personal lives, work, and much more is dependent on a site that can potentially ruin all of those things on April 1st, there might be reason for concern. Contributed by Sarah Seaton
This month’s issue of the fashion magazine Glamour featured stars like actress Melissa McCarthy, singer Adele, comedian Amy Schumer, and model Ashley Graham. This issue was a special edition which focused on plus-size women and fashion. After the issue came out, Schumer publicly criticized Glamour for putting her in the issue when she is not plus-size and for not telling her about the intent of the issue. I think there's nothing wrong with being plus size. Beautiful healthy women," Schumer wrote, "Plus size is considered size 16 in America. I go between a size 6 and an 8.” Schumer also goes off on “Young girls seeing my body type thinking that is plus size.” She wrote, "What are your thoughts? Mine are not cool glamour not glamourous.” Glamour responded to Schumer’s comments by saying that they were trying to target women who are size 12 and up for the issue. Glamour said in a statement, "First off, we love Amy, and our readers do too—which is why we featured her on the cover of Glamour last year." Glamour’s goal was to inspire women by highlighting women like Schumer because she is definitely outspoken about loving your body and expecting your flaws. Glamour also apologized saying, “The edition did not describe her as plus-size. We are sorry if we offended her in any way.” As a woman who reads Glamour and as a women who would be considered a plus-size, I understand what Glamour was trying do. Having a special issue showing that women are beautiful in any shape or size is a great thing, but having Amy Schumer, who is a size 8, and implicitly labeling her as plus-size unfortunately sends the wrong message to Glamour’s readers and to women in general. The newsworthiness of this article definitely would be prominence. The reason is that this story is about a famous comedian getting in a fight with a major magazine company and it draws a lot of attention. In the days after the incident, many new outlets were buzzing with this story. Contributed by Corey Allen
One of most difficult decisions for many high school seniors is deciding what they will do after they graduate. For one girl, this decision will include her choosing from eight of the top schools in the nation. Ivy League schools are known for their low acceptance rate and upscale standards, but one African-American girl beat the odds. Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna got acceptance into all eight Ivy League schools. This is the second time in a row that an Elmont Memorial High School student has been accepted to all eight Ivy League schools. Uwamanzu-Nna does not only feel this is a big accomplishment for her but also for the nation of Nigeria. She said, “I've seen that my cousins don't have the same opportunities that I have. So definitely, whatever I do, I want to make sure that it has an impact on Nigeria.” Uwamanzu-Nna is not from Nigeria, but her parents are. But she has visited Nigeria many times. With a weighted GPA of 101.6 on a scale of 100, she plans to pursue a science-related major. When asked about her secret to her success she simply said, “the hardworking ideals of the town of Elmont, my supportive parents and my dedicated teachers.” Even with her struggle in many classes, she stayed motivated with her “persistence and tenacity.” Uwamanzu-Nna has not made her final decision on which school to attend, but she looks to make an impact wherever she goes. This story is significant because it appeals to the human interest. Ivy League schools have the lowest acceptance rate of minorities in the nation. When one African-American girl gets acceptance into all eight schools, it is a big achievement and step forward for the black community. It shows that there is hope for more minorities to get acceptance into Ivy League schools in the future. This will help the community believe in more than just a college acceptance but a greater opportunity in life. Contributed by Gage Hackl
The gaming community has a very cut and dry release policy in that once a game has a set release date, that is when the game will come out. Now, different countries have different release dates for some games, one of them being Dark Souls 3. Working at GameStop, I personally have seen the massive hype for this game just by sheer pre-order numbers and constant chatter among customers. The problem is some people know way more about the game than others and this is all thanks to the wonderful YouTube and Twitch communities. Kotaku recently covered the story. The biggest focus of Kotaku's article is that fans of the Dark Souls series are angry that the “famous” people of Twitch and YouTube got early access to the new game. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue; these people get early access to games all the time to help companies promote them. Therein lies the problem though. Normally, the critics would get more like a week's early access at the most, however this time the developer gave some people at Twitch and YouTube a three-week early access to play an already finished game (for those of you who don’t know what Twitch is, it is a video game streaming site that lets users either play games for others to watch or watch other gamers all in real time). This started a frenzy of tweets to Bandai Namco which started the #FreeDarkSouls3 movement on Twitter. Now this was a largely unsuccessful venture to try and get the game to be released early since it was an already completed game and was clearly fully playable. Of course, Bandai Namco will be sticking to its release date of April 12th. But why? Simple marketing. They want to get as much exposure for the game as possible so that when it does finally release it makes a ton of money. Releasing it early would still likely earn them a nice lump of cash, but not as much as if they stick to April 12th. The Dark Souls series is by far one of my own favorite game series. The difficulty is through the roof and really makes you think about what you are going to do and how you will proceed. The newsworthiness of this article really relates to how the gaming community is run. This is a huge topic in the community because many people are looking forward to playing the game and people are trying to figure out how “famous” people seem to always get early access to the best games. The Kotaku article panders to the people who view this early access as unfair. Personally, I don’t see an issue with early access if done in moderation, 2-3 days early, even a week at most. Releasing it almost a full month before release is out of the question and a poor move, though it won’t stop me from picking up my own copy come April 12th. Contributed by Jon Rivera
Things got really messy the day when a video of pop star Iggy Azalea’s fiancé, Nick Young, admitting he had cheated on Azalea, leaked online. People.com reported that on Wednesday, March 30th, a video allegedly taped in secret by Young’s L.A. Lakers teammate, D’Angelo Russell, gained attention online. In the video, Young can be heard detailing his various sexual experiences. At one point, Russell asks Young, “You was 30, she was 19? What about Amber Rose, you ain't never tried?” "No, she knows my girl,” Young replied. Although it’s unclear to Russell who or how the video got leaked, there was clearly tension in the locker room and on the court between the two teammates Wednesday night. An insider informs the press that "It's about as bad as it can get. There were trust issues already. Now there's no trust.” In response, Azalea posted on Twitter on Wednesday, March 30, that “nothing is black and white in life.” Azalea allegedly saw the video on Twitter, then proceeded to give Russell a shout-out for the heads-up. She blew off steam on Wednesday by going for a horseback ride. It seems to be helping. Another person on Twitter then hinted that they, too, have proof that Young has cheated on Azalea, but that they are waiting on releasing the news. The singer responded to the world: “If theres proof of cheating, shed be doing me a favor to post it actually. im not tryna marry a cheater.” Did Nick Young truly mess up? The leak has seemingly ruined his relationship, but will it also ruin his reputation? How long has Young been cheating on Azalea during their relationship? So many questions need to be answered. The biggest spotlight is on Azalea and how she will respond after this breakup. Only time will tell to see how these two will be after they go their separate ways. Contributed by Benjamin Wilks
There has been a consistent argument between Sony and Microsoft games since the days of Dreamcast and PlayStation 1. Which one was better? Who has the better graphics? Most gamers, including myself, would argue over who wins in a battle between the consoles, but we were kids then, and that was only an imaginative thought at the time. Times have changed, though, and now Microsoft wants to cross-platform their product with PlayStation 4s and PCs across the nation. The idea of this happening and actually having the technology to do so will change the tide in the upcoming battles over technical dominance. If cross-platforming becomes a possibility, then it will take a bulk of consumers away from the first and second screens only to bring them over to the third and fourth. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are becoming more and more laptop-like, and are able to do things outside of their original abilities of just giving gamers the gaming experience. Today, not only is the pull of being able to defeat opponents on a whole other network appealing to the most anxious of gamers, but now any kind of app can also be downloaded on the console as well, and you possibly have the destruction of laptops and computers alike. There’s no need for a huge hard drive and monitor when you can easily pull up everything you want by simply turning on your console and your television. Granted, according to Anthony Cerullo, a writer for the website Clapway, “The difference in gameplay between consoles and a PC could make for some odd conflicts.” He has a great point, noting that experiences from PC users differ from those who use a console. The PC version of a game has less lag and swifter movement mechanics than that of a console user. This may cause a lot of problems between players who attempt to compete against each other using different platforms, making the experience more annoying than fun. Contributed by Vincent Stepney-Willis
CNN reporters recently wrote an article called “Would you drink this? When brown tap water is deemed legal and safe.” This article falls under the category of investigative journalism, as the reporters seem to have done a lot of research and are conducting followup interviews with various people in the community of St. Joseph, Louisiana. They may be trying to expose something or figure out why communities such as St. Joseph are affected so heavily by dirty water. On Tuesday, February 23, CNN gave an update on the water crisis happening in St. Joseph Reporters from CNN spoke with Garrett Boyte, the new pastor at Christ Episcopal Church. Pastor Garret spoke on his arrival into town, saying when he first walked into the church there was a note on the refrigerator saying, “Do not drink the water.” He also stated that his welcoming gift was a case of water. After being greeted, Pastor Garret turned on the faucet himself and saw firsthand the yellow water coming from it. CNN reports that no improvements in water have been made within the last 20 months and many people don’t know when the water may come out yellow or brown. In some areas of the town the conditions of the water are beyond repair. Like Flint, Michigan, St. Joseph, Louisiana has a predominantly black community and many of its residents fall under the poverty line. With lack of immediate relief and government assistance, people can easily begin to ask whether this issue is becoming more about race and income level than merely about water quality. Why are people in one of the most advanced countries in the world not being assisted in this problem? Why hasn’t this issue been resolved and why is it only happening in low-income and minority communities? These questions and the many lives at stake are why I believe this article is newsworthy and needs to be heard. There is no reason for lack of clean water in the United States of America. Contributed by Cedric Logan
On February 25, 2015, actor and former pro football player Terry Crews revealed on his Facebook page that he once had a pornography addiction that nearly ruined his marriage. He made his revelation in three videos titled "Dirty Little Secret." In the first video, Crews revealed that he had had an addiction to watching pornography. "Pornography, it really, really messed up my life in a lot of ways," said Crews, according to Huffpost Entertainment. He also said that his wife, who had been married to him for over twenty-six years, didn't who he was. "My wife was literally like, 'I don't know you anymore. I'm out of here.' And that changed me," said Crews. The first video told how the addiction led Crews to enter rehab about six or seven years ago. In addition to the video, he pointed out that this addiction is a world problem more than just an individual problem. He said, "If day turn into night and you still watching porn, then you might have a problem." In the second video, Crews responded to fans' questions about his addiction. According to Huffpost Entertainment, he responded, saying, "I went to therapy, big time. When I went into therapy I didn't know what was going on, how to beat it, I couldn't do it alone," adding that he focused on becoming more aware. "I had to realize when I was depressed. I had to realize when I was sad about something or when I was feeling lonely. Because those were the times I was more likely to use pornography." In the result, Crews said that, "I felt the world owed me something. I felt like my wife owed me sex . . . . I felt that everybody owed me. And when you have a sense of entitlement, it's extremely dangerous." In his final video, Crews talked about his life after the therapy. He and his wife went on a sex fast (which means not having sex for a while). According to Huffpost Entertainment, that plan left them "more in love" than ever. Crews said, "Ninety days--no sex, all relationship, all talk, all cuddle . . . . I found that at the end of that 90 days . . . I knew who she was, and it wasn't about 'Let's go out because I know I'm gonna get some sex later.' It was like, 'Let's go because I want to talk to you. I want to know you.'" This article is newsworthy because it is about a celebrity opening up to the world. Even though this addiction is embarrassing for him, he wanted come to peace with his addiction. We can compare this to Bruce Jenner, who wanted to be a woman, or Pete Rose, who revealed that he bet on baseball when he was a player. Jenner and Rose have taken heat since they revealed their secrets. I believe that Terry Crews is going to face the same heat in the coming months. Contributed by Zachery Mock
On Thursday, February 18, Milwaukee man Shuntaye Crenshaw was charged with the murder of 18 year old Concordia University freshman Caleb Ford that occurred last fall. This story was covered by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and by WISN 12 News Wisconsin. The body of the freshman was discovered on October 1, 2015, after Ford’s roommate entered the room early in the morning to find Ford lying on the floor with a bloody nose. He then left the room and returned about five hours later to find Ford’s body slumped over a desk and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Judging by the number of syringes purchased by Ford, the heroin residue found on his desk, and his recorded drug abuse issues in the past, it was clear to investigators that heroin overdose was Ford’s cause of death. Crenshaw was identified as the one who sold the heroin to Ford and his group of friends by Crenshaw’s accomplice, Cedric McCarty. Crenshaw is now charged with first-degree reckless homicide and was scheduled to a bail hearing on Friday, February 19. Both versions of the story strongly expressed the deviance and novelty behind this conspiracy, however the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and WISN 12 News Wisconsin definitely expressed their stories in different ways. For example, the Sentinel expressed many more facts behind the story, such as the timeliness and how despite the fact that the crime occurred months beforehand, it is still a relevant story to this day due to the criminal’s conviction arising just recently. This version of the story also expressed more investigative journalism and the information dug deep within the roots of the issue. The Sentinel’s version contained information such as the day of the drug dealing, the individuals involved, and even information about the roommate’s discovery of Ford’s body in the dorm room floor. The investigative reporters were really looking for the truth in this issue of the story. WISN 12 News Wisconsin also posted an article on this same story, but their version was different in a sense. WISN 12 possessed more interest in personal testimony from Concordia University’s spokesperson and didn’t dig as deeply into the correlation of the event, but stayed more focused on the effects of the situation. Their story did not mention as much about the roommate or the other individuals involved, but more on how Concordia does not tolerate this kind of behavior and what the effect was after the dust cleared. Both media sources expressed the same story, just in different ways. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wanted all the facts because this story is considered local and the proximity of this story to Milwaukee residents is a point to consider, but WISN 12 must cover news all over the state, so they are not going to get into as much detail as a local paper would. This story has different aspects that can be looked at and each news source observed these and focused on one or more of them. Both stories are correct, but it depends on the reader to see how in depth they want to get with the story. |
Media News
On this page, students in COM100: Introduction to Mass Media report on current events to highlight the role of media in framing understanding of major and minor events. Archives
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