Last week, I posed the question, how do we stay informed without wallowing in despair? The tips I shared focused on cultivating our emotional well-being so we can emotionally (and spiritually and physically) handle staying informed on current events but not lose our sense of self, service, hope, or general appreciation for life. But this week, I want to offer my perspective on how to stay informed. Periodt.
You cannot watch the news for 24 hours a day. I have tried. For most of Donald Trump's presidency, when every day felt like the world would end, I watched the news relentlessly. A few moments that stand out in recent memory include the 2016 and 2020 election nights, peak COVID days, George Floyd's murder and images of police brutality, when Trump had COVID, the January 6th insurrection, the first few days of Russia's war against Ukraine, the Uvalde school shooting. I can recall where I was and how I felt at each moment. Even writing down these events is bringing my body back. I bet that is happening to you, too.
But the thing about The News is that it was never meant to be available on-demand, 24 hours a day. We must remember that when it was first produced, it was a newspaper. It was slow. You could not have access to every single event in the palm of your hand, in real-time, at all hours of the day, with sound, photographs, and video. After centuries of the newspaper, radio was introduced, then eventually TV, and now with the internet, it is all of these mediums+. The way we consume news today is different from how it was intended to be consumed. But now that we're working with an entirely different beast in the Digital Age with endless sources and perspectives, we must use various tools and parameters for consumption.
Who decides what is “newsworthy”?
What is considered "newsworthy" by networks and outlets significantly shapes what the public thinks is meaningful and valuable. And who decides what is newsworthy at networks and outlets? The people in charge, influenced their values, objectives, and obligation to drive profit.
Like all other facets of society, news media needs to be situated within society's power dynamics and hierarchies that fall within white supremacist, capitalist, cisheteropatriarchy. Researchers believe our communication is gendered and racialized because that is how our lives are shaped. Institutions tend to reproduce the characteristics, including communication, of their founders. In the case of the mainstream news media, those founders and people in positions of power and authority have been wealthy, white, male, Americans. These are the media gatekeepers. Their values, objectives, and perspectives manifest as newsworthy news, impacting the public consciousness. Agenda-setting theory explains how the process works to influence public perception at two levels:
The first is awareness. Whatever issues the news decides to cover garners audience awareness. The second level is how the media portrays the issue. This is where framing takes place, telling the audience how they should think about the issue. The more attention given to an issue in the news, the more it affects the "public mind." More attention to an issue makes the audience think it is more important. This reality is how we can have seemingly multiple facts play out in the public sphere because one group watches Fox News and the other CNN. Sometimes, I watch Fox News to see what the hell they are talking about, and it amazes me how much time and resources they spend discussing Hunter Biden while Trump just received his 94th charge.
When one news outlet covers an issue that seems of interest to the public, the rest follow suit because they want to compete for audience attention (attention = dollars in our new attention economy). Again, the process amplifies what is deemed "newsworthy" and, therefore, untold or unpopular stories and perspectives are considered "unimportant." The introduction of social media has just put the whole issue on steroids.
For these reasons, curating my own news sources has been vital for me. I have my selection of podcasts, individual journalists, newsletters, TV programming, websites, and newsletters that I seek out to keep me informed. From these sources, I learn about stories and events that I deem important. The stories I share in my ICYMI news roundup are a curation of my curation - stories and events aligned with the values and perspectives I want to know. Stories that make power and oppression visible.
Here is my August roundup. I tried to organize these stories by topic,, but I hope you notice how they overlap and are interconnected. A story in Reproductive Justice can fall into Extremism, and a story in Extremism can fall into Education.
As always, it means the world to me that you read my newsletter. If you find it valuable, please share it with a friend in real life or on social media!
Happy Sunday,
Adriana <3
Gender, Healthcare, and Reproductive Justice
She Wasn't Able to Get an Abortion. Now She's a Mom. Soon She'll Start 7th Grade.
She was charged in court with robbery and carjacking, a $100,000 bond, then went straight to the hospital. This is the 6th time a Black person was falsely accused and arrested in Detroit due to facial recognition technology.
“Zurawski developed sepsis after being denied an abortion after her water broke at 18 weeks. Brandt had to travel to Colorado to receive abortion care for one of her twins after the twin was diagnosed with a fatal condition. Casiano, unable to access abortion care, had to carry a nonviable pregnancy to term and give birth to a baby who died four hours later.”
“Texas prohibits all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, except in medical emergencies, which the laws do not define. One of the bans prohibits abortions after cardiac activity is detected, which kept several plaintiffs from accessing care despite their pregnancies being nonviable. The ruling gives clarity to doctors as to when they can provide abortions and allows them to use their own medical judgment. The Judge recognized that the women in the case should have been given abortions.”
“Under Texas' bans, it is a second-degree felony to perform or attempt an abortion, punishable by up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The law also allows private citizens to sue anyone who "aids or abets" an abortion.”
A Texas prison guard was forced to stay at her post during labor pains, resulting in the stillbirth of her child. Now Texas lawyers questions rights of fetus despite arguing opposite on abortion.
A New Study Finds That Almost No One Regrets Getting Top Surgery
Texas woman awarded $1.2 billion after ex-boyfriend put intimate photos in public Dropbox
U.S. appeals court blocks Idaho’s transgender student athlete ban
Climate
America’s richest 10% are responsible for 40% of its planet-heating pollution, new report finds
“An EPA document shows that a new Chevron fuel ingredient has a lifetime cancer risk more than 1 million times higher than what the agency usually finds acceptable.”
“Six environmental organizations concerned about the risks from the fuels…are challenging the agency’s characterization of the cancer risks. ‘EPA’s assertion that the assumptions in the risk assessment are overly conservative is not supported,’ the groups wrote in a letter sent Wednesday to EPA administrator Michael Regan. The groups accused the agency of failing to protect people from dangers posed by the fuels and urged the EPA to withdraw the consent order approving them.”
“Chevron has not started making the new fuels, the EPA said.”
Judge rules in favor of Montana youths in landmark climate decision
Work
Education, Kids, and Schools
Massachusetts passed a millionaire's tax. Now, the revenue is paying for free public school lunches.
“The new tax, which was approved by voters last year and went into effect in 2023, applies to Massachusetts residents with incomes over $1 million.”
Free universal breakfast is now available to 1.7 million Pennsylvania public school students
“The budget includes a $567 million increase in BEF for Pennsylvania school districts – the largest BEF increase in Pennsylvania history – and a $46.5 million increase to provide universal free breakfast to Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million public school students regardless of income, and free lunch to all 22,000 Pennsylvania students who are eligible for reduced-price lunches through the National School Lunch Program.”
Florida teacher shortage one of the worst in the country as new school year starts
8,000 teacher vacancies and 6,000 staff.
“Spar blames the political climate for causing classroom controversies and low salaries, with Florida ranking 48th in the nation in average teacher pay.”
Like Florida, Arkansas Cancels AP African American Studies
Similar to how news institutions shape what the public thinks is important, schools shape what the youth thinks. The Right’s racism fueld attempt to skew history is visible in their attack on African American history. The Arkansas Department of Education said in a statement that they “encourage the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination” - therefore eluding that the African American studies, which examines the experience and history of people of African descent in the United States and the Black diaspora, is mere opinion. Now that is indoctrination.
New Arkansas law removes work permit requirement for children under 16
“‘When you begin to talk about human trafficking, this is where this could be a dangerous situation where you have children—number one, you don't know how old they are—doing unsuitable work for children, and their parents not knowing where they are. That opens up a whole new realm of work—because you don't want 16-year-olds working in strip clubs, you don't want 16-year-olds working in factories where they're putting their lives at risk. I think this bill, Act 195, is a step in the wrong direction in protecting our children,’ Love said.”
Iowa Schools Demand Parental Permission If Kids Want To Use Nicknames
“The bizarre requests have come out of a cautious interpretation of a new, vaguely worded state law that purports to advance parental rights, which Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed in May. The law, known as Senate File 496, includes a section barring teachers from using “a name or pronoun that is different than the name or pronoun assigned to the student in the school district’s registration forms or records” unless a parent has been notified and has approved the change. Some schools have determined that this includes nicknames — at least for now, to be safe. Penalties for violating the law include disciplinary action against teachers and superintendents.”
University of Chicago to pay $13.5m to settle ‘price-fixing cartel’ financial aid lawsuit
NJ public school students will notice new restroom additions: Free menstrual products
More U.S. school districts are shifting to a 4-day week. Here's why.
Extremism, Gun Violence, and Police Violence
Revealed: neo-Nazi active club counts several of US military as members
“Active clubs – white nationalists and neo-fascist fight clubs that train in combat sports – are a growing concern for US law enforcement…Researchers say Clockwork Crew stands out because of its members’ willingness to engage in public confrontations and the key roles played by active-duty and veterans of the armed forces. ‘We’re seeing a more aggressive, more hostile far right,’ said Jeff Tischauser, a senior researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). ‘Groups like the Clockwork Crew are more willing to take their hatred into public spaces and shout people down outside of synagogues and in communities they perceive as predominantly Jewish.’”
Rest in peace to the victims Angela Michelle Carr, 52, Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19, and Jerrald Gallion, 29.
“The gunman, identified as 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter, left racist writings and used racial slurs before launching the attack Saturday and then killing himself.”
UNC graduate student charged with murder in fatal shooting of associate professor
Rest in peace to the victim, Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the department of Applied Physical Sciences who had worked for UNC.
The shooter, “Tailei Qi, the grad student, was charged with first-degree murder and having a gun on education property in court.”
California shop owner shot dead over LGBTQ+ Pride flag displayed at store
Rest in peace to the victim, Laura Ann Carleton
San Francisco Inmates Sue for a Right to Sunlight
“The complaint asks for the jails to cease practices of confinement and isolation, implement procedures to permit more out-of-cell time for all prisoners, provide access to regular outdoor recreation and sunlight as well as medical treatment for all prisoners who may require it. All incarcerated individuals named in the case are pretrial detainees who have been confined in two San Francisco County jails — some up to six and a half years, according to the complaint. During this period of time, they were "completely denied all access to sunshine, and completely denied any outdoor recreation," reads the complaint.”
Government's own experts found 'barbaric' and 'negligent' conditions in ICE detention