Items

• 
  2022-05-11

  Fact Checkers

  This is an Instagram post by covid_antivax. This post is in criticism of social media removing posts deemed "misinformation" about COVID and the vaccine. The tags from this user, like #depopulation, suggest that the goal of COVID and the vaccines is to reduce the population size. The censoring of information regarding the virus and the vaccine has been troublesome for myself. I do not think it is the right of social media to dictate what can and cannot be said, barring anything illegal, like death threats. I think it is a dangerous trajectory when these multinational companies start deciding what governing bodies and people should think. It brings into question people's actual rights to speech. People should have the right to voice their opinion on subjects like this. If people are prevented from speaking out as much on social media, they will get driven to more niche websites and forums to discuss things, which in turn help create more echo chambers. The great thing about free speech is the ability to bounce ideas off with other people and be given the opportunity to decide for myself what is right with more information available. Taking this away will make it harder to really test ideas and make them more refined. This is more my criticism of social media in general, but the talk on the virus and the vaccines has noticeably made it worse for any side to reconcile.
• 
  2020-06

  Pandemic Protests

  These images from June 2020 were captured during Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in New York City following the killing of George Floyd. The first image shows City Hall the morning after BLM protests. In this image of a landmark building covered in spray painted cries for change, graffiti depicts the frustrations over the cruel injustices institutions place on people of color. The second image depicts one of many protests during summer in quarantine when New Yorkers came together on avenues, bridges, and squares. Citizens marched and chanted as police followed alongside to ensure protests remained peaceful. These images capture uniquely complex dynamics when people were forced to pursue creative avenues, reinventing social justice movements to come. My time in quarantine was not solely spent on COVID related activities, I also educated myself on how and why many US institutions remain racist, discovering ways that structural change can address unjust attitudes. I read articles written by advocates for the BLM movement and also by conservatives opposing it. In exposing myself to differing mindsets, I was better prepared to engage in conversations with others opposed to change in the hope of educating them on the pressing need for progress. Furthermore, my high school friends and I frequently Zoomed to discuss how our alma mater contributes to racism in both subtle and overt ways. These conversations allowed us to work with fellow alumni, as well as current students, to create a document clearly listing racial inequities within the student body, the faculty, and the curriculum. For each issue that we highlighted, we provided multiple alternatives for how the school could fix the matter in question. While these conversations were unexpected before the BLM protests occurred, they became productive and fulfilling conversations that in and of themselves began to address long held biases, racist representations and undercurrents of injustice within our alma mater’s community and programs.
• 
  2020-11-06

  HERMIT HERALD VOL 1 ISSUE 75

  PERCEIVE WHAT YOU WANT TO PERCEIVE
• 
  2020-10-16

  Table showing media bias

  Experiencing coronavirus in the age of 24/7 news coverage, I imagine most people have become far more conscious of where they choose to get their news. I've been brought up an ABC @ 7 operator, and I count myself lucky. Throughout the storm of rating battles, exclusive reports and breaking news I have been confident that I could trust the ABC and my paper choice The Age. Trust might be naive but it seems like the only option. Every now and again I'll flick onto a commercial channel and find myself wondering, is this news? My mates have also become more conscious of their sources too, one of them got me onto 'Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty' on iView, making me even more skeptical about anything I read. I feel like the media almost have an almost more important responsibility to people than politicians. I wonder a lot, at the moment especially, whether news outlets are fulfilling their responsibility or is shock and clickbait bringing in the money that really talks.
• 
  2020-04-16

  COVID-19’s Historic Economic Impact, In the US and Abroad

  The main point of this news article is to share how the pandemic has effected the US economy and other economies. I chose this news article because for each topic they compare the US to other countries to really help readers see the difference in the way the countries went about COVID-19 This article explains how the economy will be affected for many years after the pandemic is over because of this and how the daily lives of millions of people have been changed because of the current poor situation in the economy. The article is important because it informs people about the economic decline we’re facing currently.
• 
  2020-10-05

  The Covid Economy Carves Deep Divide Between Haves and Have-Nots

  Large portions of the population are struggling economically due to the pandemic but others are secure in their jobs. This is leading to a deepening inequality between groups. This is important to me as it gives those of us who have been lucky during this pandemic with a different viewpoint
• 
  2020-10-07

  Covid in the U.S: Latest Map and Case Count

  The New York Times article accurately stated new information and articulated ideas that grasped my attention. The death rate, the number of infected individuals, the number of cases in certain location, and credible data were the main points the news article covered. The main ideas allowed people to fully understand the significance of the pandemic affecting the environments dynamic worldwide. I choose this article because as I was looking through my options, I noticed this specific article has tons of information that is credible. To add, this article focuses on not just one main idea, but lot of facts that intertwine with one another, which gives the full scope of the situation occurring. The article discussed the number of deaths and cases along with specific places that are being impacted the most. To add, New York Times mentioned how the lives of innocent people in America, “has been fundamentally reordered because of the virus. Concerts, parades and high school football games continue to be called off. Countless people have found themselves jobless and struggling to afford housing”. This ties into why the news article is important and what it reveals about the life during the pandemic. Historians can use this article in an archive, which will allow them to compare it to other sources and understand what was going on during this time period. With multiple different sources from different points of views and perspectives it can be very helpful for someone to thoroughly analyze for future reference. The bias in the news article is neutral and not bias, which is significant when focusing on the clear credible data given. I can tell that it is neutral because the article doesn’t lean toward a specific side, which I personally really like. With that being said the media as a whole is responsible for making sure that each and every individual is aware of the circumstances going on. It is important for the media to stay transparent without sharing fake news and a biased standpoint that would persuade people in the wrong direction. As a whole the media needs to be regulated and changed for the future because it plays a huge role in billions of people’s lives.
• 
  2020-06-26

  Still Confused About Masks?

  The main point of this news article is getting across the point that it is very important to wear face masks while in the public. It has many pieces of evidence to support the wearing of masks. It also covers a few great points which is does it matter what mask each individual wears, and also does wearing the mask protect you from covid-19, or the people around you from it? This is the reason why I chose this article. I have been questioning both of these points since covid-19 and mask wearing started. This article reveals just how important it is to wear a mask when you are in the public and around other individuals that are not considered within your “personal bubble”. Many people are struggling with life in the pandemic right now, but also they are not doing their part in slowing the spread by properly masking up in public. The news article is very important because most of the population doesn’t know everything about covid-19 since it is new to all of us. The article provides crucial information on how to stop the spread, and hopefully eliminate the covid-19 virus. In this article, there is no bias standing out to me. This article is a fact based article that provides scientifically proven information about the virus. All of the claims of this article has stated have been run by tests. For example, a test was run about how many respiratory droplets left one’s mouth when saying a simple phrase. Without a mask, there was a range from 20-500 micrometers generated. With a face mask, nearly all of the droplets were trapped by the face mask. The responsibility of the media during the covid-19 pandemic is to keep the population up to date and educated about the virus. The more educated the population is, the slower the virus will spread, because a fraction of the population that is informed will follow protocols and safety tips from the media. From this article, I learned that wearing a face mask is much more powerful than I thought it was. After learning this from the article, I will make sure to wear a face mask when I am around my friends or in the public 100% of the time.
• 
  2020-10-06

  As Trump Seeks to Project Strength, Doctors Disclose Alarming Episodes

  On friday october 3 the president of the united states of america was diagnosed with covid -19. This was a great shock to a lot of the people around me and myself. To me this was a very big moment, as he was one of the first world leaders who had caught the virus.
• 2020-10-05

  Covid-19 and The Media

  This article serves to inform the public of President Trump’s current condition after being diagnosed with Covid-19. It talks about how the doctors taking care of Trump contradict themselves when talking about his health condition and it leaves people wondering if he is in a worse state than they are making him out to be. I chose this article because I haven’t heard anything about Trump since he was diagnosed with Covid-19 and I wanted to know the latest news on his condition. This article shows how much of an impact Covid-19 is currently having in our Country. The President getting diagnosed with a disease right before the election can obviously have massive repercussions in the political world and America as a whole. This article is important because it lets people see the current state of our President in this crucial time and see the severity of what's going on. There is no bias that I could find in this article because the headlines, wording, sources, and even the pictures all have a very neutral standpoint. The article is simply presenting the facts and evidence they gathered from various sources. The responsibility of the media during the Covid-19 pandemic is to inform people of the situation around the world and spread the importance of safety. The pandemic has obviously started a lot of conflicts that can be seen all throughout the media, but the main priority of all people should be ensuring the safety of themselves and others around them.
• 2020-10-05

  Trump Covid: President downplays virus on leaving hospital

  Trump has covid and was hospitalized. When he got out he continued to down play it and say that you'll get over it.
• 2020-09-18

  Coronavirus Deaths Pass One Million Worldwide (NYT)

  The author explains how the COVID19 pandemic has taken more lives than many diseases. The virus has impacted and taken over the world, impacting the economy and the health of everyone. Some say that the major failing to prevent the spread of the virus is due to the government's lack of commuinication with the public. The fact that the virus could have been avoided or maintained is such a shame.
• 2020-10-02

  UCSF testing promising new treatment that could lessen COVID-19 symptoms

  This article by the San Francisco Chronicles is about how the UCSF Hospital has promised a new treatment that could lessen COVID-19 symptoms. I chose this article because it stood out to me as a reader, and I knew it would stand out to everyone else during this pandemic. If this new treatment does what UCSF says it could do to COVID-19 symptoms, it will be a turning point for this awful pandemic. I recommend reading this article because it’s important to keep updated on the most concerning issue that’s spreading around the world. The media has the responsibility to share recent updates and information that is important to the pandemic. Sharing any information about the pandemic is useful for everyone whether it’s good or bad news.
• 2020-09-28

  Masks, Floor Decals, Mute Buttons: How Schools are Scrambling to Open

  The main point of this news article is to show how teachers and administrators are struggling to adjust to the new lifestyle of having school during a pandemic, while being safe at the same time. I chose this news article because as a student, it’s important to be aware of what you may have to experience when going back to school. Also, the precautions and safety nets that teachers are taking should be addressed because they’re putting in lots of work for students. This news article shows that the school lifestyle is going to change drastically for teachers and students due to the new learning spaces, social distancing, and hygiene necessities. Furthermore, this news article is important because it’s not evident on how long this pandemic may affect our lives, so the public needs to be educated on the situation that we’re going to be put in and may continue to be put in. There’s no bias evident in the article, however there is a perspective point of view from New York teachers and how they are forced to handle these harsh times. The responsibility of the media during the COVID-19 pandemic is to spread awareness on how everyone can be kept safe and that we must take extra precautions so we can go back to our daily lives and see students go back to school freely again.
• 
  2020-10-03

  India’s Covid-19 Death Toll Passes 100,000

  The U.S. and Brazil have more reported cases, but India is going to lift more restrictions. In India there are more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths and they are trying to have more restrictions so they can slow down these cases. They are ranked the second highest caseload in the world with approximately 6.4 million cases. It is important because people need to see how serious this virus is and start doing restrictions even if the state says it’s not necessary.
• 2020-10-05

  The Weird Reality of Pro Sports during Covid-19

  The main point of this article is to simply address the odd time that we are currently in. It points out things in sports that were unheard of before this 2020 season. I chose this article because first of all I love watching sports, and was excited for them to come back. But, also I think this article does a good job of pointing out the obvious things that everyone is feeling and simply addressing that these times are simply just weird. This article reveals the difference of watching sports now, during the pandemic, compared to a year ago when you could physically cheer on your teams or even just eat a hot dog at a live game. This article is important because it documents the way many people are feeling about sports in 2020. I think this is important to showcase because sports have taken so many drastic measures in order to keep going. The author of this article is definitely a sports fan, but he doesn’t seem upset at the current situation of sports. He is simply stating the differences between then and now. The media is responsible for providing accurate information about the state of the pandemic itself but also providing uplifting content that will help people who are struggling through these times or content that will bring people together and uplift the community.
• 2020-04-15

  Bay Area health care workers want more transparency about on-the-job coronavirus exposure

  In 2020, there are a lot of secrets that are being kept from health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health workers have emphasized that they want to be immediately notified when they have come in contact with the coronavirus by patients, so they are able to get tested and stay safe away from others. However, many of them have not been notified- and that resulted them into testing positive for the coronavirus. This is extremely important to talk about because without health care workers, the pandemic would be much more out of control than how it is now. They put their lives at risk to help patients who have the coronavirus. If more and more workers are in the dark to whether a patient they have worked with has COVID, then there were be less health care workers available at hospitals for assistance.
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  2020-10-04

  Raiders fined $50,000 for COVID-19 violation

  This news article mainly explains how the Raiders were very recently charged a large fine of $50,000 for allowing an employee who was not allowed to enter into the lockerroom during this pandemic. The NFL has regulations and rules made fro the players and teams to follow, and the raiders broke one of the rules. Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time the raiders have done this. The raiders along with a coach were fined a sum of $350,000 for having one of the coaches on the sidelines not properly wear his mask. I chose this news article because I really like watching football with my family and keeping up to date on different teams. I knew that I would enjoy reading this article and it also mentioned the COVID pandemic. This news article reveals how many sports have had to adjust to the pandemic. Before COVID, there weren’t as many regulations on what teams had to do, but now that the Corona Virus is spreading easily many teams had to adjust to the new way of life. The bias that could possibly exist in this news article is the disliking of the Raiders. I think that a Raiders fan would react differently to this article than an enemy of the Raiders. A fan might be embarrassed, while a rival might find it amusing. The responsibility of the media is to inform the public on new information. This information allows the public to learn about the pandemic and easily adjust. Fore example, now that this article has been published, I would think that most NFL teams would try to avoid making the same mistakes that the Raiders have made. No NFL teams want to be fined.
• 2020-10-05

  Masks Help Reduce Risk of Viral infection

  This article helps support masks and tell us how much they reduce the spread of this pandemic.
• 2020-10-05T08:49

  covid world map

  The article shows where their cases are globally and what trends they are following in different countries.
• 
  2020-10-05

  The New York Times-- As Trump Seeks to Project Strength, Doctors Disclose Alarming Episodes

  This article is important because it shows that the president during the COVID-19 pandemic was not smart and didn’t take it seriously.
• 2020-08-03

  Covid-19 through the MLB early on in the season

  I am a huge baseball fan and I think this sport this year is the most important with all the changes with 60 games in 66 days, no fans, and enforcing covid rules for teams
• 2020-05-12

  small businesses in America are going

  millions of americans are losing jobs as small businesses employ 47% of the work force and many business owners are losing their livelihoods
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  2020-07-30

  Institutional Fatphobia

  This post shared publically through Instagram discusses the issues that fat people face when seeing a doctor. This was shared in response to not only the weight bias spurred on by the pandemic but to highlight the institutionalization of fatphobia in the medicine. The media and health experts have been having a field day pointing the finger at obesity for death rates and complications for months. All while toting the advice to lose weight and their preferred diets to do so. Despite the fact diets fail 90% of the time no matter how dedicated the individual or that obesity is not a condition but a symptom of conditions that put people at a higher risk from COVID-19 complications such as other health issues, poverty, access to medical care, access to nutritional foods, access to sick pay and sick leave, and so on.