Written by Taylor Campbell (California Maritime Academy)
Edited by Aimee Casey (Diablo Valley College)
Faculty Advisor: Nolan Higdon (California State University, East Bay)
In November 2016, the corporate media covered the junk food news story “Young fan has adorable reaction to getting Steph Curry’s autograph” while the independent media covered “As Marrakech Climate Talks End, Worries Remain About U.S. Pullout.” The junk food news story “Young fan has adorable reaction to getting Steph Curry’s autograph” is non-newsworthy because if a child’s smile is unknown to people, it will not have any effect on any issues or create a larger problem. However, the “As Marrakech Climate Talks End, Worries Remain About U.S. Pullout” is news worthy because the Paris Agreement is an important document in which could create issues if the US pulls out, so people must be aware that the US is in a situation in which they may renounce the agreement. The corporate media fills important high profile news slots with junk food news.
In November 2016, the corporate media covered the junk food news story “Young fan has adorable reaction to getting Steph Curry’s autograph”. The story glorified a child’s reaction to his life of meeting with NBA basketball player Steph Curry. The child’s shocked gasp is being used to draw in more viewers. This source is showing a pretty common child’s reaction and selling it as news. This child’s reaction has no effect on any aspect that is news worthy and if it goes unseen will not cause any issues, while other stories may create issues if not addressed. The corporate media dedicated a massive amount of coverage to the junk food news story “Young fan has adorable reaction to getting Steph Curry’s autograph.” Media outlets such as CBS Sports, Fox Sports, MSN, and Complex all featured the story and accompanying video in November 2016.
While the corporate media covered the junk food news story “Young fan has adorable reaction to getting Steph Curry’s autograph,” the independent outlet National Public Radio NPR covered “As Marrakech Climate Talks End, Worries Remain About U.S. Pullout.” In November 2016, Susan Phillips Writing for NPR published “As Marrakech Climate Talks End, Worries Remain About U.S. Pullout.” Phillips’ article focused on the topic of the new president elect, Trump, “has called climate change a “hoax” and has pledged to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement” and how the agreement will be affected if US does pull out.
The topic of “As Marrakech Climate Talks End, Worries Remain About U.S. Pullout” is newsworthy because it addresses the goals of the Paris Agreement to reduce carbon emissions and how the new president elect is affecting the Paris Agreement and the funding for emissions goals and adaptation for climate change. This story addresses the major concerns if the US pulls out of the Paris Agreement because the new president elects disbelief in climate change. If left unaddressed by corporate media, the issue could lack the public support it needs to have the US remain in the agreement.
Great amounts of coverage have been made from corporate media source regarding the story “Young fan has adorable reaction to getting Steph Curry’s autograph.” Although independent news sources refrain from such junk food news, a very minimal amount of coverage on the issues such as, “As Marrakech Climate Talks End, Worries Remain About U.S. Pullout” are featured on corporate media for the masses to see. The corporate media abuses their ability to address many by using highly view news slots to share junk food news.
Tayor Campbell is a student of Marine Transportation at California Maritime Academy. Campbell graduated from Stanwood High School in 2015 and Everett community college program Ocean Research College Academy in 2015 with an Associates degree in arts and science.
Nolan Higdon is a professor of Critical Media Literacy Education and Latin American and US History in the San Francisco Bay Area. His academic work focuses on nationalism, propaganda, and critical media literacy education. He sits on the boards of the Media Freedom Foundation, Sacred Heart University’s Media Literacy and Digital Culture Graduate Program, and the Northwest Alliance For Alternative Media And Education. He co-founded the Global Critical Media Literacy Project where he served two years as coordinator. He has contributed chapters to Censored 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, & 2017 as well as Stephen Lendman’s Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III (2014). He has published articles on media and propaganda including “Disinfo Wars: Alex Jones War on Your Mind (2013),” “Millennial Media Revolution (2014),” and “Justice For Sale (2015).” He has been a guest on national radio and television programs and a frequent guest host for The Project Censored Radio Show.
