Diet Racism

In recent news, the University of Missouri disappeared behind a veil of smoke.

Because what the students have done at the University is incredible. For the first time in a long time, news stations have been at a loss for words in reporting the ongoing events up in Columbia, Missouri.

Thanks to students have taken matters into their own hands. Rather than appeal to the media and strike at the minds of executives in the system, students protested en masse. Even more absurd was their refusal to allow any type of media coverage; the students had absolutely no faith in their faculty of those reporting on them.

Which is why this is so shocking. The sheer lack of coverage forced news outlets to signpost the ntable events. For example, the presidetn stepping down came with no warning, and news outlets had no coverage or questions answered by anyone but the president himself during his resignation. No students were polled, no large assumptions or blanket statements were made on behalf of everyone else. There was no one to ask.

The fact of the matter is, racism has affected so many students at the university, that they have finally had enough. Rather than riot and cause chaos, and give the media the retaliation they desired to cover, students isolated the events, pressed demands, and have begun to organize for the future.

In light of a much more difficult time in nearby Ferguson, it is incredible to see what students have done. Because violence has left racial protests with a bad after taste in the public's mouth, it is a blessing to see issues discussed in a peaceful, yet very effective way.

Diet Racism does not stop there however. All across the country, students are raising their voices, letting the students at Missouri know that many are standing with them.

The idea that people our age are standing out against atrocities near them certainly attracts young people across the nation. A simple search for the #IstandwithMizzou yields hundreds and hundreds of posts of college students siding with protestors hundreds of miles away, adding their voice to the mass.

Even more incredible is the idea that news was shared out of Missouri through personal twitter accounts. Without active coverage from our regular sources, it was up to students in the action to provide concerned and involved peers across the nation with accurate information. They did just that. 

"We ask for no media in the parameters so the place where people live, fellowship, and sleep can be protected from twisted insincere narratives," read one tweet from a recent University of Missouri activists affiliated account. 

The message sent by activists couldn't be more clear; we cannot trust you, so stay away. While journalist may have found this type of message to be a threat to the field and the practice of honest journalism, it certainly says a lot about the methods of reporting and selective media that we see on a regular basis.

What You Don't Know About FIFA

The international governing body of soccer has been under attack.

FIFA, the federation of football, has once again broken trust of the world soccer community.

There is no doubt that the federation is under criticism for its international practices, and has received the attention of media outlets for many months. More importantly, the federation has been attempting to limit the scope of media reporting on its more questionable practices from over the last few World Cups.

The questioning comes in many forms. How are these bids being awarded for World Cup host states? Is there corruption?

The harder questions can be asked about the media reported. Are the sources biased? Are the social affects of FIFA's decision-making accurately investigated, as an international non-profit?

Think of the social affects of FIFA. When FIFA awards a World Cup host, do they ensure that the host country uses best practices in promoting the sport and its tournament?
....Or are 4,000 people dying in Qatar in order to build these stadiums?

Did the Board of FIFA consider the Brazilian economy when choosing them as a host country?

Or did riots happen on the streets and 4 stadiums go to waste, on their own accord?

The problem is not that FIFA is inconsiderate and damaging many different parts of social aspects in foreign soil (Like forcing Brazil to sell beer at soccer games).

The problem cannot be completely blamed on the executives of this office below (though, obviously there should be some comments about how productive they can really be with this lighting).

The problem is that these socio-political affects of the world's largest private federation are not monitored, nor reported on accurately. For example, FIFA has over a billion dollars in reserves, and still claims it is a non-profit organization. When the allegations surfaced towards accusations of bribery and negligence on behalf of international citizens, there was limited capability on how investigations can be conducted. Only recently have individual nations taken a stance against the Federation, and publicly investigated it's conduct.

But again, what is most important is the reporting. How is media portraying the Federation? What news surfaces and what news stays buried? Who is responsible for offering bribes, for agreeing to the terms of FIFA?

The issue arises because there is a lack of accurate documentation and reporting of FIFA's inner workings. Not surprisingly, no news source is dedicated to reporting on FIFA, and more importantly FIFA normally is only reported on in times of crisis, or when it commits an act directly related to a country.

For example, analytics website Alexa and Google trends reports that FIFA hit the news and flooded for months leading up to the World Cup in Brazil, stayed relevant with the aftermath, and quickly plummeted. Similarly, a few months later with the implications of the Qatar host news, FIFA flooded the news again.

This time called into question by news sources in the West. Specficially the United States.

Why might the United States news sources be reporting heavily on the implications of the soccer federation?
--It probably has a lot to do with the United States losing the host. IBM social analytics reported that over 50 articles written directly after the announcement of Qatar's host were a response to an American sentiment of outrage over what seemed like an absurd vote.

The conditions of Qatar have been widely exaggerated and emphasized. Again, thanks to the affects of sentiment, news sources have highlighted the downfalls of a Qatar host in 2022. Lo and behold, word begins to spread on corruption.

All of the sudden, a whistleblower (below, Chuck Blazer) emerges claiming there was corruption involved in FIFA's working.

Why is this important? Why is this suddenly relevant, and how did FIFA even come to trial for these issues?

All the horrors began to truly unfold as a result of the sentiment against a Qatari host in 2022. Outrage led to questioning. Questioning put pressure on methods, and logistics of the award. Finally, curiosity and a rising sentiment of negligence on behalf the International Federation for Football.

Sources: Creative Commons, CNN, New York Times, Alexa Analytics, and Google Trends.

Case Study 1: Syrian Refugees

Over the last few months, Europe and East Asia have reported millions of Syrians fleeing the country, in what seems like a momentous, all-or-nothing run for the hills.

Hundreds of news outlets have swarmed to this particular region of the world to film the plight crossing many nations. Sources reported Syrians who passed away on their plight, crowded Syrians chanting for access to Europe, along with a myriad of related stories, including comments from Germany's outspoken Angela Merkel or Hungarian authorities amongst a few.

There was this video that shows a Hungarian reporter tripping a Syrian man after he takes off running, making just as much news as the rest of reports. And rightfully so, read here about that gentleman's new job coaching soccer in Spain, thanks to the publicity. The reporter who tripped him claims to be a Hungarian supremacist, yet another European angered with oncoming migrants. 

For those of us who kept up with the plight, we've each been able to create an opinion, thanks to our most trusted source of information. Whether it be BBC, or Late Night Shows, or mass media Twitter. 

But do our sources reflect an honest comprehension of the series of events? News today has no time for extensive background stories. Understanding why millions are fleeing their homeland has little place in ticker feeds. Thanks to cognitive research, "chunking" lets us clump and organize information into neat and tidy tidbits for us to consume. Coupling small bit stories with images, or graphs, are techniques used by most sources to help us retain information in the long-run. So while stories are eventually engrained in our head, it's the tone of the journalism, the source that provides it, the details of the case, and the emotional and credible connection that determines our final opinion on a news story. 

So let's break the mold. Understanding why refugees want anything but Syria is a rough example to a complicated problem. Not only is your current source forced to provide you with the local spin, the global impact, and the commercial structure, but they have little to no sources in Syria to yearn from. 

But think about most the news you've heard on Syria in the last 6 months. It is normally an association between an outside country and Syria, like Russian airstrikes, or Turkish border skirmishes, something bigger in scope.

I've got slightly different news for you:

-Over the summer, a Syrian man returned home after being detained for 6 months by Syrian government officials. While in custody, he lost 45 pounds. He was severely malnourished when he returned. The man was detained, for "questioning on his involvement in forces against Assad."

-His son was detained last week for the same reason. He's 17.

-71 Syrians died in a truck in Austria in plight. 12 more drowned at sea on the way to Greece

Below is The Great Mosque of Aleppo, said to house the remains of John the Baptist's father.

This is what his grave looks like now.

Syria is in shambles to say the least. When I visited about 8 years ago, running water would cut off every few days, as part of a cycle for cities a certain ways out from the capital.

But the issue is no easy fix, and things are definitely complicated. Here, Syrian refugees tussle again and again with Hungarian police, exhausting efforts in Europe on a tolerance front. Immigration in Europe has always been a difficult concept, thanks to the likes of the Schengen Area and relatively open border control.

-Except here's the alternative, in neighboring Jordan.

-Yep, that's a soccer court. Looks like a desert music festival right? Except they plan on staying a bit longer.

-Syria has one of the longest histories of any country. It's ancenstry and lineage are ancient, with base in the three largest religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (in order of establishment).

-Syria is known for its beaches along the Mediterranean, famous traditional mercantile cities, important trade routes through East Asia and the Mediterranean, oil exports, and historic value.

-The question you see every day in the media, is what should we do about these refugees?

Author's Opinion-

I think it's time we read the news understanding the context. Millions of people did not show up at the doors of Hungary because it was rainy that day in Syria. These people had homes. Those homes no longer exist. Neighboring countries have exhausted resources, and the above camps are full, and bursting.

Food is short, your wardrobe is in your backpack, and you've got a lot of a time to kill. Your family cannot live in the streets, because the streets are lined with similar displaced families, with no horizon. To your East lays ISIS. The details of which are always evavise, but some things to be sure of is their funding, polticial activism, infrastructure in schools, roads, even entire cities under the Black Flag.

To the West is the Capital, run by a dictator who now controls the military and various regions, or strips of the country. Bashar Al-Assad continues his father's legacy before him. Between the two, it's been about 40 years in office.

People left their home to find better opportunity. I say understand the consequence of leaving, and accomodate appropriately, because the alternative is ignoring a humanitarian crises that will GLADLY be framed by the western world's biggest naysayers as another failure of the U.S and the likes.

Do you really want to begin the end to Middle-Eastern tensions? If not, that's fine. I get the domestic struggle.

If you do, then someone has to be the bigger person. And the tent-people might be reluctant. Just Sayin.

Call-to-Action:

Regardless from my own thoughts,  I challenge readers to understand that news is made by the sources we choose. If you are not sure where a story originated, look deeper before constructing judgement. Follow the endless angles, then choose the ones you want to address. Consider the humanitarian need, the European struggle, and the logistical constraints in this case. Think hard, make a plan, make a contingency plan. Keep the news on tv in your living room, debate the issues with your roommates and teachers and family alike.

But constantly strive to learn more, because limiting yourself to what you already know guarantees that you'll become outdated before you blink an eye.