klaria’s blog

the other pandemic

the rapid surge of COVID-19, regulations regarding social distancing, and a rise in unemployment across the country have exacerbated problems this country already had with mental health. Although therapists are trying to counteract the adverse effects of social distancing on mental health by doing online therapy sessions, researchers are warning that the spike in mental health issues. This pandemic has negatively affected vulnerable communities by limiting the exposure we have to others outside of our homes. 

According to a Harvard study linked below, One in five people in America are dealing with some mental health disorder, and 47% of Americans have reported an increase in feelings of loneliness and anxiety during this spike of social isolation. 

We have also seen several doctors and nurses on the front line who have committed suicide either over their anxiety of possibly contracting the illness or the overall increase of stress due to their exposure to the disease.

We can expect to come out of this with a need for those in the mental health field; we must think of ways to alleviate some of the strain now. We must get ahead of the curve before we surge into another pandemic that kills far more than COVID-19 has.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/04/mental-health-coronavirus/

Throughout these last weeks, I’ve been shocked to see the amount of insensitivity and ignorance of some. More recently, with the number of celebrities asking the average person to donate. That’s right. Celebrities are using their brand new phones and tablets to talk to the millions of unemployed people who barely have enough for themselves to donate to one another.

Words cannot describe just how insensitive and out of touch this is. There is no reason why celebrities worth billions should even think about asking the average, most likely unemployed or furloughed worker to donate to COVID relief funds.

Just as we cannot dictate what they do with their large sum of money, they have no right to dictate what we do with ours. 

Between the insensitive viral lip-syncing challenge a few weeks ago, and now petitioning average American to donate while they rest comfortably in their million, sometimes billion, dollar houses, this pandemic has shown just how out of touch celebrities really are to us.

This is not to discount the large group of celebrities who’re starting campaigns or donating to COVID relief funds, because there are quite a few. The stars asking for relief donations from those who are barely scraping by should be ashamed of themselves.

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/04/celebrities-shouldnt-ask-average-people-to-donate-now/610468/

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-03-19/coronavirus-imagine-video-gal-gadot-celebrities

a look at how COVID-19 has amplified the entitlement and selfishness of most americans

A couple of days ago, Jacksonville decided to reopen their beaches, and like clockwork, hundreds flocked to them, ignoring the social distancing and stay at home orders imposed by the state. And to no one’s surprise, Florida is now seeing a spike in their coronavirus cases; the statewide total is nearing 25,000 coronavirus cases and over 700 deaths (as of April 20). 

Multiple states have had citizens gather to protest their statewide shelter at home orders, claiming that it infringes on their American freedoms. 

These two events, amongst others, are quite possibly the most selfishness we’ve seen in this country as we face a global pandemic. Doctors and nurses around the globe have been fighting day in and day out, risking their lives to help stop or slow the curve of COVID, and the way that we pay them is by directly disobeying their orders to keep us safe. It is an outrage that doctors have to get on social media and use their platform to beg people to stay home. 

No one seems to understand just how dangerous this disease is, nor how it is effecting our ‘normal’ processes. People’s family members are dying alone in hospital rooms because they’re not allowed to see them. People are talking to infected family members through walkie talkies. They’re hosting funerals and weddings over Zoom. 

This disease has wholly ravaged our sense of normalcy, and it will continue to do so until people take the advice of those who’re adequately informed seriously. Until then, this disease will continue to destroy families, and the world as we know it. We may never return to normal.

Stay home.

https://nypost.com/2020/04/18/hundreds-flood-florida-beach-as-florida-reopens-some-parks/

why celebrities should stay out of current news.

This time of quarantine has been very turbulent for some, and it seems like people are clinging onto any source of joy they can find to distract them from this weird, tragic time we’re living in.

People are trying their hardest to make the best out of the situation we’re in. With the rise in fatalities and cases of COVID-19, we’ve seen an increase in creative content on social media platforms, celebrity entertainment, and good news outlets which report on nothing but good news like the title suggests.

But what about “ordinary” people? The blue-collar workers this seems to have really affected? The ones who don’t live in million-dollar mansions, have a maid staff or access to childcare services? What about healthcare and other essential workers who’re risking their lives during this time? 

Well, they’re struggling to pay their rent every month. They’re losing their jobs. They’re losing family members without the option to say goodbye. They’re holding funerals with less than ten people, if at all.

They’re the ones we should be focusing on. While news outlets continuously pump the stories of the Kardashians and Ellen Degeneres, now more than ever, we need some sense of commonality. 

We need to feel as though we’re not the only ones going through what we’re going through from people who look like us. Those who go through the same things we go through. This pandemic is going to change our world. It already has. Any sliver of commonality or normalcy is welcomed at this point.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/19/coronavirus-effect-economy-life-society-analysis-covid-135579

On Apr. 8, Bernie Sanders announced that he was suspending his presidential campaign in a live stream, Sanders stated that he no longer saw himself on the path of winning the democratic nomination.
This move outraged some because it places Biden in an awkward position to win over Sanders’ supporters – a job that will not be easy for him. The presidential race has now become Biden v. Trump, and most fear that Biden is not a strong enough candidate to win, fearing another four years of a Trump presidency.
For this reason, people are encouraging Biden to adopt some of Bernie’s liberal principles to sway some of Sanders’ support his way.
Some have decided that they’re voting blue, regardless of who wins the Democratic nomination, to curb another Trump presidency.
But, people are outraged. And they have every right to be. To some, Bernie was the last source of hope that they were holding onto, the one they believed could save us from another four years of Trump.
We’re in a very turbulent time, and nothing is sure.
It will be interesting to see what November holds for this country, especially is we’re still in the middle of a pandemic.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/08/politics/bernie-sanders-drops-out/index.html

with great power comes great responsibility

One of the most critical impacts of the digital age is how much closer the world has become due to it. Because of the Internet, we now have access to any country, any information, etc. that we could ever wish to have, all at the touch of a button. And while this age of breaking news is necessary because it keeps everyone informed at all times, it has also successfully made us lazy.

While this generalization doesn’t speak for everyone, there have been several criticisms of how news is delivered to us. Newspapers give some the false hope of the entire picture – leaving the audience to believe that no further research on a topic is necessary because news sources have done it for them. This is untrue. While most news stories are based on facts, it is crucial for readers to couple their own research with current news stories to get the whole picture, something that is much easier with the Internet at most of our fingertips. In fact, one of the reasons that “fake news” stories get so much coverage is because of a lack of research coupled with the topic. If people researched the headlines they came across, they’d realize the difference.

The spread of breaking news has also forced journalists around to condense big new stories into bite-sized chunks for readers. Because of the small attention span of most readers due to the Internet, news sources everywhere have been forced to become innovative in how they deliver news to keep the attention of readers.

The Internet and breaking news are not to blame for these problems; the methods in which we receive news or use the Internet should be evaluated and changed.

https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-u-s-medias-problems-are-much-bigger-than-fake-news-and-filter-bubbles

https://www.apa.org/news/apa/2020/02/fake-news

Public relations and advertising are two very similar careers that depend on one another to work effectively. While public relations deals with the perception, an organization or company has advertising deals with the public’s perception of an organization or company’s product.
Public relations is integral to the advertising system because if a scandal, recalls, etc. have tainted a company’s image, the general public will most likely stray away from purchasing or affiliating themselves with the brand.
Advertising is just as relevant. If a company has an excellent PR team, advertising their products will be much easier because of the strong base they have.
For instance, Disney has an excellent PR base, and for this reason alone, you very rarely hear of their shortcomings. Same with Subaru. They have associated themselves with family and safety first initiatives, so they have no problem advertising their products.
Companies aren’t the only consumers of PR or advertising. Celebrities have become brands as well, and therefore must hire and manage their public image as well. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Tiger Woods, and Donald Trump have all struggled with their public image at some point and have needed the help of PR agents to fix it.
All in all, public relations and advertising make the world go round and function how we see it on a day to day basis by relying on one another for business.

for more: https://journolink.com/blog/298-advertising-vs-pr-what-is-the-difference

https://learn.g2.com/pr

Journalism comes in many different forms, each with its own set of rules and guidelines, and most importantly, each with its distinct goals.
For instance, broadcast journalism is more tailored than print journalism is in the sense that the packages are often shorter than print news stories are because humans have a shorter attention span visually. Another way journalists in either field address the shortened attention span of viewers or readers is the writing style utilized. Print journalism follows the inverted pyramid model, where the most specific information is at the beginning. Broadcast scripts are written like a speech, verbally leading the viewer through the sequence of events.
Broadcast journalism has a little more design and multimedia freedom than print does; print has to rely a lot more on graphics or stunning pictures to capture the audience. Broadcast, because it is a live, moving feed, has an easier time capturing the audience and keeping them tuned in.
I prefer print journalism because it offers more freedom than broadcast journalism does. You have more time to capture the audience’s attention, and if redactions of corrections need to be made, it’s easier with print than it is using broadcast.

for more: https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/print-journalism-vs-broadcast-journalism/

In 2006, a woman named Tarana Burke founded the #MeToo movement to raise awareness and support for a community that doesn’t get a lot of attention: victims of sexual abuse. In 2017, the movement gained traction after allegations arose about movie and business mogul Harvey Weinstein. And just last week, Weinstein was convicted of two of the charges brought against him and is now expected the face anywhere from 5 to 25 years in prison.
While the verdict of Weinstein should be celebrated and hailed as a groundbreaking moment for the movement, it should not serve as the end all be all. America still has a very long way to go in terms of reconciliation and providing help to victims of sexual misconduct, and sentencing is just one facet of the problem.
Several factors allow rape culture to thrive. Often, the victim is blamed for the assault by friends, family or law enforcement, which indirectly excuses the behavior of the assaulter. Or, in the case of Brock Turner, the assaulter is given a slap on the wrist for the crime. Too many times, our justice system has completely failed the victims, which send the wrong message.
The only way to improve is to believe survivors of assault when they speak out about their trauma, and amongst other things, sentence those who are in the wrong.

graphic credit: Mental Health Partners

for more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/24/us/harvey-weinstein-trial-verdict/index.html

In this day and age, communication comes in many different packages. Like most industries, journalism has been forced to adapt to the times we’re living in – instantaneous, continuous coverage on any and everything. To keep up with this demand we as humans have developed, advertisers and journalists have had to adjust to our specific needs. Short attention spans and overpopulation of news sources? That’s a simple fix for online subscriptions or services that condense major headlines into one, bite-sized text message for readers. 

With that being said, corporations and social media outlets have all been vying to become the “it” application to deliver its users news. Out of all of the social media outlets, the top two for news would be Twitter and Instagram.

 While popular news outlets have utilized the apps by making accounts on them to spread headlines, they have a different tactic for sending out the news. Twitter has a more personal, different approach to delivering news. With a section entitled “Trending” on the app’s homepage, users have the chance to interact with the news presented to them personally. Instagram offers a different approach. News outlets post stories with a brief teaser – something to catch the attention of readers – usually with a link to the longer story or video at the end, catering to the short attention span most readers have.

Both are very effective in their methods and have entirely changed the journalistic landscape.

for more:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolemartin1/2018/11/30/how-social-media-has-changed-how-we-consume-news/#1a5b9d463c3c

https://www.scu.edu/illuminate/thought-leaders/kurt-wagner-12/three-major-ways-social-media-is-changing-journalism.html