On January 29th Jessie Smollett, a Chicago based actor, was attacked in an apparent hate crime late at night on the streets of Chicago. After three weeks of investigations by Chicago Police, Jessie Smollett surrendered to authorities on charges that include falsifying a police report last Friday.

 Photo courtesy of Variety

Smollett’s hate crime hoax has sparked a wide public discussion about the credibility of victims of sex and hate crimes. Julianna Damiano, a New York City EMS employee, stated, “I think it definitely puts a damper on believing victim’s,” when asked if Smollett’s antics hurts the credibility of others who claim to be victims. “But at the same time I still think we need to believe people who claim to be victims of such crimes.”  Damiano later confided that she was a survivor of sexual assault.

Smollett’s claimed that he orchestrated this hoax to help him get a raise on his show, Empire. The motivation behind this hoax has upset many within a number of social communities throughout the country.  Michael Watts, a New York City actor said, “It’s not only such a shame for the LGBTQ community and black community, but also the acting community. It’s such a shady thing to do to pull a stunt like this for more money when he already makes more money than the majority of us actors.”

The hoax has also raised questions for some people about whether or not many claims of victims could also be false, especially as the #Metoo movement and the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation have sparked more public dialogue about the credibility of victims. Hayden Ergenbright a New York City College student who is also apart of the LGBTQ community says, “I think it could lead to people creating false claims on a more common basis, despite the fact that it’s statistically more likely that most people tell the truth when it comes to these matters.”

While Smollett’s hoax will undoubtedly result in backlash, it has started a national discussion about victims telling the truth when it comes to heinous crimes and his arrest enforces that the justice system, while not perfect, can still find the truth when it comes to such instances.

The Super Bowl is undoubtedly the biggest event in America on the first Sunday of Feburary. The “Big Game” always dominates the headlines of almost every major media network and website, especially websites such as BleacherReport and ESPN. However with the big game taking place today it is interesting to note what are the headlines of the day on all of the major websites whether they are left or right leaning media group. This post will detail the similarities in differences in media sites that tend to not have the same political ideaology or agenda.

It’s not secret that the New York Times is a left leaning news organization but with that being said it is still on of the most credible newspapers in the country. However the big story of the weekend involves Ralph Northam, the democratic Governor of Virginia who has refused to resign from public office over his appearance in racist photos surrounding black face and KKK outfits in his highschool yearbook. The Times are reporting on the unimaous rebuk of Northam’s appearance in the photo’s by members of the Democratic Party especially in a time where race has become a contentious issue within the United States. The Washington Post has also reported on the Northam story. Other than the Northam story the other big story that is on the front page of the Washington Post and New York Times is providing live updates for  Super Bowl LIII.

 

However the Northam story has been noticeably absent on conservative media sites such as FOX News, Breitbart, and The Daily Caller. The Supe Bowl has been the big story on all of these sites, specifically Breitbart. However the top story on Breitbart is an article with a headline that Democrats have a plan to not enforce child trafficking across the border. While the facts of this article may be up to debate it’s certainly does show a desparity between conservative media in the way democrats are covered by left and right leaning media outlets. For example the Times and Post, the most prominent left leaning media outlets are in full condemnation mode of a democrat for a racist past, while conservative media outlets have no mention of the Northam story but yet cover only the Super Bowl and stories that surround the Border debate.

With Media becoming more and more diverse it’s is noteworthy to witness what news agencies are reporting. Different media companies with different agendas are reporting different stories. This could be seen as troubling as viewers and readers are receiving different stories with different facts and therefore it’s not wonder that the talking points between the left and the right have never been more different, but one thing is in common, the Super Bowl is shared story of the day as it always is on the first Sunday of February.