Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger is being sued by a majority of the country. A group of 41 states claims that Meta knowling used features on their platforms to cause children to use them compulsively, according to The New York Times. 

The lawsuit filed in federal court stated, “Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage and ultimately ensnare youth and teens.” The states claim the goal of keeping children on social media is to make a profit. 

David Greenfield, a psychologist and founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction in West Hartford, Conn. talks about how intermittent reinforcement makes social media compelling. Users realize that at any time they could be “rewarded” for scrolling, Greenfield claims. The reward isn’t a cookie like people usually think when they hear the term intermittent reinforcement. The reward is a bit of interesting information. It makes the user think that they will gain something if they continue scrolling. The rewards come randomly, but often enough to give the scroller hope that there will be another one soon. 

Greenfield adds that adults can fight the temptation better than younger social media users. “They’re all about impulse and not a lot about the control of that impulse,” Dr. Greenfield says of young users. The young brain likes to make connections with others and social media is a perfect place to meet new people. 

According to the New York Times, the word “addiction” has traditionally been used to describe use of substances and in recent years, the definition has shifted to include behaviors as well. Dr. Michael Rich, the director of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital, discourages using the word “addiction” while talking about behaviors, especially social media use. “I prefer the term ‘Problematic Internet Media Use,” he said. 

https://www.fox9.com/sports/minnesota-hockey-star-killed-by-skate-remembered-by-community

Minnesota hockey star killed by skate remembered by community

Adam Johnons of Hibbing MN died in a “freak accident” during a hockey game in England. 

The story does not really say what happened, just that he was killed by a skate. One can assume he was stepped on or something. I think, even though it was probably pretty gruesome, some additional detail would have been helpful. 

The article does give good detail about the players background and the teams he has played for over the years. 

It has good quotes from former coaches and teammates as well as social media posts from the general hockey community. 

The way the article is written shows how tight knit the town of Hibbing, MN is and the hockey community. 

I think this is newsworthy because it is out of the ordinary. The article even called it a “freak accident”. Usually if people are injured while playing hockey, it has to do with checking or illegal moves. Skates don’t usually cause deadly injury. 
This is also newsworthy because it affected a lot of people. The entire town of Hibbing is grieving, and so are a lot of people from different parts of the world. The article mentioned The Minnesota Wild, The University of Minnesota- Duluth Hockey Team, Nottingham Panthers, and the Pittsburgh Penguins putting out statements regarding Johnson’s passing. There were also people watching the game in person and most likely online or on TV who will feel the effects of this for a while after.

https://siouxlandnews.com/news/nation-world/rhode-island-woman-accused-of-throwing-2-year-old-child-into-street-pawtucket-police-arrest-assault-disorderly-conduct-surveillance-footage-security-cameras#

Police responded to a scene where a mother, Elba Monterio, had thrown her two-year-old son into the street. Police arrived and witnessed Monterio assaulting the father’s child. Monterio was arrested and given $25,000 bail. 

The story was well written. It included a quote from a neighbor who saw the incident, as well as another neighbor who did not see it happen. It contained information from the police department as well. The charges were listed as was the bail information. 

The story didn’t leave me wondering any details, so I think it was written clearly and concisely. 

This is newsworthy because it is out of the ordinary. Things like this don’t happen everyday. It is also newsworthy because it has a lasting consequence. Even if the child does not sustain any long lasting injuries, these charges are serious and will remain on Monterio’s record forever. 

Morningside Activities Counsel Hosts Annual Homecoming Bingo

Students started filing into The Yockey Family Community Room in Morningside’s Olsen Student Center around 7:30pm on Wednesday the 4th of October, 2023. Bingo was set to start at 8:00pm. Students perused the prize tables and gawked at the grand prizes: a television, a coffee maker with coffee products, and an electric record player. 

Students throughout the room talked about what prizes they hoped to win. One student yelled to her friend, “If you don’t want anything, get me the Squishmallow.”

Before the event, Monica Olson, a senior at Morningside, stated that she was feeling excited for food and card game prizes. “Gift cards would be cool to have, I feel like they haven’t really done gift cards before,” she added.

Tru Britain, a sophomore Morningside student, who attended homecoming bingo last year stated that she did not win anything. “It’s rigged,” she said out of anger. She then admitted that she was upset she never seems to win at bingo.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the prizes. I hope they have food and caffeine. I just hope I win the big prize this year. I need a TV so I can watch The Bachelor,” Tru stated.

After finding their way to a row of chairs, Monica and Tru went to look at the prize table. The prizes included stuffed animals, disco balls, gatorade, homemade chocolate covered pretzels, and even a gluten free section for gluten free students. The gluten free section was a new addition to the prize table and received a round of applause when it was announced. 

After seeing the prizes, Monica thought the pens and food looked like good prizes. She mentioned that some of the card games were the same as they have had in previous years, which she seemed slightly disappointed by. 

Bingo caller, Javonte Madsen, was prompt and started calling numbers shortly after 8:00pm. Emotions were high, but the crowd seemed overall excited. First, tier one prizes were won by having five numbers in a row. Tier two prizes were won in the second round in a more complicated way, The player was to make the shape of an M by covering the called numbers. 

Finally, the last round came. Participants were to cover their entire card in order to win one of the three grand prizes. 

One student yelled, “Bingo”, after a list of numbers had been called. The card checker looked at the card and announced that all the numbers were accurate. The student chose their preferred grand prize. 

A few more numbers were called and three more people had bingos. The card checkers did their duties and all the cards were good. The student who yelled, “Bingo”, last ended up not receiving a prize, since there were only three grand prizes available.

Tru recapped the night.“It was more eventful than bingo last year. My roommate and I were hoping for room decorations and we got some good stuff.” Tru described the overall vibe of the event as chaotic, but good. “I think people were happy with their results,” she stated.

Monica recalled an incident that happened during the second round of bingo. “It was funny when a student got a bingo on O 69 and everyone cheered.” The student responded to the positive reaction by standing in front of the audience and yelling, “I am god,” while raising his arms in the air. 

Tru had a comment on the student as well, “The situation was really funny. The quick response was perfect. He should be a comedian,” she said, recalling the event.

Monica has attended homecoming bingo all three previous years of her university life. Monica expressed her frustration when she found out that bingo was going to be held in Yockey instead of the Eppley Auditorium. “I like Eppley better. Yockey is just too crowded.” She took a second to think and then stated. “At least last year they put the chairs in rows instead of around tables. The tables really didn’t work.” This year the set up was the same as last year. Chairs were lined in rows, creating just enough space for everyone in attendance. 

Monica stated her feelings after bingo.“I liked the prizes, and I liked how they had multiple of some things so multiple people had a chance to win it. I liked the gluten free options so that people with celiacs had a treat they could win.” Monica mentioned that it got loud at times, but the crowd was never uncontrollable.

Monica won frosted pretzels and laundry beads. She mentioned she was content with both prizes.

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/taylor-swift-chiefs-vikings-game/

Taylor Swift did not make an appearance at the Vikings v Chiefs game last weekend. She has been at the last two Chiefs games and Minneapolis was excited for her to come to US Bank Stadium. Even the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, publicly announced his excitement. 

This story is newsworthy because Minneoapolis was a very popular stop for the Eras Tour earlier this year. Swift performed two sold out shows this summer. Minneapolis was even temporarily renamed to Swifteapolis during her visit to the city.  

Ever since Taylor Swift started publicly dating Chiefs player, Travis Kelce, NFL fans and Taylor Swift fans have been keeping up on the two. 

This specific article had a quote from the Mayor of Minneapolis and referenced Taylors tweets following her two shows during The Eras Tour. I think it was well written, but I would have liked to hear from some disappointed fans or maybe even from Taylor herself. 

This story doesn’t really have long term effects as far as I can see, but it is interesting to a wide variety of people. 

I think the way the story was written follows the inverted pyramid. 

Advice from a Marketing Professional

Thomas Ritchie is a strategic digital media specialist at Great West Casualty Insurance Company in South Sioux City, Nebraska. Before his current position, Thomas held multiple positions including teaching at both Morningside University and Western Iowa Tech in Sioux City Iowa. Thomas graduated from Mount Marty University in Yankton, South Dakota where he studied Marketing, Business, Mass Communication and Journalism. 

When Thomas first graduated, he worked in journalism. He moved to a marketing position when newsrooms started losing popularity. At his position now, Thomas works with social media, lead generation, copywriting, and much more. Thomas likes his job because he gets to learn new things and each day is different from the last. “It’s never the same two days in a row. It’s really exciting.”

The following is a collection of advice from Thomas Ritchie, a marketing professional. 

1. “AI isn’t going to take your job, it’s going to take the jobs of the people who don’t know how to use it.”

Thomas encourages upcoming professionals to learn to use technology in a way that will assist them with their professional life. One example that Thomas gave is about sports and emotion. Sports are all about emotion. Artificial Intelligence can explain what happened in a sporting event, but it cannot capture the moment like a human can.  

2. Be really good at one thing and be open to learning skills that can enhance what you already know. 

Thomas advises future professionals to perfect one skill instead of learning a little bit about a lot of things. It is good to be versatile and well rounded, but at the same time, companies want people with specialized skills. Thomas says to learn one skill, then learn a secondary skill that enhances the primary. An example would be perfecting writing and understanding it well, then learning graphic design or photography. The photos or graphics can help enhance the writing. Overall, Thomas recommends being able to tell a story in multiple ways. 

3. When you don’t know, ask questions. 

This is a common piece of advice to aspiring professionals. Thomas emphasizes the importance of asking questions in order to learn new skills. 

4. “Don’t get into touchy subjects.” 

Thomas recommends staying away from topics that could cause division. If the situation arises, though, he guides, “Take a stand. Write a story. Stand by it.” 

1. Don’t text and drive, especially around trucks.

Morningside Activities Counsel Hosts Annual Homecoming Bingo

Students started filing into The Yockey Family Community Room in Morningside’s Olsen Student Center around 7:30pm on Wednesday the 4th of October, 2023. Bingo was set to start at 8:00pm. Students perused the prize tables and gawked at the grand prizes: a television, a coffee maker with coffee products, and an electric record player. 

Students throughout the room talked about what prizes they hoped to win. One student yelled to her friend, “If you don’t want anything, get me the Squishmallow.”

Before the event, Monica Olson, a senior at Morningside, stated that she was feeling excited for food and card game prizes. “Gift cards would be cool to have, I feel like they haven’t really done gift cards before,” she added.

Tru Britain, a sophomore Morningside student, who attended homecoming bingo last year stated that she did not win anything. “It’s rigged,” she said out of anger. She then admitted that she was upset she never seems to win at bingo.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the prizes. I hope they have food and caffeine. I just hope I win the big prize this year. I need a TV so I can watch The Bachelor,” Tru stated.

After finding their way to a row of chairs, Monica and Tru went to look at the prize table. The prizes included stuffed animals, disco balls, gatorade, homemade chocolate covered pretzels, and even a gluten free section for gluten free students. The gluten free section was a new addition to the prize table and received a round of applause when it was announced. 

After seeing the prizes, Monica thought the pens and food looked like good prizes. She mentioned that some of the card games were the same as they have had in previous years, which she seemed slightly disappointed by. 

Bingo caller, Javonte Madsen, was prompt and started calling numbers shortly after 8:00pm. Emotions were high, but the crowd seemed overall excited. First, tier one prizes were won by having five numbers in a row. Tier two prizes were won in the second round in a more complicated way, The player was to make the shape of an M by covering the called numbers. 

Finally, the last round came. Participants were to cover their entire card in order to win one of the three grand prizes. 

One student yelled “Bingo” after a list of numbers had been called. The card checker looked at the card and announced that all the numbers were accurate. The student chose their preferred grand prize. 

A few more numbers were called and three more people had bingos. The card checkers did their duties and all the cards were good. The student who yelled “Bingo” last ended up not receiving a prize, since there were only three grand prizes available.

Tru recapped the night.“ It was more eventful than bingo last year. My roommate and I were hoping for room decorations and we got some good stuff.” Tru described the overall vibe of the event as chaotic, but good. “I think people were happy with their results,” she stated.

Monica recalled an incident that happened during the second round of bingo. “It was funny when a student got a bingo on O 69 and everyone cheered.” The student responded to the positive reaction by standing in front of the audience and yelling “I am god,” while raising his arms in the air. 

Tru had a comment on the student as well, “The situation was really funny. The quick response was perfect. He should be a comedian,” she said, recalling the event.

Monica has attended homecoming bingo all three previous years of her university life. Monica expressed her frustration when she found out that bingo was going to be held in Yockey instead of the Eppley Auditorium. “I like Eppley better. Yockey is just too crowded.” She took a second to think and then stated. “At least last year they put the chairs in rows instead of around tables. The tables really didn’t work” This year the set up was the same as last year. Chairs were lined in rows, creating just enough space for everyone in attendance. 

Monica stated her feelings after bingo.“I liked the prizes, and I liked how they had multiple of some things so multiple people had a chance to win it. I liked the gluten free options so that people with celiacs had a treat they could win.” Monica mentioned that it got loud at times, but the crowd was never uncontrollable.

Monica won frosted pretzels and laundry beads. She mentioned she was content with both prizes.

Morningside Activities Counsel Hosts Annual Homecoming Bingo

Feelings Before Morningside Homecoming Bingo Event:

Before the night of the homecoming bingo event, I conducted a couple interviews about people’s feelings towards it. 

Monica Olson, a senior Mornignside student, has attended homecoming bingo all three years of her university life. She plans to attend again this year. Monica expressed her frustration when she found out that bingo was going to be held in Yockey instead of the Eppley Auditorium. “I like Eppley better. Yockey is just too crowded.” She took a second to think and then stated. “At least last year they put the chairs in rows instead of around tables. The tables really didn’t work” 

Monica stated that she is excited for food and card game prizes. “Gift cards would be cool to have, I feel like they haven’t really done gift cards.” she added.

After seeing the sneak peak of prizes, Monica thought the pens and food looked like good prizes. She mentioned that some of the card games were the same as they have had in previous years, which she seemed slightly disappointed by. 

Tru Brittain, a second year student, also attended homecoming bingo last year. She stated that she did not win anything. “It’s rigged.” She said out of anger. When I asked her why she thought that, she admitted she was just upset that she never seems to win at previous bingo events. 

 “I’m looking forward to seeing the prizes. I hope they have food and caffeine. I just hope I win the big prize this year. I need a TV so I can watch The Bachelor.” Tru stated.

Event: 

Students started filing into The Yockey Family Community Room in Morningside’s Olsen Student Center around 7:30pm on Wednesday the 4th of October, 2023. Bingo was set to start at 8:00. Students perused the prize tables and gawked at the grand prizes: a television, a coffee maker with coffee products, and an electric record player. 

Other prizes included stuffed animals, disco balls, gatorade, homemade chocolate covered pretzels, and even a gluten free section for gluten free students. The gluten free section was a new addition to the prize table and received a round of applause when it was announced. 

Bingo caller, Javonte Madsen, was prompt and started calling numbers shortly after 8:00. Emotions were high, but the crowd seemed overall excited. First, tier one prizes were won by having five numbers in a row covered on a card. Tier two prizes were won in the second round by covering numbers in the shape of an M on players bingo cards. 

Feelings After

“It was more eventful than bingo last year. My roommate and I were hoping for room decorations and we got some good stuff.” Tru described the overall vibe of the event as chaotic, but good. “I think people were happy with their results.” she stated. 

Monica attended bingo and recapped the night afterwards. “I liked the prizes, and I liked how they had multiple of some things so multiple people had a chance to win it. I liked the gluten free options so that people with celiacs had a treat they could win.” Monica mentioned that it got loud at times, but it was not uncontrollable. “It was funny when a student got a bingo on O 69 and everyone cheered.” The student responded to the positive reaction by standing in front of the audience and yelling “I am god.” while raising his arms in the air. 

Tru had a comment on the student as well, “The situation was really funny. The quick response was perfect. He should be a comedian.” She said recalling the event.

Monica won frosted pretzels and laundry beads. She mentioned she was content with both prizes. 

https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/crime-courts/domestic-assault-echter-sioux-city-officer/article_f7d742d2-6142-11ee-a5f0-63d6e91eeb9d.html

A Sioux City police officer was arrested for alleged domestic assault. 50 year old Bradley Echter, was arrested at his home in Sergeant Bluff after the female victim ran to a neighbors house and complained of what had happened.  

When police showed up, Echter attempted to resist arrest and pull away. Two officers were left with minor injuries. The female victim was found with injuries to multiple parts of her body including her neck. 

The Sioux City Police Department is investigating the alleged crimes and stated that they support victims of domestic violence. 

This story is significant because police are supposed to help everyone be safe, but this man has allegedly done the opposite. It is newsworthy to me and other members of the Morningside area because of proximity. This officer works for the Sioux City Police Department and lives in a town nearby.

The situation is also newsworthy because it has a long term impact on some of the people involved. This is something the victim will have to live with for the rest of her life. It could cause trauma and other mental health issues. Echter could face long term consequences from this as well- get  in legal trouble or possibly lose his job.

The story was well written and left me without many questions. It described how Echter reacted to the police being at his home. It described why the victim made the decision to go to a neighbor’s house. It had quotes from Sioux City Police Chief about the incident as well as quotes from the criminal complaint filed in Woodbury County District Court.