Wednesday, April 16

Journalism

4 Essential Reads – How Do You Talk To Your Child About Violence?
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Journalism

4 Essential Reads – How Do You Talk To Your Child About Violence?

Children are exposed to images of violence almost every day, whether through the media or in real life. Consumption of violent imagery can take a harmful toll on a child’s mental and emotional well-being, research shows. Parents, especially those with young children, may be asking themselves how to talk about violence with their kids. Here are four articles from The Conversation U.S. that offer insight into how to have hard conversations with children about violence. 1. Teach children to be resilient Vanessa LoBlue, an assistant professor of psychology at Rutgers University-Newark, writes about ways parents can foster a supportive environment to help children develop resilience in stressful situations. Genuinely listening to children talk about how they feel not only shows care and acc...
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New Research Shows – Police Academies Dedicate Only 3.21% Of Training Hours To Ethics And Other Public Service Topics
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Journalism

New Research Shows – Police Academies Dedicate Only 3.21% Of Training Hours To Ethics And Other Public Service Topics

Police academies provide little training in the kinds of skills necessary to meet officers’ growing public service role, according to my research. Highly publicized cases of police violence – such as the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri – often raise questions about police training, and whether officers are prepared to do the job that is expected of them. As a public administration researcher who conducts leadership training for law enforcement supervisors across the country, I set out to investigate what future police officers learn in basic training – specifically, whether they are taught the kind of public service skills that many people expect them to display on the job. How police are trained Police officers, like ...
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Lifting Children Out Of Poverty Today Will Help Them Tomorrow
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Journalism

Lifting Children Out Of Poverty Today Will Help Them Tomorrow

As part of the latest COVID-19 relief package, the federal government has expanded the child tax credit and made it available to all families with children except those with the highest incomes. Families will get US$3,000 per kid ages 6 to 17, and $3,600 for younger children. The Internal Revenue Service will deliver half of this money as monthly payments of either $250 or $300 during the second half of 2021 and the rest as a lump sum during the 2022 tax season. If the government extends this benefit beyond the one year that’s currently funded, as many members of Congress and the Biden administration would like, this policy has the potential to dramatically cut child poverty by as much as 50%. This kind of arrangement is already the norm in many countries, such as Canada, Germany and the...
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Pandemic Makes Separation Even Scarier For People With A Family Member In Prison – No Visits And Barely Any Calls
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Journalism

Pandemic Makes Separation Even Scarier For People With A Family Member In Prison – No Visits And Barely Any Calls

Jails and prisons in the United States had a coronavirus infection rate three times greater than the general population, with an average of 1,400 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths every day over the past year. America’s correctional facilities are notoriously bad for spreading infectious diseases. Millions of people constantly cycle in and out of them every year and they have limited medical staff and supplies. People in prison also spend extended periods in crowded indoor spaces, with poor air circulation and ventilation. For many people who are incarcerated, either awaiting trial in jail or imprisoned after conviction, being locked in a pandemic hot spot has been terrifying. And for the 6.5 million Americans who have a family member incarcerated, COVID-19 has made an already hig...
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It Doesn’t Always Happen When Sources Are The Police – But Being Skeptical Of Sources Is A Journalist’s Job
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Journalism

It Doesn’t Always Happen When Sources Are The Police – But Being Skeptical Of Sources Is A Journalist’s Job

The death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo might well have made international headlines on March 29, 2021 – the day he was shot and killed by a police officer – had the emerging narrative been different. Instead, early news reports of the incident relied on a police statement which said Toledo died in an “armed confrontation.” An image of a gun recovered at the scene was also released. During a bond hearing for the man who had been with Toledo when the chase began, prosecutors said a gun was in Toledo’s hand when police shot him dead. Body camera footage released a full two weeks later now casts doubt on the accuracy of that narrative. A short video clip shows a chase which ends with Toledo turning his body toward the officer, arms raised. There is no gun is his hands when the shot is fired. ...
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Recent College Graduates Can Enhance Their Online Job Search 6 Ways
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EDUCATION, Journalism

Recent College Graduates Can Enhance Their Online Job Search 6 Ways

When recent or soon-to-be college graduates begin to seek employment, many inevitably turn to job-search and networking platforms on the internet. The platforms include some that are college-based – such as Handshake, Symplicity GradLeaders and 12twenty – as well as networking platforms like LinkedIn and PeopleGrove. With COVID-19 having moved job searches more and more into the virtual realm, these platforms are playing an increasingly crucial role in the quest for employment. From my vantage point as a veteran college-based career services counselor, I have also observed that many students and recent graduates don’t make the most of what these platforms have to offer. With that in mind – and in light of reports of bleak employment prospects for new college graduates – here are six tip...
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Keeping Their Communities Informed, Connected And Engaged – 143,518 US Public Library Workers Jobs May Be At Risk
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Journalism

Keeping Their Communities Informed, Connected And Engaged – 143,518 US Public Library Workers Jobs May Be At Risk

America’s public library workers have adjusted and expanded their services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.   CC BY-ND In addition to initiating curbside pickup options, they’re doing many things to support their local communities, such as extending free Wi-Fi outside library walls, becoming vaccination sites, hosting drive-through food pantries in library parking lots and establishing virtual programs for all ages, including everything from story times to Zoom sessions on grieving and funerals. In 2018, there were 143,518 library workers in the United States, according to data collected by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. While newer data isn’t available, the number is probably lower now, and recent history suggests more library jobs may be on the chopping block in th...
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COVID-19, Journalism

Helping Nursing Homes Recover From COVID-19 Fears And Become Safer Places For Aging Parents

Two weeks after the first U.S. case of COVID-19 was identified in Snohomish County, Washington, in early 2020, my dad had a stroke at his home just across Puget Sound. More COVID-19 cases were about to surface at a nearby skilled nursing facility, marking the beginning of a crisis for nursing homes across the country. My dad was incredibly lucky. It was minor stroke, and he didn’t need nursing home care. But the type of stroke he had is a leading risk factor for cognitive impairment and vascular dementia. I know that nursing care may be in his future. Throughout the pandemic, nursing homes have been in the headlines as places with uncontrolled COVID-19 cases and social isolation, which research shows can worsen people’s health. About a third of all reported U.S. COVID-19 deaths have been...
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Obits Rarely Cross That Taboo “Write Ill Of The Dead” As They Look For The Positive In People’s Lives
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Journalism

Obits Rarely Cross That Taboo “Write Ill Of The Dead” As They Look For The Positive In People’s Lives

Capturing a life accurately and sympathetically is a challenge, more so if it is one that lasts nearly a century. So when a notable person like the Duke of Edinburgh dies, obituary writers face a quandary: What should be highlighted, softened or even ignored? News organizations were quick to remember Prince Philip’s long marriage to Queen Elizabeth II and decades of public service. But any character flaws or mistakes, including past public racist comments, were diminished. CNN’s coverage on April 9 provides a good example of this softened approach. “The duke,” it noted, “was known for off-the-cuff remarks that often displayed a quick wit but occasionally missed the mark, sometimes in spectacular fashion.” The Associated Press made more direct mention of Philip’s racist comments – but fo...
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Expanding SNAP Benefits On Campus Will Help Stave Off Hunger For 1 In 3 College Students
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EDUCATION, Journalism

Expanding SNAP Benefits On Campus Will Help Stave Off Hunger For 1 In 3 College Students

It’s harder to learn when you are suffering from hunger or searching for your next meal. But while around 30 million K-12 students in public schools are eligible for free or reduced lunch, it is a different matter when they leave. Many of those who graduate from high school and enroll in higher education institutions find they no longer have access to federal food programs. The nation’s leading anti-hunger program for adults, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, provides food assistance to almost 44 million Americans. Only an estimated 18% of college students have been eligible for the program in recent years, with a low 3% actually receiving food assistance. This may be changing. Congress recently passed legislation that included relief for the estimated one in three...
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