Ashley Graham Welcomes A Baby Boy

By Haley Brettschneider, Julia Carroll, and Chloe Robinson

 

Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin have just welcomed their first child, a beautiful baby boy. The supermodel herself revealed the news via instagram as she quoted “At 6 p.m on Saturday our lives changed for the better” and “Thank you all for your love and support during this incredible time”. On her ninth wedding anniversary in August, Graham announced her pregnancy and posed for Vogue‘s January issue featuring her burgeoning baby bump! “Today on our ninth wedding anniversary, Justin and I couldn’t be more happy to share the news that we are growing our family. Together we have received this beautiful blessing and can’t wait to share our unconditional love”. Soon after this, Graham mentioned her baby’s due date, January 11th, and quoted “He’ll be a Capricorn—just like his dad”. Graham worked with Williamsburg doula and yogi Latham Thomas to prepare for her baby’s arrival. Congratulations Graham and Ervin!

 

 

 

 

Will Tik Tok Take The Social Media Throne?

By Julia French, Ana Wilmer, Kate Kissell, Kiki Montgomery

CEO and founder of Snapchat, Evan Spiegel believes that the new short video app, TikTok may have the ability to kick Instagram off the popularity throne.

“I should say I love TikTok, I’m a big fan,” replied Spiegel, discussing how traditional social media orbits around social status and appearance. He goes on to say, “Social media in its original construct is really about status, representing who you are, showing people that you’re cool, getting likes and comments, those sorts of things,” he said.

Spiegel discussed how users are able to show off their talents to the world on Tik Tok, instead of their social status, physical appearance, or other materialistic types of flaunting on other big mainstream apps like Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. “People who have spent a couple hours learning a new dance or think about a funny new creative way to tell a story, and they’re really making media to entertain other people,” he said.

Spiegel was then asked the question that most social media users are interested in knowing: Can Tik Tok become bigger than mainstream apps, like Instagram? His response then was, “I think it’s certainly possible because this talent-based content is often more interesting than status-based content”.

 

 

 

Three Women Including Amal Clooney Receive Freedom of Press Awards

By Mary Burdick

 

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of Press recently announced the recipients of this year’s Freedom of Press Awards. In order to be considered for the awards, recipients must embody the First Amendment – freedom of the press – through work in media or legal fields. Of the four qualified leaders being rewarded, three are inspirational women, including human right’s lawyer Amal Clooney. The other female recipients are Julie K. Brown and Jane Mayer, also inspiring role models.

 

Amal Clooney

Amal Clooney is a human rights lawyer and activist that continues to spread awareness of important justice issues across the globe through journalism and the creation of the Clooney Foundation of Justice. Furthermore, Clooney has worked hard to fairly represent those who cannot defend themselves. Recently, she has spoken on behalf of journalists being detained in Myanmar and the CEO of Rappler. Additionally, Clooney works on behalf of England to ensure media freedom.

 

Julie K. Brown

Julie K. Brown is an accomplished journalist who focuses on spreading awareness on the unjust aspects of the criminal justice system. Some of her specific cases she has written about include the tragic and abusive conditions of several prisons located in Florida. Brown has also focused on exposing Jeffrey Epstein for his involvement in sex trafficing.

 

Jane Mayer

Like Brown, Jane Mayer is also a journalist. She writes articles for the New Yorker Magazine that are centered on relevant themes such as corruption in politics and capitalism. Besides writing articles, Brown has written four best-selling books that cover similar themes – demonstrating a sense of fearlessness.

 

 

Greta’s Powerful Message at Davos: ‘Our House Is Still on Fire’

By Julia French, Ana Wilmer, Kate Kissell, and Kiki Montgomery

 

Greta Thunberg in Davos, Switzerland, offered an extremely strong ultimatum to her crowd by stating, stop investing in fossil fuels immediately, or explain to your children why you did not protect them from the “climate chaos” you created. “I wonder, what will you tell your children was the reason to fail and leave them facing the climate chaos you knowingly brought upon them?,” 17 year old Greta said at the annual gathering of the world’s elite in Davos.

“Our house is still on fire,” she added, adding a twist to her infamous words from the year’s recent forum. “Your inaction is fueling the flames by the hour.” Her speech came at a time where several of the elites in Davos have been brewing up conversation on environment and economics.

Ms. Thunberg is not afraid to use her voice bluntly to tell her crowd that it is virtually impossible to help to change the climate immensely without hurting any of their economic game saying, “Let’s be clear. We don’t need a ‘low carbon economy.’ We don’t need to ‘lower emissions,’” she said. “Our emissions have to stop”.

Greta is not alone in this fight against the elites as she and a group of other young climate activists have encouraged these powerful people to exterminate their hunt for fossil fuels at once. Scientists have stated that carbon emissions need to be cut by half in these ten years in order to reach the 1.5-degree target wanted. But of course, the exact  opposite is the reality of the situation. Global emissions continue to increase and a study has shown that 2019 has been the highest year of releasing emissions. 

Ms. Thrunberg’s address to the forum came only an hour after President Trump’s, which briefly discussed his belief in the myth of climate change. Greta, not directly toward Trump, discussed how people have to realize that climate change isn’t stopping and that this is a brutal reality. 

Ms. Thunberg discussed her belief that this environmental crisis is not a left or right issue. “This is not about right or left,” she said. “We couldn’t care less about your party politics”. She went on to say, “From a sustainability perspective, the right, the left as well as the center have all failed. No political ideology or economic structure has been able to tackle the climate and environmental emergency.”