We’ve all heard about Caitlyn Jenner, formerly Bruce Jenner and the transgender changes she has recently gone through. It’s made headlines around the world, and completed several laps in the mainstream media news since. But what about the other stories we’ve missed since obsessing over one person, who in the grand scheme of things, is only fighting a single personal battle no different to many ordinary folk?
It seems the former Olympic athlete, who once starred in the movie You Can’t Stop The Music alongside The Village People, has detracted our attention from more important issues in the last few weeks. And let’s face it, the writing was on the wall with Jenner since the release of the movie. If you don’t believe me, watch it for yourself – after you read some real news.
Here are some of the happenings mainstream media have neglected to adequately cover:
- Police accountability has increased after Congress this week introduced the requirement for police to report all killings and uses of force occurring whilst on duty. Previously there had been no requirement until a law was passed in May; until then only voluntary data was available for review.
- An innocent tweet enquiring after a light plane flying circles over Baltimore revealed that several light aircraft were flying in the area collecting data. The surveillance of whole populations, using technology that can sweep up identifying information from tens of thousands of cell phones has since been confirmed. [1]
One of the planes sighted over Baltimore
- More bankers have had their lives ended prematurely, including the president of American Express Ed Gilligan, who quickly became ill during a flight between Tokyo and New York, going into cardiac arrest. No explanation has been given for his untimely death. [2] Another story released in the last fortnight revealed a Goldman Sachs employee found dead in her car, and another jumped from a 24th floor in a drug-induced suicide.
Ed Gilligan, died aged 55.
- A report has revealed that the Department of Homeland Security investigations failed to find any weapons or explosives in 95 percent of their cases. [3]
- The Patriot Act and its accompanying Section 215 expired last week. Though this was considered a victory, this week has seen the Senate push through the USA Freedom Act. What hasn’t been thoroughly reported is that the Act renews and strengthens the government surveillance machine.[4]
Though newsworthy, Caitlyn Jenner’s new self and the coverage it has received has undoubtedly masked world news. The ongoing media fascination with personalities continues to erode real news; to what extent have other issues been missed because of the Hollywood obsession?
[1] Stanley, J. (2015) Mysterious Planes Over Baltimore Spark Surveillance Suspicions. Retrieved from https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-future/mysterious-planes-over-baltimore-spark-surveillance-suspicions
[2] Vibes, J. (2015) American Express President Mysteriously Dies On International Flight. Retrieved from http://theantimedia.org/american-express-president-mysteriously-dies-on-international-flight/
[3] Campbell, A. (2015). TSA Fails 95 Percent Of Airport Security Tests Conducted By Homeland Security: Report. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/01/tsa-fails-95-percent-tests-homeland-security_n_7485558.html
[4] Cohn, C. and Reitman, R. (2015), USA Freedom Act Passes: What We Celebrate, What We Mourn, and Where We Go From Here. Retrieved from https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/05/usa-freedom-act-passes-what-we-celebrate-what-we-mourn-and-where-we-go-here
