In The News: Department of Communication Studies

Grist

On Thursday, 2020 officially took its place in the upper echelon of warmest years in human history: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ranked last year as the hottest year to date, ahead of 2016 by just a hair. Two other global temperature tracking organizations, the U.K.’s Met Office and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said 2020 was the second-hottest year on record, closely tailing 2016. Meanwhile, the European Union’s climate change agency declared a tie between the two years.

BBC

BTS are one of the biggest bands in the world. They’ve sold millions of albums, their music has been streamed billions of times online and tickets to their tours sell out instantly.

US Covid Atlas

Dealing with loneliness as a college student during the pandemic

Northwest Arkansas: Democrat Gazette

The medical evidence is clear: The coronavirus global health threat is not an elaborate hoax. Bill Gates did not create the coronavirus to sell more vaccines. Essential oils are not effective at protecting you from coronavirus.

iPolitics

Remember Cousin Eddie — Randy Quaid’s lovable buffoon in National Lampoon’s Vacation series?

Business Insider

Fitness instructor Shauna Harrison's Instagram feed consists of simple workout routines and yoga stretches she shares with her 84,000 followers.

KPA

Reality check: COVID doesn’t care about you. It feels no compassion, no regret about the millions it’s killed. It isn’t concerned with the time of year, or the news cycle, or politics. It’s not taking a break for Christmas. It definitely doesn’t care that we’re all burnt out and tired of hearing about it.

Newswise

In a world where conspiracy theories and political polarization abound, how does one effectively pull off double duty at battling against both the spread of COVID-19 and misinformation about it?

NPR

It’s been eight months and 20 days since the W-H-O formally declared COVID-19 a pandemic. And yet, it sure doesn’t feel that way out there in the world. In the spring, the roads were eerily quiet. With not only schools, restaurants and entertainment venues closed — but also most stores and offices — there were few places for people to go. Not so, today. And yet, the pandemic is as bad as it’s ever been.

Las Vegas Sun

Islam is being viewed as “a crisis” around the world, according to French President Emmanuel Macron. Following a series of attacks in France, the uproar of prejudice against Muslims has been surging once more.

Vox

Recipe debates tend to get people heated fast. Things get particularly fiery around the holidays, when people share their tips and preferences online. Arguments about the best Thanksgiving dish rage on: People seem to feel strongly about things like jellied cranberry sauce, for example, which is popular in America around Thanksgiving but grosses out a lot of people with its sweet flavor and odd texture.

MSN

Recipe debates tend to get people heated fast. Things get particularly fiery around the holidays, when people share their tips and preferences online. Arguments about the best Thanksgiving dish rage on: People seem to feel strongly about things like jellied cranberry sauce, for example, which is popular in America around Thanksgiving but grosses out a lot of people with its sweet flavor and odd texture.