In The News: Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies

KSNV-TV: News 3

A woman who pleaded guilty in a series of scams in the Las Vegas Valley is facing new allegations that she used social media to lure aspiring influencers into bogus brand trips, including a promised Four Seasons vacation to Bora Bora and a Disneyland visit that one victim said left her family stranded in extreme heat.

KNPR News

Water is precious in the Southwest — every drop counts. And for the Southern Paiute People, water is life and it must be protected. Protecting the lifeblood in the Las Vegas valley is a superhero called Captain Paiute, the Indigenous Defender of the Southwest. He’s the main character of the comic book series created by Las Vegas resident Theo Tso. Before the modern era of comic books, which started in the '80s, many Indigenous characters were stereotypical representations.

Associated Press

The Las Vegas Review-Journal will no longer print its rival the Las Vegas Sun for the first time in decades, sharpening a longtime legal dispute between the southern Nevada newspapers

KSNV-TV: News 3

Two landmark court decisions this week in California and New Mexico are raising new questions about whether social media companies can be held legally responsible for harm tied to how their platforms work — and could influence a Nevada case targeting TikTok.

The Center Square

Snapchat had previously attempted to dismiss the case, but the Nevada Supreme Court ruled the lawsuit could continue. Across the country, Snapchat and other social media companies are in courts over similar issues of alleged harmful practice and its impacts on young people.

KTNV-TV: ABC 13

Social media platforms were used to help students plan anti-ICE protests at schools across the country this week, including right here in our valley.

Washington Post

Influencers behaving badly made recent headlines, but restaurants and content creators say most interactions are business as usual.

KSNV-TV: News 3

New questions arise after a man, identified as Keith Castillo, is seen in viral videos handing out machetes, liquor, and cigarettes to unhoused individuals in New Orleans and Austin.

KSNV-TV: News 3

An aspiring influencer said he now regrets posting videos showing him handing out machetes to those who are unhoused, but welcomes the attention it is now bringing to him and his social media.

Associated Press

On a recent day at Sacramento native Lecho Lopez’s comic shop in the city, his 5-year-old nephew read his first word aloud: “bad.” It was from a graphic novel. There was irony in that being his first word, because Lopez credits comic books with many positive things in his life. That is why he supports repealing a city ordinance dating back to 1949 that bars the distribution of many comic books to kids and teens. It is not enforced today.

KSNV-TV: News 3

Las Vegas, known for its constant reinvention, is facing a new challenge as artificial intelligence and automation threaten to transform the hospitality industry. A report from RCG Economics warns that between now and the end of next year, 80% to 95% of hospitality jobs could be at risk due to AI and automation.

KVVU-TV: Fox 5

FOX5 discovered two separate social media posts this week showing one of Las Vegas’s most iconic venues on fire, but both videos were fake and created using artificial intelligence. The discovery highlights how artificial intelligence is making fake news posts increasingly difficult to distinguish from legitimate breaking news, according to a digital media expert who warns the days of taking news at face value are over.