Why the U.N. Can’t Solve the World’s Problems
Date: 27 July 2014
By SOMINI SENGUPTA
Somini SENGUPTA
News analysis; personal investment of individual nations in crises confronting the United Nations Security Council has sometimes led to lack of action when nations veto council resolutions; right of veto has long enabled permanent members to reject actions that threaten their strategic interests, and some nations support idea of limiting veto power in cases of mass atrocities.
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No Time to Think
Date: 27 July 2014
By KATE MURPHY
Kate MURPHY
News analysis; research shows that most people find act of being alone with their own thoughts to be unpleasant, fueling avoidance of introspection through busyness; cycle tends to fuel itself, as suppressing thoughts tends to give them more power, leading to increased avoidance; reflection, however, has been associated with increased empathy, creativity and well-being.
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When Thrill Rides Are Real Risks
Date: 27 July 2014
By IAN URBINA
Ian URBINA
News analysis; yearly deaths and injuries occurring on amusement park rides raise question of whether roller coasters and other thrill rides have, in becoming taller, faster and more extreme, also become more dangerous; no single federal agency is responsible for collecting data and assessing safety of such rides, resulting in variable regulation from state to state.
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What Is News?
Date: 27 July 2014
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Thomas FRIEDMAN
Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column describes visit to seriously threatened ecosystems in Madagascar, home of some the world's greatest biodiversity, which faces rapid deforestation; laments that unlike tragic events in Ukraine and the Middle East, environmental crises rarely make the news; draws connections between poverty, human strife, and ecological challenges.
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We’re Missing the Story
Date: 27 July 2014
By ANJAN SUNDARAM
Anjan SUNDARAM
Op-Ed article by author and journalist Anjan Sundaram warns news media is suffering from lack of intimate observance of world's most important stories, as overstretched journalists report from long distances away from stories they cover; says news and intellectual engagement have both faltered as big stories are missed and myths perpetuated; asserts that immersive reporting is essential if news is to serve its true purpose.
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When Media Mergers Limit More Than Competition
Date: 26 July 2014
By JAMES B. STEWART
James
James B Stewart Common Sense column; merger of 21st Century Fox and Time Warner, which reduces control of major Hollywood studios to five owners, and major television producers to four, faces serious regulatory hurdles due to companies' role in disseminating information and opinions, not to mention entertainment, to public at large.
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BuzzFeed Politics Writer Is Fired Over Plagiarism
Date: 27 July 2014
By RAVI SOMAIYA
Ravi SOMAIYA
Website BuzzFeed dismisses writer Benny Johnson after finding 41 instances of plagiarism among 500 stories he had written; editor in chief Ben Smith apologizes.
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