Year in Review: Domestic News
Reflecting on the collective events of the year gone by is a grand tradition. Fueled by an insatiable quest to understand our surroundings–both near and far–btw is proud to present what we believe were the most significant (or most reported) events of domestic news stories of 2014.
Winter Olympics
The U.S. kicked off the year with a strong showing at the games held in Sochi, Russia. While hosting the international sporting competition can be a logistical challenge and financial burden to any country, the city of Sochi set the record for the most expensive games to date (at $51 billion). The Russian government was also heavily criticized for misusing funds that could have helped its citizens, as well many environmental infractions. At the Games themselves, the United States came in second in the total number of medals won (28, nine of them gold). Host country, Russia, came in first with 30 total. The stand-out U.S. athletes were Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who won gold in ice dancing; men’s “slopestyle” skiing team who took home bronze, silver and gold; and the Steve’s (Holcomb and Langton) who won bronze in the two-man bobsled (and breaking a long-standing U.S. losing streak).
Credit: ©ColorBlind Images/Blend Images LLC; the president gave a speech about how the government will handle intelligence gathering in the future.
NSA Fallout and Follow-Up
One of the biggest news stories of last year was the discovery of significant breaches to our nation’s security. Former CIA and NSA contractor Edward Snowden told a British newspaper that he believed the U.S. government was engaged in unfair surveillance practices. He fled to Hong Kong to escape prosecution for espionage (spying) now resides in Russia, where he has sought political asylum. In January, President Obama announced that his administration would make reforms to our national security. General plans include greater transparency (making more information on how business is conducted available to the general public). Specific plans include a significant change to the “bulk data collection program.” More than a year later, the public is collectively more aware of its privacy rights. On the other hand, a lot of the sensitive material revealed by Snowden has strained some of our relations with some foreign governments.
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Social media has become a great way for charitable organizations to both create awareness and raise money for its cause. This summer, the ALS Association gained an extraordinary amount of both for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also called Lou Gehrig’s disease). The phenomenon began when a Boston man with ALS made a video of himself dumping a bucket of ice water over his head and challenged others to do the same within 24 hours or make a donation. It eventually went viral, gaining the attention of news outlets and celebrities worldwide.
The Economy
News of the state of our nation’s economy is likely to remain on our end-of-the-year review because analyzing what is happening and how we are doing is not likely to go out of favor any time soon. Last year ended on a disappointing note, but 2014 saw a regular increase in jobs added as well as a gradual reduction of the unemployment rate (the lowest since 2008). The stock market also saw a surge this summer, marking a record high (17,068) with predictions the number will reach 18,000 before the end of the year.
Law Enforcement/Race Relations
Tensions between law enforcement and minority communities have a long and complicated history. The two recent incidents of a white police officer killing an unarmed black man have many reliving slights of different time. From the blatant police brutality leading up to the civil rights movement to the 1992 acquittal of police officers caught on tape beating of Rodney King that ended with parts of Los Angeles in flames, the events in Ferguson and New York City have many deeply concerned about the seemingly patterns of discrimination in law enforcement and justice. The fact that the lack of indictments in both cases took place ten days apart has added to the rage and sense of urgency to address it. Michael Brown’s lawyer said that, “the process is broken.” The U.S. Justice Department has announced that it will launch a wide-ranging civil rights investigation into the Ferguson police department and its practices.