Where’s the coverage?
Graphic courtesy of Matt Stromlund.
Abigail Welch, Staff Writer
News outlets control what information we consume and they tell us which stories deserve the spotlight. Right now, that spotlight consists of the winter Olympics, the Florida school shooting (which sparks the gun control debate), the royal wedding and the release of the Black Panther.
While these stories do hold major interest to the mass population and deserve spotlight, they shouldn’t take up all of the media outlets. Below are four other stories that have been buzzing about, yet don’t have the coverage they deserve.
1. Nearly half of cryptocurrencies have failed
With the surging price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in 2017, more than a few companies joined the bandwagon with hopes of becoming rich overnight. Many of these initial coin offerings seemed sketchy from the outset and it turns out most were.
Bitcoin.com conducted a study of ICOs tracked by Tokendata, and a whopping 46 percent of the 902 crowdsale-based virtual currencies have already failed. Of these, 142 never got enough funding; another 276 have either slowly faded away or were out and out scams. And the survivors aren’t necessarily doing much better. Only a “handful” raised over $10 million, which left an uphill battle for the rest.
Excluding the scammers, a large chunk of cryptocurrencies targeted at niches like dentistry, freight trucking and real estate, which was never going to attract a broad audience. Knowing this makes it easier to understand why many of these virtual coins faded quickly.
2. New Charges Filed Against Parents in California House of Horrors Case
David Allen and Louise Anna Turpin, the parents whose 13 children were found shackled and malnourished in their “House of Horrors” California home last month, appeared in Riverside Superior Court last week where four new felony charges have been filed.
The new charges include three child abuse charges against the couple and one felony assault charge against Louise, according to the amended criminal complaint.
“Further investigation has led us to amend the complaint,” says Riverside County District Attorney PIO John Hall. “It could add more time to the exposure they are facing.” Like the previous numerous criminal charges in the alleged abuse of their 13 children (who range in age from 2 to 29), the parents maintain their innocence and the couple pled not guilty in response to the new charges. Another court hearing is scheduled for March 23.
3. Nigeria says 110 girls unaccounted for after Boko Haram attack
One hundred and ten girls are confirmed missing after an attack on the Government Science and Technical College in northeast Nigeria by suspected Boko Haram insurgents, in what may be one of the largest abductions since the Chibok kidnappings of 2014. President Muhammadu Buhari has described the disappearance of the girls after Monday’s attack in the town of Dapchi, Yobe state, as a “national disaster.”
Boko Haram, whose name translates as “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language widely spoken in northern Nigeria, has killed more than 20,000 people and forced two million to flee their homes in a violent insurgency that began in 2009.
The Nigerian Air Force stated the chief of air staff had “directed the immediate deployment of additional air assets and Nigerian Air Force personnel to the northeast with the sole mission of conducting day and night searches for the missing girls.”
4. China’s President Xi Jinping might rule indefinitely
China’s ruling Communist Party has proposed to remove a constitutional clause limiting presidential service to two terms in office. President Xi Jinping, 64, is currently required by the country’s constitution to step down as president after two five-year terms. With the end of his first term nearing, he will be formally elected for his second term at the annual meeting of China’s “largely rubber-stamp parliament” beginning on March 5.
The announcement, carried by state news agency Xinhua, gave very few details regarding the proposal. They shared that the proposal had been made by the party’s Central Committee, the largest of its elite ruling bodies. Constitutional reform must be approved by parliament, but with parliament stacked with members chosen for their loyalty to the party, the reform most likely will not be blocked.
One of Jinping’s closest political allies, Wang Qishan, stepped down from the party’s Standing Committee – the seven-man body that runs China – in October. With Qishan reaching 69, he’s at the age that top officials tend to retire. Still, he has been selected as a parliament delegate and is likely to become vice president. However, even if this change doesn’t occur, at some point Jinping could be given a party position that also enables him to stay on as long as he likes.
