November 4, 2016
This week saw the greatest thing to ever happen to the city of Chicago – a Cubs World Series Championship. But we’re also in for another whirlw
ind week as the 2016 election nears and the media landscape continues to shift. Here, then, are my favorite finds of the week.
- The goat is dead – Fans celebrated across the world last night as the Cubs broke their 108-year losing streak to beat the Indians and take the World Series. What can I say about the Cubs win that you don’t already know? How about that a Chicago bar hosted the real MVPs of the game, or that Bill Murray said Mayor Emmanuel should cancel school for the rest of the week so kids can celebrate. There’s also this really cool scorecard that you can download and frame to help commemorate the event. Yay Cubs! Yay Chicago!
- Newspapers feel the squeeze – again – This week brought even more dire news for newspapers. On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that print ad dollars were down 19 percent from last year, and Gannett, McClatchy and Tronc also reported dismal ad revenue as businesses move their dollars to Facebook and Google. What’s more, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and Gannett are once again cutting staff. This led Poynter to ask how these cuts will impact the fate of investigative reporters – and what that ultimately means for citizens.
- Not so fast, Santa – Esquire kicked off this year’s War on Christmas coverage by dissecting Starbucks’ newest holiday-themed cup, which depicts a number of hand-drawn individuals on a green cup with a white circle. Launched on Tuesday, the cup has already drawn criticism for not featuring the word “Jesus” or the color red. No word yet on what Esquire’s next target will be.
- Springsteen from your couch – Soon you will be able to enjoy your favorite concerts without the hassle of lengthy security lines, eardrum-shattering sound systems, and drunk concert-goers ruining the best part of your favorite song. At least that’s what Boiler Room is hoping. Last week the music company announced its partnership with VR hub Inception to build a virtual reality music venue, which they say is the world’s first. The collaboration, which underscores the growing movement toward VR events and communities, is set to launch next year, when viewers will be able to watch special music events with their VR headsets at home.
- Election woes – As if we haven’t endured enough anxiety during this election cycle, The New York Times reported this week on five possible hacks to worry about before election day. Among their list: hackers interfering with voter registration rolls, which could lead to long lines and accusations of poll “rigging,” and an attack on internet connections that could disrupt voters’ ability to find their polling place on election day. My advice? Make sure you know where your polling place is ahead of Tuesday, research your ballot before heading to the polls, and keep a close eye (pun intended) on this blind kitten’s predictions.