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Too many people think satirical news is real

  • Written by R. Kelly Garrett, Professor of Communication, The Ohio State University
In a news cycle full of clownish characters and outrageous rhetoric, it's no wonder satire isn't fully registering with a lot of readers.Ozger Sarikaya/Shutterstock.com

In July, the website Snopes published a piece fact-checking a story posted on The Babylon Bee, a popular satirical news site with a conservative bent.

Conservative columnist David...

Read more: Too many people think satirical news is real

Free college proposals should include private colleges

  • Written by Michael Simkovic, Professor of Law and Accounting, University of Southern California
Private college students graduate at higher rates, government statistics show.4 PM production/Shutterstock.com

Students can use federal financial aid to attend any college they want, whether public or private.

But the “free college” proposals floated by some 2020 presidential candidates would increase federal funding only for community...

Read more: Free college proposals should include private colleges

A cyberattack could wreak destruction comparable to a nuclear weapon

  • Written by Jeremy Straub, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, North Dakota State University
Digital attacks can cause havoc in different places all at the same time.Pushish Images/Shutterstock.com

People around the world may be worried about nuclear tensions rising, but I think they’re missing the fact that a major cyberattack could be just as damaging – and hackers are already laying the groundwork.

With the U.S. and Russia pul...

Read more: A cyberattack could wreak destruction comparable to a nuclear weapon

How Democrats can win back workers in 2020

  • Written by Thomas Kochan, Professor of Management, Co-Director of the MIT Sloan Institute for Work and Employment Research, MIT Sloan School of Management

Labor unions and the workers they represent were once the heart and soul of the Democratic Party.

The 2016 presidential election revealed just how much that has changed. Hillary Clinton lost in key battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin in part because she took labor support for granted.

A survey my team of labor scholars at MIT conducted...

Read more: How Democrats can win back workers in 2020

Why are people still dying from Legionnaires' disease?

  • Written by Brian Labus, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Inhaling mist contaminated with _Legionella pneumophila_ can lead to Legionnaires' disease.Denis Klimov 3000/Shutterstock.com

In the nearly 50 years since epidemiologists first discovered Legionnaires’ disease, we have learned how to test for it, treat it and prevent it. So why are people still dying from it and why are more and more people...

Read more: Why are people still dying from Legionnaires' disease?

'Christian left' is reviving in America, appalled by treatment of migrants

  • Written by Laura E. Alexander, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Goldstein Family Community Chair in Human Rights, University of Nebraska Omaha
Citing scripture and church teachings, ever more Christians are pushing progressive policy positions based in their faith.Shutterstock

Holding pictures of migrant children who have died in U.S. custody and forming a cross with their bodies on the floor of the Russell Senate Office Building, 70 Catholics were arrested in July for obstructing a...

Read more: 'Christian left' is reviving in America, appalled by treatment of migrants

Organic food health benefits have been hard to assess, but that could change

  • Written by Cynthia Curl, Assistant Professor, Boise State University
Freshly harvested organic foods such as these radishes may seem to be healthier, but it is difficult to say for sureFedorovacz/Shutterstock.com

“Organic” is more than just a passing fad. Organic food sales totaled a record US$45.2 billion in 2017, making it one of the fastest-growing segments of American agriculture. While a small...

Read more: Organic food health benefits have been hard to assess, but that could change

What's behind the protests in Kashmir?

  • Written by Sumit Ganguly, Distinguished Professor of Political and the Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations, Indiana University
Kashmiri Muslims shout slogans during a protest after Eid prayers in Srinagar.AP Photo/ Dar Yasin

India recently enacted a law which will end a special autonomous status given to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, known in the West as simply “Kashmir.”

Amit Shah, India’s minister for home affairs, announced in Parliament that the...

Read more: What's behind the protests in Kashmir?

Why building community – even through discomfort – could help stressed college students

  • Written by Shawna Shapiro, Associate Professor of Writing and Linguistics; Director of Writing & Rhetoric Program, Middlebury
A sense of belonging can enhance the college experience. Shutterstock

It is a growing problem on campuses across America. Students entering college are reporting levels of anxiety, depression and social isolation higher than previous generations. The phrase “mental health crisis” has become commonplace within higher education circles.

Tod...

Read more: Why building community – even through discomfort – could help stressed college students

Shouldn’t there be a law against reckless opioid sales? Turns out, there is

  • Written by Nicolas Paul Terry, Professor of Law, IUPUI
Protests and lawsuits against opioid manufacturers are growing more common, but drug distributors are also facing scrutiny.AP Photo/Charles Krupa

The massive scale of prescription opioid shipments as the ongoing overdose epidemic unfolded has started to come into focus.

Drug companies shipped 76 billion opioid pain pills to U.S. health care...

Read more: Shouldn’t there be a law against reckless opioid sales? Turns out, there is

More Articles ...

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  5. 50 years ago, Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock anthem expressed the hopes and fears of a nation
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  24. Companies promoting causes can be accused of 'wokewashing' – allying themselves only for good PR
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  36. 5 reasons why Trump's Venezuela embargo won't end the Maduro regime
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  47. The 'warspeak' permeating everyday language puts us all in the trenches
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