Steller assignment for final

Sports broadcasters stereotype athletes based on race

Despite the strides made toward equality in this country, we still see undertones of racism in sports, especially in the words used to describe black athletes compared to white athletes on broadcasts.

Broadcasters are more likely to say positive comments regarding an African American's physical attributes 

While broadcasters have positive comments regarding an African American's athleticism and skillset, that changes when the topic switches to off-the-field activities. Justin Hudson, a graduate assistant at the University of Maryland who has spent time studying the topic, said a blind man in the 1970s first noticed this phenomenon.

The man began to noticed while listening to football games that any time he heard a broadcaster talk negatively about a player, that individual was most often black, Hudson said. But he added that he doesn't believe it is done intentionally.

"It's one of those things that the whole point of it is that it's nothing overt," Hudson said. "It's more subtle. The talk about athleticism is kind of a big one. Blacks are just labeled as more naturally athletic."

A study published in 2010 examined the racial descriptors used during broadcasted college sporting events and found that of all physical comments on African Americans looked at, 148 of 151 were positive. That compares to just seven positive comments on off-the-field intellect and 10 on African American's character.


When discussing white athletes, journalists bring up character and intellect

This graphic will only be valuable if my interviewees back it up, but my guess is that a large reason we see this stereotyping is because a majority of journalists are white. I'll have to see if my interviewees back up this sentiment.

Racial specific comments are most likely to occur at basketball games 

-- Possible photos/videos could be of Colin Cowherd, Don Imus or First Take with examples of times racial stereotyping in sports journalism

Neither scientists nor the general public can agree on climate change because of preconceived ideas and varying data

While some point to last winter as unseasonably cold — and perhaps proof against global warming —the data tells a different story with the continental United States averaging 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit more than the 20th century average this past winter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric administration.

This variance between what the data reveals and what we feel is a contributing reason to why the country is divided on climate change. University of Maryland professor Tim Canty, who teaches in the atmospheric and oceanic science department, said we have a tendency as a society to look to the short-term.

Canty stressed the fact that climate refers to weather patterns over an extended period of time — 30 or 40 years. But Tyler Dustin, a senior criminal justice and criminology major said it's hard to not think about what's happened most recently.

Climate change has become divided among political parties, though scientists argue it's not a political issue

For the most part, Republicans have tended to be against climate change while Democrats are adamant it's happening. While Canty said this dynamic has shifted some recently with some Republicans no longer sticking with their political party on the issue, he said it's still not right that it's become involved in politics at all.

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

“Most people don't know how science is done,” Canty said. “It's hard for them to understand. They think you vote on it. They think it's a democratic process, and it really isn't. Science doesn't care what you think. It's just right or wrong. But that's outside of what most people are used to.”

Canty believes society should be looking at the data scientists have gathered to make their decisions. And what he said he has found is that temperatures have been, in fact, rising gradually over an extended period of time.

A student who has devoted much of her time at Maryland examining climate change agreed with Canty that politics isn't the place for the discussion on climate change.

“It shouldn't be a political issue, because in the end, it's going to affect everyone and is already affecting everyone,” said Olivia Newport, a senior environmental science and policy major.

Younger generation grew up with climate change discussion but hasn't experienced significant temperature shift 

Canty, who teaches a class on weather and climate with 240 students this semester, said many came to college already with the belief that climate change was happening. But for those that didn't, often times the problem is their inability to step back and see the big picture.

“People don't understand the difference between daily weather and the long-term trend in climate,” Canty said.


The average college student is around 20 years old, so they haven't been alive long enough to have lived through the time period it takes to be considered a climate. Because of this, students sometimes have a tendency to think about all the snow dumped on the north east last winter, for example.

Dustin, though, believes this mindset isn't limited to his generation.

"I don't think it's just students thinking short-term," Dustin said. "I think it's human nature to think about the most recent weather, not what it was like when you were a kid."

Despite arguments and data, both sides tend to remain stubborn

With all of the data compiled on climate trends, scientists have had a hard time agreeing on what is actually happening to the Earth. Canty referred to the "Big Bang Theory" TV show's main character, Sheldon, when describing the mindset of many scientists.


He said they are essentially know-it-alls who aren't particularly good at explaining their knowledge to a general audience. However, Canty doesn't look to that as an excuse to the stubbornness of his colleagues. In order to see growth in the area of climate change, he said scientists have to be willing to admit they are incorrect if proven so.

“We need to be able to be big enough to say 'I'm wrong. I made a mistake,'” Canty said. “We have people with strong opinions that want to debate, but they aren't willing to ever admit that they are wrong, and that's unfortunate.”

In 2014, Secretary of State John Kerry said 97 percent of scientists believe climate change is an urgent issue. The Wall Street Journal reported that number was false, but the sentiment remains that an overwhelming majority of scientists believe climate change is happening.

It's that other percentage, Newport said, that won't give in.

“Something people say a lot is that 97 percent of scientists believe in gravity, and that's the same percentage that believe in climate change,” Newport said. “But, like, everyone knows gravity exists and people are still trying to dispute that climate change is happening.”

Maryland journalism students rely on coffee, exclusive work zone to stay productive outside of class

Nick Pagliarulo has turned his childhood passion for baseball into journalism career

About 31% of adults text while driving and they're also more likely to call others, surf web

Source: clorelaw.com

In an age when people feel a need to be in constant contact with others, drivers aren't putting down their phones while behind the wheel. Despite the dangers and laws against distracted driving, more than 60 percent of adults talk on their phones while driving, and those individuals are more likely to text and surf the web while operating the vehicle, too.

But what drives this majority of adults who talk on the phone and the estimated 31 percent who text while driving to do so? A study released in February using Pew Research Center data from 2010 examined the sociological factors that lead drivers to partake in these two dangerous habits along with also surfing the web or using apps behind the wheel.

The study found texting in public has become more normal, so has texting while driving because of this need to stay connected with family and friends. It discovered that drivers who use their phone for either texting, talking or surfing the web are more likely to do all of them. And it also stated individuals who tend to be more rebellious are more likely than others to do all of these actions while driving.

There is no national ban on cell phone use, but many states have laws against specific uses. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, just four states don't have a law banning texting and driving and 14 states prohibit drivers from using hand-held cell phones behind the wheel.

More than 60 percent of drivers talk on their phone while driving.

The study revealed more than half of adults who drive talk on their phone while doing so. That number is far greater among 77 undergraduate students at the University of Maryland who were surveyed with 88 percent of students saying they have talked on the phone while driving.

Students who were interviewed said they viewed talking and driving a less risky behavior, especially when it is done hands free.

Wearing Bluetooth headsets or simply putting the device on speaker phone allows the driver to keep both hands on the wheel while using their phone. It essentially becomes akin to talking to someone in the passenger seat, just the technology allows the driver to talk with someone outside the vehicle.

Senior business major Allison Baker, who said she doesn't text and drive, puts her phone on speaker and places it in the cup holder between the seats to talk on the phone while behind the wheel.

“I think it's a lot about the eye contact,” Baker said. “If you are looking at a phone and trying to send a text you are focusing on the phone you can't see the road. But if you aren't holding onto the phone, you are able to see what's going on, and I kind of feel like you can multitask better then.”

There's a link between texting while driving and the need for constant connection with others.

Maybe on a five-minute drive to the grocery store that text can wait, but what happens when your phone buzzes and you still have 25 minutes left on your trip? As texting has become more common, society now expects quick responses.

And with practically everything an individual might need at their fingertips, going 30 minutes or an hour without checking the phone is tough.

It's this constant need for contact with friends and family the study says is leading to people texting and driving. Senior landscape architecture major Karl Griner agrees.

“It does annoy me if I have someone text me, and I can't look at it,” Griner said. “I have to know what they're saying.”

He said he tries to limit checking his phone to when he is at stop lights, but sometimes it can't wait. Especially on longer rides, Griner said he always checks to see who the message is from to decide if it's important enough to risk texting while driving.

Texting while driving is more prevalent among individuals who commonly disregard social norms.

The study found that drivers who partake in risky behavior elsewhere, such as texting nude photos to another person, are more likely to be the ones texting while driving.

Baker said her parents were lenient growing up, but not when it came to driving. They harped on the importance of not drinking or texting while driving. As a result, she doesn't text and drive. She doesn't fit the mold the study labels as individuals who are deviant from societal norms.

A bus driver at Maryland, though, doesn't think there is a category of people who are more likely to text.

“Nowadays, it’s pretty much everybody," the bus driver said. "I know people of all types of personalities. Everybody does it pretty much. No one is really immune.”

Motivation for texting while driving varies from mundane to important conversations.

AT&T has had an ad campaign based on the phrase, "it can wait," referring to the idea that no text message is worth the risk of texting and driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association reported that 3,328 people were killed in 2012 in a distracted driver accident. That figure accounted for 18 percent of all deadly crashes that year.

The study found that drivers don't seem to care if the text can wait. The conversations people have range from everyday talk to what people deem as more important, perhaps work related or at least more urgent than saying hello.

For Briana Thomas, a student at Maryland, she said she usually sends messages on the way to school because there are classes she can't text in when she arrives.



The students interviewed all said they didn't know anyone who had been in an accident texting while driving, but they did say if they had it might deter them from doing it. Instead, the need for constant contact while behind the wheel has led to many adult drivers texting and talking on the phone.

"I think it's just this concept that it's not going to happen to them or they've frequently done it in the past," Baker said. "So again and again there hasn't been in consequences, so it's like, 'I've been doing this for two years and nothing has happened.'”

Couples who meet online more likely to date than marry compared to partners who meet offline

1. Survey studied about 4,000 individuals over a span of three years.

2.  Online dating leads people to believe they have a surplus of potential mates.

3. Given the detached nature of online dating, people take longer to commit.

4. In the wake of online dating horror stories, users spend more time getting to know each other.