Time Magazine announced its 2015 Newsmaker of the Year as Angela Merkel, the German chancellor who spoke out about economic strife in the Eurozone and Europe’s ongoing migrant crisis. Other nominees who were considered included the leader of ISIS, Black Lives Matter activists, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
It made me wonder how we value news and what makes a good headline.
How do the editors of Time Magazine put Merkel and her efforts to rebuild the European economy on the same plane as Russian president, Vladimir Putin and his illegal activities in the Ukraine? Apparently headlines are the pre-requisite for the award. Not ethics or a conscience.
Meanwhile, after the deaths of young African American males, the Black Lives Matter activists certainly have affected social conscience in America. They’ve caused the cancellation of events. They’ve been involved in violent protests. But then again, so did those involved in the 60’s civil rights movements. And like them, only time will tell where this story goes.
Less questionable is Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and his ISIS cohorts. They were the top story for weeks because they cut off people’s heads on camera. But really, did they bring anything new to the table besides a big knife? This terrorist organization is simply spouting the same hate-filled rhetoric as all the others and once again, asking uneducated and desperate individuals to sacrifice themselves for their cause.
Then there’s the Donald. You can’t avoid his ridiculous media sound bites. He’s on the news almost every night. Most recently, he presented an offensive plan to introduce a combination of WWII’s Nazi registration laws and Africa’s defunct apartheid system – forcing Muslims to register and then carry special ID cards. If we’re measuring it on a purely media scale, it was headline gold: all shock and awe. No thought or reason.
Is this what makes Time Magazine’s Newsmaker of the Year?
There were so many stories that didn’t make headlines. A fraternity in California befriended a little girl whose hospital window faces their house. They’ve brought her dinner, visited regularly and set up Christmas lights on their roof for her to watch.
A young boy with terminal cancer brought together an entire town for an early Christmas so that he could celebrate one last time before he died.
A city in Kentucky is allowing residents to pay parking fines with canned goods for local food banks.
A group of Halifax girls dressed lampposts in warm jackets, hats and mitts so that the homeless wouldn’t be cold this winter.
A young boy brought his classmate a new pair of Nikes after the other kids bullied him about his shoes.
These are the real newsmakers of 2015. They are the groups and individuals who despite a seemingly negative and dark future for the world, are trying to make a difference.
You’ll never see them replace Trump or ISIS on the cover of Time Magazine. But wouldn’t it be a nice dream for 2016?
