NewsFix: Thursday September 23, 2021
Morning all,
There are two very important debates centred around women today - would the coverage of Sabina Nessa’s murder have been different if she was a white woman, and would the power dynamics between Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton shape coverage of their affair today?
Until tomorrow,
Hilary
WHAT HAPPENED TO SABINA NESSA?
The murder of Sabina Nessa - a 28-year-old teacher based in east London - happened during a five-minute walk through a park last Friday, police suspect.
It is understood Sabina was walking to meet a friend in a pub on Friday evening. Police believe she was attacked at around 8:30pm - “a time when the park would have been busy”.
Her body was found on Saturday, and while a man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of murder, he was later released “under further investigation”.
A vigil is planned for Sabina this Friday. The murder also sparked some very important conversations - particularly online - about how the murders of non-white women are covered.
“The treatment of Sabina’s death has not been on the same level as others, and time and time again we see how victims from Black and minoritised communities do not receive the same level of attention and support” - Farah Nazeer, the chief executive of Women’s Aid
*Earlier this year, NewsFix published a piece containing statistics about crime statistics, including violence against women, murder, rape, sexual abuse and harassment. You might find it a helpful read while this story unfolds.
ON TODAY’S AGENDA
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin will chair a UN Security Council meeting today. Why? Because Ireland holds the presidency of the council at the moment, a position that rotates every month. Also, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has a meeting scheduled with Nancy Pelosi today.
Worth noting: RTÈ News reported it will be the first time an Irish Taoiseach will chair a UNSC meeting.
CLIMATE COVERAGE
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the upcoming COP26 climate summit in Glasgow will be a “turning point for humanity,” during a speech at the UN on Wednesday.
Johnson said four areas need to be tackled - “coal, cars, cash and trees”.
The prime minister also quoted - and disagreed with - Kermit the frog, who said “it’s not easy being green”. We didn’t hear any laughs. Tough crowd.
Interesting statistics: BBC News reported the UK used coal to generate 25% of electricity five years ago, and now only uses it for 2%.
MOST READ
- BBC News: ‘Side-eyeing Chloe’, 10, to sell viral meme
- The Guardian: Sex Actually with Alice Levine review - the cam couples turning love into porn
- The Financial Times: Evergrande and the end of China’s ‘build, build, build’ model
- Al Jazeera: At Afghanistan’s ‘Guantanamo’, ex-inmates recount abuse, torture
- The Irish Times: Moderna vs Pfizer: Both jabs are knockouts, but one seems to have the edge
CHATTER THAT MATTERS
Monica Lewinsky - the woman who infamously had a consensual affair with President Clinton while interning at the White House in the 1990s - has sparked an interesting debate.
Lewinsky, who has said she was “patient zero” of being cancelled by the internet, has just produced a new series about the ordeal.
Anyway, it led to a very interesting conversation (below) about the treatment of Lewinsky at the time, through the lens of hindsight, feminism and the post #MeToo area.
The discussion centred around how differently this might have been covered today - with the dynamics of a much older, extremely powerful, married man having an affair with a 22-year-old intern. What do you think, was it cancel culture, or a fair consequence?
*Below is part 1 of the conversation, there is also a part 2.
SOME STATS
- Black girls in England are twice as likely to be excluded from schools as white girls, according to a report covered in The Guardian.
- Former President Donald Trump is more popular than President Biden, The Times reported, citing a recent poll. However, the race is close - Trump has 48% positive rating, while Biden has 46%.
COVERING THE COVERAGE
Last week, Andrew Neil confirmed he was stepping down as chairman and lead presenter of GB News, just three months after the network began.
He later went on to say he ended up “in a minority of one” at the network with his views on how it should be run.
Okay, what’s new? In a scathing tweet on Wednesday, Neil said “smears” and “lies” about him told to other media outlets have effectively cancelled his exit deal with the channel. Neil added he “couldn’t be happier” to not have to appear on the channel again.
TODAY MARKS…
Saudi Arabia’s National Day - a holiday celebrating the unification of the Najd and Hijaz nations in 1932, which subsequently formed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The country’s name originates from its ruler at the time, King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud of the House of Saud.
BRITNEY VS SPEARS
A trailer for the upcoming Netflix documentary on Britney Spears and her lengthy legal battle over the conservatorship, has been released.
The documentary will air next Tuesday, September 28.
ON THE CUTEST NOTE…
Who needs to smile today?