Spirit of 60's student activism marches on – with a twist

Edition: US - Today's top story: March for Our Lives awakens the spirit of student and media activism of the 1960s [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 24 March 2018 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note How do you get nearly half a million people to turn out for an event? The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School may have found a way that [echoes the media activism of students in the 1960s](, writes communications scholar Errol Salamon. Through social media and student journalism, they are making their young voices heard and have mobilized thousands to join the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C., today. In the public discussion about how to regulate Facebook’s handling of users’ personal data, there’s a tendency to lump Facebook together with other technology-related companies, like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon. But [that’s not a good idea](, writes University of Michigan media scholar Amanda Lotz, because they’re all very different businesses who don’t compete against each other – or, really, anyone else. Danielle Douez Associate Editor, Politics + Society Top stories Students rally in front of the White House in Washington, March 14, 2018. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster [March for Our Lives awakens the spirit of student and media activism of the 1960s]( Errol Salamon, University of Pennsylvania Young activists are using journalism to advance their cause. Though their work echoes student activists and journalists of the 1960s, they use new tools not available to the activists of that era. It may seem convenient to think of technology companies as similar, but they’re really not. The Conversation ['Big Tech' isn't one big monopoly – it's 5 companies all in different businesses]( Amanda Lotz, University of Michigan When thinking about regulating them, it's useful to know Facebook, Amazon, Google, Apple and Microsoft have some similarities. But generally they're not competing with each other – or anyone else. Politics + Society [Gun control and March for Our Lives: 4 essential reads]( Naomi Schalit, The Conversation Student activists marching Saturday want Congress to enact comprehensive gun control. Here is a selection of stories from our archive that will help you understand the issues raised by the students. [Kurdish troops fight for freedom — and women's equality — on battlegrounds across Middle East]( Haidar Khezri, Indiana University Kurdish female fighters are on the front lines of conflicts in Turkey, Syria and Iraq, and they bring their particular brand of radical feminism with them. [MS-13 is a street gang, not a drug cartel – and the difference matters]( Steven S. Dudley, American University Trump justice officials portray the Salvadoran gang MS-13 as a powerful drug cartel staffed with criminal undocumented immigrants. That's a dangerous mistake if you actually want to prevent violence. [Bombed into oblivion: The lost oasis of Damascus]( Karen Pinto, Boise State University Ghouta, Syria is being destroyed. The news from Ghouta is all about death and destruction. But Ghouta's past was all about beauty and fertility – when its very name meant an oasis filled with green. Science + Technology [After Tempe fatality, self-driving car developers must engage with public now or risk rejection]( Andrew Maynard, Arizona State University; Jameson Wetmore, Arizona State University; Thaddeus R. Miller, Arizona State University Companies developing autonomous vehicles are missing out on the local knowledge and values of the people who live where these cars are tested. And that lack of engagement sets up bigger problems. [Facebook is killing democracy with its personality profiling data]( Timothy Summers, University of Maryland Facebook harvests individual users' data and sells it to advertisers, who narrowly target specific messages to particular people not just for profit, but for partisan political gain. [Don't quit Facebook, but don't trust it, either]( Denise Anthony, Dartmouth College; Luke Stark, Dartmouth College Users shouldn't trust Facebook, but that doesn't mean they should immediately abandon what has become a crucial platform for connectedness. [Mitochondria mutation mystery solved: Random sorting helps get rid of duds]( Arunas L. Radzvilavicius, University of Pennsylvania The genes in our cells' mitochondria are passed on in a different way than the vast majority of our DNA. New studies shed light on how the unique process isn't derailed by mutations. Economy + Business [Recent stock market sell-off foreshadows a new Great Recession]( Steven Pressman, Colorado State University; Robert H. Scott III, Monmouth University The collapse of an obscure corner of the financial market a decade ago foreshadowed the Great Recession. The stock-market swoon in February should offer a similar warning. [Tariffs won't save American steel jobs. But we can still help steelworkers]( Morten Wendelbo, Texas A&M University ; Raymond Robertson, Texas A&M University President Trump's new tariffs suggest he doesn't understand why American steel and aluminum have been hurt in the first place. Arts + Culture [A history of loneliness]( Amelia S. Worsley, Amherst College Although loneliness may seem timeless and universal, the word seems to have originated in the 16th century, [Red state, blue state: How colors took sides in politics]( David Scott Kastan, Yale University While it might seem like a longstanding tradition, it's a relatively recent phenomenon in the U.S. Education [Threat assessments crucial to prevent school shootings]( Dewey Cornell, University of Virginia In order to prevent school shootings, schools must use threat assessments like the ones that law enforcement uses to protect public figures, a leading expert on school safety argues on Capitol Hill. [School resource officers can prevent tragedies, but training is key]( Elizabeth Englander, Bridgewater State University The debate over using school resource officers to prevent school shootings got a fresh airing, after an officer stopped a gunman at a Maryland high school. One researcher says training is key. Environment + Energy [How energy storage is starting to rewire the electricity industry]( Eric Hittinger, Rochester Institute of Technology; Eric Williams, Rochester Institute of Technology Saving power to use later lets consumers, businesses and utilities generate energy when it's cheap and deliver it when they need it most. There's not much of it today, but the industry is growing fast. [Buried, altered, silenced: 4 ways government climate information has changed since Trump took office]( Morgan Currie, Stanford University; Britt S. Paris, University of California, Los Angeles Despite scientists' initial concerns, federal climate change data sets are still available. But other documents and web pages have changed over the last year. Ethics + Religion [Archbishop Oscar Romero was gunned down inside his own church 38 years ago. Soon he'll become El Salvador's first saint]( Michael E. Lee, Fordham University On March 24, 1980, an outspoken Salvadoran bishop was murdered after decrying his country's military regime. Thirty-eight years and one civil war later, Pope Francis is set to declare him a saint. [Public support for animal rights goes beyond keeping dogs out of overhead bins]( Garrett M. Broad, Fordham University Most Americans identify as animal lovers and support either full or partial legal rights for animals. Health + Medicine [Why community and not confinement will end TB]( Eric Friedman, Georgetown University; Drew Aiken, Georgetown University World TB Day will be observed March 24, with the good news that deaths from tuberculosis are declining. But a trend toward confining those with TB threatens to stall advances. [I treat patients on Medicaid, and I don't see undeserving poor people]( Audrey M Provenzano, Harvard University Calls for work requirements for Medicaid recipients ignore the fact that many already do work. A Harvard doctor points out the problems in trying to help only the 'deserving' poor. [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111