Month: September 2024

Media literacy expert: Identify fake news by looking at sources Podcasts and other new media lack "gatekeepers" but broaden discourse

photo courtesy of Janet Rechtman
Author and media literacy expert Nolan Higdon

by Yucheng Tang
posted Sept. 15

Disinformation. Misinformation. Lies. Bunk. Hoaxes.

All those terms fall under the umbrella of fake news, according to a media literacy expert, who spoke Sept. 14 to the League of Women Voters in Chico.

“We generally only cherry-pick the fake news producers that we dislike,” said Nolan Higdon, the author of “The Anatomy of Fake News.” “We don’t like to admit there are some people we do like who also produce fake news.” read more

Homeland Celebration delivers “taste of the world” Pae Xiong: "We are trying to tell people that we exist"

photo by Yucheng Tang
Hmong dancers during the Thursday Night Market.

by Yucheng Tang
posted Sept. 13

On stage at City Plaza, 13 Hmong girls from Oroville, dressed in traditional attire, performed a dance to the Hmong song, “Hello, Hello, I Like You.” Below the stage, audience members took pictures, recorded video and applauded. This was the opening performance at the Sept. 12 Homeland Celebration event.

“Our girls love to perform. It’s a good experience for them,” Passion Chue told ChicoSol. She works as a program supervisor at Oroville’s Hmong Cultural Center and oversees all youth programs, including the dancing team. Chue said the girls practice dancing at the center after school in a limited space and without mirrors. read more

Chico PD shooting review slams sergeant In-house analysis: Sgt. Ruppel made string of mistakes in Rushing death

The PowerPoint review of the 2017 Tyler Rushing killing that the City of Chico refused to release until ordered by a judge to do so.

by Dave Waddell
posted Sept. 12

A veteran Chico police sergeant did almost everything wrong on the night seven years ago when he gunned Tyler Rushing down, according to Chico PD’s own analysis of the incident.

The recently disclosed in-house review, which the Chico City Council spent many tax dollars trying unsuccessfully to suppress, also criticizes that sergeant, Scott Ruppel, for “dangerously” shooting the critically wounded Rushing while he was in the grasp of two other officers. read more

The retirement of Grizzly The mule with a "heart of gold" will enjoy oak shade and rolling hills

Grizzly

by Leslie Layton
posted Sept. 8

Not everyone gets to retire at age 26, and not everyone gets to retire at Bella Vista Farms west of Cottonwood in Shasta County.

But the consensus is that Grizzly, a pack mule who worked for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for some 22 years, earned what are now his days of leisure in the animal sanctuary that is “nestled amongst huge oak trees and rolling hills,” according to founder Chic Miller who describes her project on this Bella Vista Facebook page. read more

Election campaigning targets the vulnerable Some candidates rely on racist tropes or discriminatory language

photo courtesy of Yee campaign
District 1 candidate Rose Yee attending the Democratic National Convention.

by Natalie Hanson
posted Sept. 4

As racist and discriminatory speech become commonplace in electoral campaigns, candidates and campaign organizers are calling for a response. In Butte County and elsewhere, some would like elected officials to speak against discrimination and in favor of protecting marginalized Californians.

On a recent panel convened by Ethnic Media Services, organizers said that anti-immigrant rhetoric from the Republican Party is growing. Panelists said that many incumbents and GOP candidates use slurs against migrants, which fuels fear and anger against people who seek a better life in America. read more