Media
Coronavirus: Russian media hint at US conspiracy – BBC News
The coronavirus outbreak in China has provided fertile ground for conspiracy theories and misinformation on the web everywhere, but in Russia they are being spread on primetime news programmes.
Russian TV is also unique in having a consistent overall thrust: that shadowy Western elites and especially the US are somehow ultimately to blame.
One of main national TV networks, Channel One, has even launched a regular slot devoted to coronavirus conspiracy theories on its main evening news programme, Vremya (“Time”).
The style of the reporting is ambiguous, appearing to debunk the theories while leaving viewers with the impression that they contain a kernel of truth.
One of the wilder ideas aired by Vremya recently is that the presence of the word “corona”, which means crown in both Latin and Russian, in the word coronavirus hints that Donald Trump is somehow involved.
Apparently, this is because he used to preside over beauty pageants, handing the winners their crowns.
In fact, scientists named the virus because of of its crown-like shape, but Vremya’s presenter warns against rejecting the idea all too soon.
“Utter nonsense, you’ll say, and I’d agree with you, if it were not for what’s in our correspondent’s report,” he says.
‘Ethnic bioweapon’
The subsequent video does admit the crown theory is a “strange construct”, but uncritically presents an expert who says that the Chinese coronavirus strain has been artificially created, and that US intelligence agencies or American pharmaceutical companies are behind it.
The report also rehashes old, false claims by Kremlin media and officials that the US ran a laboratory in Georgia where it tested a biological weapon on humans.
The Channel One correspondent then quotes online conspiracy theories that the novel coronavirus strain affects only Asians and could be some kind of “ethnic bioweapon”.
He concedes that there is clear evidence refuting this, but adds suggestively: “Even experts who are cautious in their assessments say that nothing can be ruled out.”
Coronavirus conspiracy theories have also featured heavily on Channel One’s main political talk show, Vremya Pokazhet (Time Will Tell), only more openly than on news programmes.
The gist is to suggest that various Western actors – pharmaceutical companies, the US or its agencies – are somehow involved in helping to create or spread the virus, or at least in spreading panic about it.
The aim is variously said to be – in the case of “Big Pharma” – to profit from creating a vaccine against the coronavirus or, in the case of the US, to hit the Chinese economy in order to weaken a geopolitical competitor.
Blood checks for officials
Away from the TV screens, the coronavirus outbreak appears to be causing serious concern among Russian officials.
Rail and air traffic to China have been curtailed, and Russians evacuated from China have been quarantined for two weeks in a Siberian sanatorium.
A church in Moscow has even held a service to pray for salvation from the coronavirus.
Fear or the virus appears to reach all the way to the top.
Russian daily Vedomosti reports that Kremlin has introduced temperature checks for those attending events with President Vladimir Putin, in what spokesman Dmitry Peskov has called a “precautionary measure”.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.
Arrest made in false fire alarm
A Guelph male has been charged in relation to a false fire alarm activation at Guelph General Hospital earlier this year.
Early on January 27, the male had a verbal dispute with hospital security and ran through the hospital, pulling a fire alarm and smashing a window. On Tuesday he turned himself in to Guelph Police.
An 18-year-old Guelph male is charged with making a false alarm of fire and mischief under $5,000. He will appear in a Guelph court October 4, 2022.
Male held after missing court
A Guelph male who missed a court date on charges including carrying a weapon for a dangerous purpose was rearrested Tuesday.
Guelph Police Service officers were on patrol downtown just before 11 a.m. when they spotted a male known to be wanted. The male tried to flee as officers approached but was arrested a short distance away. A search incident to arrest revealed a driver’s licence which had been reported stolen in 2018.
A 50-year-old Guelph male is further charged with failing to attend court and possessing stolen property. He will appear in a Guelph bail court Thursday.
Driver suspended after traffic stop
A Guelph male was taken off the road for three days following a traffic stop Tuesday night.
Just after 10 p.m., a member of the Guelph Police Service stopped a vehicle in the area of Willow Road and Dawson Road. The driver was asked to provide a breath sample into a roadside screening device and registered an Alert, indicating a blood-alcohol level between 50 and 100 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrams.
A 30-year-old Guelph male faces several Highway Traffic Act charges and had his licence suspended for three days.
Total calls for service in the last 24 hours – 211
Subscribe to News
A new study published in the academic journal Current Opinion in Psychology offers a path forward for parents who are searching for better ways to navigate the nascent world of adolescent social media use.
The authors argue that it is possible for parents to put guardrails in place that reduce pre-teen and adolescent anxiety and depression resulting from social media overconsumption, as well as minimize the negative effects of cyberbullying.
Here is an overview of their recommendations.
Recommendation #1: Familiarize yourself with the different styles of social media parenting
It should come as no surprise that parents vary widely in the way they manage their children’s social media use. According to the authors, there are four general approaches parents take when monitoring their teenagers’ social media use. They are:
- Autonomy-supportive. This approach provides a developmentally appropriate rationale for social media rules and takes adolescents’ perspectives seriously.
- Autonomy-restrictive. This approach provides rules in a strict and harsh way, without much respect for adolescents’ perspectives.
- Inconsistent. This strategy, or lack thereof, occurs when parents randomly vary in their restrictions, regulations, or discussions of social media.
- Permissive. This approach avoids guidance and discussion and provides limited restrictions or rules.
There are other styles as well. Some parents practice ‘social media surveillance,’ in which they keep tabs on adolescents’ media use — for example, by using tracking software, holding adolescents’ social media passwords, or checking adolescents’ social media profiles. Researchers break social media surveillance down into two sub-categories: ‘authoritarian surveillance’ (e.g., accessing adolescents’ social media accounts and passwords) and ‘nonintrusive inspection’ (e.g., browsing their profiles).
There are also cases of ‘co-use,’ where parents and children use social media together.
Before attempting to refine your social media parenting style, it is important to reflect upon your current social media stance and how it may be perceived by your child or children. Are you autonomy-supportive or autonomy-restrictive? Are your rules inconsistent or permissive? Do you co-use social media with your child? Do you practice some form of social media surveillance?
Recommendation #2: A stricter approach may be a better approach
While there is no ‘right answer’ to the question of how to parent in the age of social media, a preponderance of the data suggests that more active approaches lead to better outcomes than passive approaches.
The authors state, “Overall, studies find that adolescents report less problematic use when parents use more parental monitoring, restrictive or active mediation, or strict internet and smartphone rules.”
There is also evidence to suggest that adolescents spend less time using social media when parents implement an autonomy-supportive approach. Other evidence reveals that teens exhibit more anxiety and depressive symptoms when parents use a more autonomy-restrictive style to restrict adolescents’ social media use and fewer symptoms when parents implement an autonomy-supportive style.
In other words, there is something to be said for creating a family environment in which social media dialogue between kids and parents is a supportive, two-way street — but while maintaining strict rules to limit overconsumption and problematic social media activity.
Of course, there are counterarguments to this line of thinking. One study published in Frontiers in Psychology, for instance, found that a more restrictive stance on social media access was associated with a heightened risk of social media addiction. What this should illuminate is that while some approaches on average work better than others, individual circumstances should be taken into account when developing your own social media monitoring strategy.
Recommendation #3: Stay informed. As social media evolves, so will the guidance.
Many big questions have yet to be answered. For example, it is still unclear whether the type of social media your child is using (be it online, on a smartphone, for gaming, etc.) influences how you, as a parent, should manage it. It’s also unclear how quickly the negative effects of social media overconsumption on a child’s well-being can be undone. Can parents expect a rapid turnaround in a child’s behavior after shifting course, or do the negative effects linger for some time?
More research is needed to address these important questions.
Media
Media Advisory: Premier Furey to Announce Additional Measure to Address Recruitment and Retention of Physicians – News Releases – Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Honourable Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, will announce an additional measure to address recruitment and retention of physicians today (Tuesday, August 16) at 2:15 p.m.
He will be joined by the Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Health and Community Services, Dr. Sohaib Al-Asaaed, Post Graduate Medical Education Associate Dean, and Dr. Mikaela Murphy, a second-year family medicine resident.
The availability will take place in Room M5M101, Faculty of Medicine, St. John’s Campus, Memorial University.
The availability will be streamed live on Facebook.
– 30 –
Media contacts
Meghan McCabe
Office of the Premier
709-729-3960
meghanmccabe@gov.nl.ca
Laura Thomas
Health and Community Services
709-729-6986, 727-0341
laurathomas@gov.nl.ca
9:10 am
Canadian pension giant writes off $150mn Celsius investment – Financial Times
Real estate: Homes in Canada's most affordable markets – CTV News
French speakers declines nearly everywhere in Canada: census – CTV News
Silver investment demand jumped 12% in 2019
Europe kicks off vaccination programs | All media content | DW | 27.12.2020 – Deutsche Welle
Global Media Markets, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F – TV and Radio Broadcasting, Film and Music, Information Services, Web Content, Search Portals And Social Media, Print Media, & Cable – GlobeNewswire
-
News21 hours agoAgeism: Does it Exist or Is It a Form of ‘I’m a Victim!’ Mentality? [ Part 3 ]
-
Sports23 hours ago
Schneider: 'Everything is on the table' for struggling Kikuchi – TSN
-
News24 hours ago
Canada eyes cash for critical minerals in Biden's big new climate bill – CBC News
-
Sports11 hours ago
Between court ruling and new world rankings, LIV golfers facing long road back to PGA Tour – Sportsnet.ca
-
Sports12 hours ago
In an ‘urgent’ situation, Blue Jays come up short yet again – Sportsnet.ca
-
Economy6 hours ago
Euro-Zone Economy Grew Less Than Estimated in Second Quarter – BNN Bloomberg
-
Politics17 hours ago
Timeline: Liz Cheney's political career, from Republican scion to champion of democracy – CNN
-
News8 hours ago
Nova Scotia Has Launched an Online Casino after Years of Trying
