{"id":38749,"date":"2018-12-27T06:00:31","date_gmt":"2018-12-27T11:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=38749"},"modified":"2018-12-25T22:49:33","modified_gmt":"2018-12-26T03:49:33","slug":"the-different-top-news-of-2018-lists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2018\/12\/the-different-top-news-of-2018-lists\/","title":{"rendered":"The Different Top News of 2018 Lists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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This is the time of year for retrospectives, for journalists to look back on the top stories of the year.\u00a0 What strikes me is how different the lists are.\u00a0 And what they reveal about those who make them.<\/p>\n

Consider the Associated Press list.\u00a0 The AP is the leading American news agency, providing stories syndicated to virtually all of the country\u2019s newspapers, television networks, radio stations, and online news sources.\u00a0 So the AP list, which is voted on by the nation\u2019s editors and news directors, is probably most representative of the mainline press.\u00a0 (Click the link for details about each story.)<\/p>\n

Associated Press Top Stories of 2018:<\/a><\/p>\n

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1. The Parkland school shooting<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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2. The Trump-Russia probe<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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3. The #MeToo movement<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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4. Mass shootings<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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5. U.S. midterm elections<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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6. Immigration<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u00a07. Brett Kavanaugh\u2019s Supreme Court nomination<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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8. California wildfires<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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9. Climate change<\/p>\n

10. Murder of journalist Jamaal Khashoggi<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Two separate stories in the top 10 about shootings?\u00a0 Parkland seems to be #1, in part, because it provoked the big march against guns.\u00a0 And is climate change a specific news event, or a general trend?\u00a0 Or a cause to acknowledge?\u00a0 Do you see any agendas here?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Now let\u2019s look at a list from Fox News, the leading conservative news source.\u00a0 This focuses on \u201cpolitical moments,\u201d but I think it is comparable, even though it lists only 7 top stories instead of 10.\u00a0 Unlike the AP list, these do not appear to be in any particular order.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

7 political moments that defined 2018 [Fox News]:<\/a><\/p>\n

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  1. Kavanaugh\u2019s 2nd Supreme Court hearing<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    2.\u00a0 Showdown in Singapore\u00a0 [President Trump\u2019s summit with North Korea\u2019s Kim Jong Un]<\/p>\n

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    3.\u00a0 Democrats\u2019 House takeover<\/p>\n

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    4.\u00a0 Farewell 41\u00a0 [The death of former president George Bush.]<\/p>\n

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    5.\u00a0 The other Kim summit\u00a0 [Kardashian!]<\/p>\n

    6.\u00a0 Ocasio-Cortez bursts onto the scene<\/p>\n

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    7.\u00a0 Paul Manafort behind bars<\/p>\n

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    The only stories the AP and the Fox lists have in common are the Kavanaugh hearing and the midterm election.\u00a0 The AP cites the Mueller investigation of President Trump, but Fox focuses on a specific individual whom the investigation sent to prison.\u00a0 The Fox list shows an international awareness, plus the emergence of a political star on the left.\u00a0 But in the midst of these serious stories is something completely trivial.\u00a0 Who cares that President Trump had a meeting with Kim Kardashian and her husband Kanye West?\u00a0 How is that a top story?<\/p>\n

    Here is the top list from Insider News,<\/em> an online magazine associated with Business Insider<\/em>.\u00a0 This \u201cnew media\u201d source is much more international, including tech news.<\/p>\n

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    10 news stories that gripped the world in 2018 [Insider News]:<\/a><\/p>\n

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    1.Twelve boys and their soccer coach got stranded in a cave in Thailand, and the world rallied to their rescue.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/section>\n

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    2. Facebook\u2019s Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed that more than 50 million people\u2019s personal information was compromised for \u201cresearch.\u201d<\/p>\n

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    3.\u00a0 Kim Jong Un announced that North Korea will denuclearize.<\/p>\n

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    4.\u00a0 The net neutrality debate came to a head, and the FCC\u2019s rules were repealed, putting the control back in the internet\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

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    5.\u00a0 The world was engrossed by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford\u2019s testimony in the Brett Kavanaugh hearings.<\/p>\n

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    6.\u00a0 Puerto Rico was left without electricity for 11 months, and the world came together to help.<\/p>\n

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    7.\u00a0 The Castro family\u2019s more than 50-year reign over Cuba came to an end with the election of Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel.<\/p>\n

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    8.\u00a0 This year, Iraqi voters held their first election since driving out the Islamic State.<\/p>\n

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    9. Bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies) experienced a fall from grace.<\/p>\n

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    10.\u00a0 A royal wedding took place, and the entire world was transfixed as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said \u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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    The only story to make all three lists is the Kavanaugh hearing.\u00a0 This also agrees with Fox in mentioning the Kim meeting.\u00a0 I had completely missed the story that a Castro no longer rules Cuba, so I\u2019m glad to learn about that.<\/p>\n

    And speaking of tech, let\u2019s look at Facebook\u2019s year in review.\u00a0 Facebook is not a journalistic enterprise, of course, though it is said to be the source of news for a significant number of Americans.\u00a0 This list is based on traffic\u2013that is, the amount of conversation on the subject posted on Facebook\u2013so it represents the interests of its global online \u201ccommunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

    Facebook\u2019s 2018 Year in Review<\/a>:<\/p>\n