If you read the a recent edition of The New York Times you’d find an article nestled away in the Technology section about Joe Rogan.

If you’re a millennial, you’re aware of exactly who Joe Rogan is and the ignorant vitriol he routinely spews on his podcast.

If you are my Hispanic parents born in the late 60’s, you have absolutely no idea who Joe Rogan is or why artists like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young have pulled their entire catalogs off Spotify in protest of him and the COVID-19 misinformation Spotify allows him to broadcast to his millions of listeners each week.

However, it’s not just Neil Young and Joni Mitchell who are up in arms about the music streaming company continuing to employ Mr. Rogan, many online petitions have started to emerge asking for the removal of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience.”

As COVID numbers were rising during year three of this global pandemic, Spotify subscribers could not understand why the company is choosing to keep Joe Rogan employed, especially since we have seen before how access to such a huge platform can often do more harm than good.

As noted in the article written by New York Times columnist Kevin Roose, for the past decade or so we have been dealing with celebrities or influencers using social media platforms to spread misinformation or hate.
Spotify and their current Joe Rogan problem are not the only platform to have gone through this experience.

After years of being allowed to spread hate and promote racism and division, Twitter finally pulled the plug and deleted Donald Trump’s account after the Jan. 6, insurrection of 2021.

Although believed to be the right move, many believe it was a bit too late.

Whether you know Joe Rogan or not, whether you agree with the misinformation he broadcasts weekly to his listeners, the real debate or newsworthy story here is how much accountability internet media platforms hold their stars too.

Yes, Spotify is Mr. Rogan’s employer and while I do agree that he shouldn’t have access to the platform to continue to spread lies about COVID-19,

I wonder how I would feel if my employer suddenly tried to have a say on my thoughts and opinions.

This article is both timely and significant because we have borne witness to the damage that can be done when misinformation is spread across social media platforms.

The more the internet and social media grow for good, we are also inviting an array of ignorance from people wanting to pass off their opinion as scientifical fact.

One also must ask themselves if by firing Joe Rogan are we now censoring him, and by extension are we censoring the media?

James W. Kershner opens up the first chapter of ‘The Elements of News Writing’ with a quote from William Randolph Hearst, “News is anything that makes a reader say ‘Gee Whiz.’

I haven’t heard or used that phrase in years, but I can imagine that if William Randolph Hearst were alive now, and he were listening to the asinine podcasts Joe Rogan records on a daily and that Spotify allows him to publish to the masses, his “Gee Whiz” would roughly translate to “What the f%$#!”

In late February, former U.S. President Donald Trump had nothing but praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia was preparing to invade and declare war on its neighbor state Ukraine, as NATO scrambled to formulate a defense of Ukraine.

At a fundraiser in Florida Feb. 23, the former president had all compliments for the Russian dictator, stating that Putin was “very smart” adding that, “he has taken over a country for $2 worth of sanctions,” according to Yahoo News. He added “taking over a country – really a vast, vast location, a great piece of land a with a lot of people – just walking right in” as if it were simply one of Trump’s real estate deals.

Trump has stated that “the real problem is not that Putin is smart, the real problem is that out leaders are dumb” according to Yahoo News.

Trump has long expressed his admiration for Putin. In February Trump described Putin’s war strategy as “wonderful” and “genius,” according to news reports.

Historians were appalled at unprecedented remarks of a former U.S. president praising Putin.

Maureen Perry, of Bradford, a NECC alumni, was not surprised by Trump’s remarks and believes that Trump has been undermining Ukraine ever since he won the presidency in 2016.

“Once Trump was in office, he did everything he could to undermine NATO,” Perry continued. “Putin thought he could get away with whatever he wanted to because, he did not think Ukraine was strong enough, and NATO was not united enough.

“Surprise, much like Trump, Putin has let his ego get in the way,” she added.

After Russia has officially invaded Ukraine from land, air, and sea Trump has changed his tune on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine calling it an “atrocity.”

Trump blamed current U.S. President Joe Biden and the “not so smart” North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations.

Trump went on to say “the attack on Ukraine is appalling, an outrage and atrocity that never should have been allowed to occur. We are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all,” according to CNN.

Trump was not the only right-wing influencer who has had warm feelings for Putin.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson has also been pro-Putin. Carlson said on his show recently “it’s not ‘un-American’ to support Putin” adding that “Democrats will find you guilty of treason if you don’t hate Putin,” according to Vanity Fair.

Carlson was looking at the Russian invasion of Ukraine as just a “border dispute” and that Ukraine “is not a democracy,” according to Vanity Fair. One of the more absurd things that Carlson had said is that “unless Vladimir Putin has personally had you or a member of your family murdered, you really don’t have a right to criticize the guy” according to The New York Times.
Feb. 23, just hours before Putin ordered the attack on Ukraine to begin, two excerpts from Carlson’s most recent programs were featured on Russian state television during their 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. news broadcasts, according to The Intercept.

Carlson’s comments had been welcomed in Moscow. Carlson’s words had been used as a literal tool for Russian propaganda, according to Yahoo News.

On Feb. 24, like Trump, Carlson back peddled his statements regarding his fondness for Putin as he said he came to the realization that this is a “big deal” after war broke out and that Russia’s activities were wrong after the shelling of a kindergarten, according to Vanity Fair.

Carlson’s change of heart noted “It’s a tragedy because war is always a tragedy and the closer you get to it, the more horrifying it seems,” he told his viewers. Russian president “Vladimir Putin started this war, so whatever context of the decision that he made, he did it. He fired the first shot. He is to blame for what we are seeing in Ukraine right now,” Carlson stated on his show.

Former Secretary of State and CIA chief under the Trump administration, Mike Pompeo appeared to fall in line with the former president and Carlson at first saying that Putin was “an elegant, sophisticated counterpart” and that Putin was “very shrewd,” according to the Seattle Times. As the Russians were moving their tanks into Ukraine, and civilian casualties were rising, P

Pompeo changed his views on Putin and called him “evil” and that he “should be crushed” he told the Des Moines Register on a visit to Iowa last Wednesday.

Some conservative congressional leaders on Feb. 24 also repudiated the Putin friendly views that the former president had before he condemned Putin.

Senate Minority Leader from Kentucky, Mitch McConnell denounced Putin at length and was urging President Joe Biden’s administration to provide more aid to the Ukraine to help the Ukrainians fight back against Russia’s invasion, according to news reports.

Some of those who will fight for their country are civilians with no military training but are willing to put their lives on the line for the love of their country. When McConnell was asked at a news conference in Louisville about how he felt about the former president’s original response to Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, the senator responded with silence, according to The New York Times.

The last year of the last century I was committed to changing my life significantly. I wanted to stop working in a factory full of ink, inhaling thinner, and other toxic products which were affecting my stomach. I was tired of carrying the smell of “fresh paint” everywhere, even after I showered. It seemed I could be tracked just by my toxic aroma.

Oh! But please don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for my six years working in the silk-screen and merchandising business. It was my entry to the workforce at 16 years old. I had so much fun making new friends, and I started to buy my own things and help my parents. A few years later I started to study at night and save money. I knew in my heart I was going to find my way to the corporate world. I wanted to change my chunky worker boots for fine stilettos, get rid of my stinky and super toxic apron for fancy blouses and skirts, and most of all, my wish was to learn other cultures, speak several languages and travel around the world.

After I passed basic English in the academy, I quit my job and I went for Sabre and Amadeus intensive classes. Both were the most common booking systems for flights, hotels, and cruises. The internet was the new thing and only the biggest companies could afford it. Travel agencies were in transition to making reservations in-house without having to call the airlines to book a flight, which allowed them to own the entire transaction. And there I was, ready to jump into the tourism field.

After several rejections, I got hired. It was my dream job! It didn’t matter that I had one and a half hour commute. I used to read on the bus anyway. The office was in the main avenue of the most “SoHo” and hipster district of Lima, surrounded by art museums and high-end restaurants. Then of course, I was finally wearing proper attire including a parfum. During my first week in my new position, I had a client who wanted an international flight, so I offered the lowest flight ticket I found. She was happy. She was one of the top customers of the company as she used to travel very often. She was a renowned photographer but seemed very down to earth. I was so delighted listening to all her stories about her last trip to India and Morocco that I forgot to close her reservation. By the way, completing a flight transaction would be like learning coding today.
“ET.” I just missed two letters! ET means end of transaction. But when I realized it, it was too late. There was no seat in economy class which she had already paid for. Instead of informing my supervisor, I began checking the flight constantly, praying for someone to cancel the desired seat so I could have it back. After eight hours of intensive searching, it didn’t happen.

I had no choice but to talk to my manager and explain what happened.

It was dusk, the sky rapidly turned dark like my thoughts. Was I good enough for this job? I just got hired but I was so close to being unemployed in less than a week. Maybe tourism was too hard for my abilities? I was so disappointed in myself.

The manager called the client. Apologetic and embarrassed, he offered her a ticket to travel one day earlier, and we (he meant me) would pay for the extra night in the hotel. The client explained she needed to connect with her crew in the stopover, so she refused. He offered another airline. She refused as she didn’t want to miss a mile of her frequent flier account. Finally, he said:

“There is availability in business class. Would you mind the upgrade?” Of course, she accepted.

There was a pregnant pause while he finished the call and the booking until he broke the silence (after pressing ET of course).

He said to me, “The price difference is twice your monthly salary, you better pay in installments. Next time you make a mistake, don’t keep quiet, say something.”

And definitely, I learned the lesson! Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Editor’s Note: Daniela Valdivia-Terres recently submitted this essay to the Observer. She wrote this for an English Composition 101 class. Valdivia-Terres was born and raised in El Callao, Perú. She moved to the U.S. in 2015 and lives in North Chelmsford. “At 44 years old, I am a mom of a toddler, I decided to start my pathway to college as after owning two travel agencies, one in my country and another one here in MA, and starting a digital marketing agency during Pandemic time, I got to a point where I need further education beyond short courses and self-taught education,” she wrote.
Valdivia-Terres says her goal is to eventually transfer to a four-year university to pursue the career of neuromarketing or business. “I still haven’t decided where and when. But when I get it, I will be the first grad in my family. I just hope to graduate before my daughter. Looking forward to achieving it!” she wrote.