A textual analysis examined US media framing of National Basketball Association (NBA) player Jason Collins' coming out as the first 'active' gay athlete in one of the four most popular US professional men's team sport leagues. We analyzed all articles on Collins published over a four-day period in the five most circulated US newspapers and five most trafficked USA-based sport websites after he came out publicly, and then analyzed those same publications over a three-day period following his signing with and playing for the Brooklyn Nets as an openly gay player. Journalists framed Collins' self-outing as a landmark for US sport, noting that both sport and the USA are now far more accepting of sexual minorities. The few media members and athletes who criticized Collins or homosexuality were framed as antiquated outliers. Sports journalists continued to frame Collins as a hero after he signed with the Brooklyn Nets. Upon his return to the NBA nearly 10 months after coming out, prominent African-American basketball players and Collins' teammates with Brooklyn were quoted as equating homophobia with racism in offering their support for Collins. Overall, media framed sport as an inclusive, accepting institution for gays, countering most previous research on homosexuality in sport media.

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The release of Loretta Lynn"s 2004 album Van Leer Rose welcomed back after 33 years one of the premier feminist voices in recorded music. The songs that Loretta wrote in 60s and early 70s were some of the most controversial and politically charged to hit the airwaves. They encompassed a microcosm of issues that rural women were facing including the changing sexual roles of women, ideas on marriage, the ravages of war and substance abuse. This textual analysis looks at the 94 songs that Loretta wrote and co-wrote between the years 1960 to 1972 (the year which she stopped writing), as well as the music of Van Leer Rose. By looking at Lynn"s writing, we begin to understand the viewpoints of this trailblazing artist and how she reflected her life and the social times in her music. It is a testament to her that these works remain as timely and as politically charged today as they did 40 years ago.

It is no secret that today's media environment is in flux. A once revered institution known for its public trust is going through a crisis of faith. With phrases like "fake news" and "Lamestream media," signaling a growing public mistrust of the profession, it is important to ask, who is to blame? Is it the overzealous journalists looking for the story that will bring in the viewership or ratings, or is it people who have gone out of their way to infiltrate the media with false stories thereby tearing down the media's credibility. Andrea Marini's the Art of the Prank (2015) is a fascinating documentary that gives insight into the mind and machinations of the world's greatest media prankster, Joey Skaggs. Called the godfather of the media hoax, Skaggs has managed to dupe mainstream media time and time again with his chicanery. Whether it is as a preacher (Father Joseph) giving absolution to politicians during the 1985 Convention or as the owner of a brothel for dogs, Skaggs fooled some of the greatest journalists and reporters with his eclectic brand of political theater. Marini has a ball with the carnival atmosphere, complete with circus music, as we watch the likes of Mary Hart, Geraldo Rivera, Merv Griffin, half the anchors of CNN, and, yes, even Oprah herself succumb to this charming man's folly. Marini makes the creative choice of foregoing a narrator, allowing Skaggs to tell his own story, giving audiences a glimpse into his past through his own eyes. The story is an interesting one as we watch him grow as a young artist in New York to Viet Nam protester during the late 1960s-using his art to garner media attention. It was during this time Skaggs realized the extent that the media shapes public opinion and as he put it, "skews a story to fit their own agendas." Thus began Skaggs's career in manipulating and exploiting the media, not only to further his artistic endeavors but also to use it to showcase its vulnerability and ego. Dog brothels, sperm of the stars, using cockroaches to cure disease, Skaggs stopped at nothing to pedal his fake stories to the media. And the media bought it. One of the joys of this documentary is watching old footage of media personalities like David Hartman take semi-seriously Skaggs's "company" to provide lock and chains and even real bodyguards to ensure dieters do not raid their own refrigerators. The second half of the documentary slows down considerably as Marini focuses on Skaggs's latest prank, producing a fake documentary called Pandora's Hope. Taking 786372J MCXXX10.