The Fake News Issue (VOL. 47 ISSUE 1)

VOL 46 ISSUE 8 MAY 2, 2017

The Dawson Issue

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VOLUME 47 ISSUE 1 - TUESDAY, SEPT. 12, 2017

letter from the editor

Go on any news outlet’s website, scroll down your social media feed, tune into the radio, turn on your T.V. (kudos if you still watch T.V.), or pick up any newspaper (bonus points if you actually do so regularly - unless it's the Metro or 24h) and chances you see or hear about Fake News are probably as high you are on 4/20. As high the price for Cal Textbook. And this is no hyperbole (well it kinda is, but that's besides the point); you will find fake news everywhere: whether it's a certain president (cough cough!) using the term - quite ironically - to shield himself from media scrutiny, or your uncle sharing the latest Now8News post about a 4,500 pound crocodile roaming the streets of Houston, or even the DSU assuring you that agendas "will be available next week" (just kidding, but thank god they are actually available now #notfakenews), there is no escaping it.

Everyone from your grandmother to your distant little nephew has an idea of what fake news is as the term is pretty self explanatory. However, not everyone understands how serious of a problem it is, or how much influence it has on individuals and society as a whole. We've gone past the memes and the jokes, and have reached a point where now, it's a question of trust and GaryJoseph Panganiban even safety. It is making rethink what we are told, what is shown to us and what we know.

Staff

Editor in Chief

Maud Belair

Managing Editor

Christina Papageorgakopoulos

Copy Editor

Yael Ezezer

Coordinating Editor

Sheena Macmillan

News Editor

So with this first issue of our 47th volume, we at The Plant hope that you take the time to think about the information you take in everyday and ask yourself "what the f- am I reading."

Good luck with the new year dawsonites!

Cheers, Gary Editor-in-Chief

Kayla Fragman

Arts & Culture Editor

Julia Clarke & Jordan Tsering

Voices Editors

Sofia Mucci

Science Editor

Nicholas Parrott

index

Sports Editor

Giulia Caruana

Visual Arts Editor

Kaia Etezadi

Cover Artist

Valeria Lau & Nicholas Sourias

Chief Photographers

Charles Garand Social Coordinator

Nicholas T. Sourias

Contributors

Marco Ferrante Tatiana Latreille Chris Tardy Sara Yacoub

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The Plant is an editorially autonomous student paper. All opinions expressed in The Plant do not necessarily belong to The Plant, but are those of individuals. All content submitted to The Plant or its staff belongs to the paper.

We reserve the right to reject or edit all submissions for brevity, taste and legality. The Plant welcomes typed and signed letters to the editor under 400 words.

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Section Editor: Sheena MacMillan news@theplantnewspaper.com

Stay Woke

Sheena MacMillan News Editor

One of the most ridiculous bits of fake news is the concept that the Earth is flat.

The Greek civilization had decided in 350 BC that the Earth is round, because Aristotle looked at the constellations and noted which ones you could and couldn’t see depending on how close you were to the equator. He had proven that the Earth was a sphere, and countless scientists have continued to proved him right.

Fake news has such an impact on how people think, that those who believe the Earth is flat (more commonly known as ‘Flat Earthers’) have renounced what they have known to be fact all their lives because of some flashy headlines and convincing premises. The Earth is round, and that is not up for debate.

Someone who did take an interest in debate while in school, however, is our current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. You often hear about how he went from being a drama teacher to the leader of our country, but that simply is not true. Trudeau has a bachelor of arts degree in literature from McGill University, and a bachelor of education degree from the University of British Columbia. He then became a French and math teacher at West Point Grey Academy (a private school in Vancouver).

Yes, he was a teacher before he was a politician, but by no means does that remove from his ability to be our Prime Minister. Not many people had taken the time to do the research for themselves, and took what they saw as fact, without thinking critically. Trudeau holds two degrees from two very prestigious schools, and his experience

Gossip is just like fake news - it spreads like wildfire and no one takes the time to check if what they have heard is true. The epidemic of fake news has grown so rapidly because people take things for face-value and don’t question what they read. This leads to fallacies being more popular than the actual truth.

Fake news can so easily be passed off as the real deal, but there are some subjects that you simply can’t lie about. When you hear the term “fake news” the first thing that comes to mind is Trump, but we’ll save him for later. Right now we’ll discuss climate change. In the United States, “there continues to be tensions surrounding climate change, with the Trump administration expressing doubts about its validity and seeking cuts in climate research programs.” (CNN) There is no way to deny the reality of global warming. It’s the root of all of the natural disasters affecting us now, most recently the floods that hit Pierrefonds in May. Hurricane Harvey has just hit Houston, Texas, and another storm is already on the way; there has been mass flooding in South Asia, specifically in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, affecting 16 million children (UNICEF). These floods and tropical storms have been brought on by large amounts of rain and the rising sea levels.

You can’t deny global warming when it’s body count keeps growing.

Nicholas Sourias, 2017

as a high school teacher means he can handle loose canons and immature characters.

On the subject of immature characters, President Donald Trump is equivalent to the almighty king of fake news. One can’t even begin to summarize all of the bold faced lies Trump has told. The New York Times has an on going article that is currently almost 4000 words long containing all of the things he has said that simply are not true. Including, “JULY 19 ‘Um, the Russian investigation — it’s not an investigation, it’s not on me — you know, they’re looking at a lot of things.’ (It is.)” (The New York Times) In times like these when no media outlet can be trusted, it is important to know how to rationalize if an argument is fake or not.

Any Dawson student who has attended a 101 Humanities class should already have a vague knowledge on what an argument is. For those who can’t recall, an argument is a set of premises leading to a conclusion.

An argument must always be logical and factual.

First, you must identify your conclusion.

Second, you must identify your premise(s).

Third, you must check the acceptability of the premise(s). Finally, you must check the logical strength of the argument. If you can’t get through all of those steps, then that means the argument you have encountered is fake news!

Everything You Need To Know About The DACA Repeal Christina Papageorgakopoulos Copy Editor On Tuesday September 5th, 2017, The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, which was created by the Obama administration, was rescinded by Trump.

On June 15th 2012, the 30 year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to bar public schools from demanding tuition from immigrants (Plyler v. Doe), Barack Obama created DACA. In essence, the policy allows illegal immigrants who are at least 16 and have lived in the United States since June 15th, 2007 to acquire a renewable work permit. The recipients of the permit are widely known as “Dreamers”, and are protected from deportation despite their illegal status.

Although it may seem like DACA is a handout, that is far from the truth. The policy offers recipients the chance to work legally without fear of persecution, the ability to apply to institutions of higher education, and obtain state identification cards . Recipients are not legally allowed

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to apply for welfare, public scholarships, or healthcare. Close to 800,000 young adults are currently protected under DACA. Viral Facebook posts such as that of Belen Sisa show that DACA recipients even pay taxes. CNN reported that the posts begins with, "MYTH BUSTER: I, an undocumented immigrant, just filed my taxes and PAID $300 to the state of Arizona. I cannot receive financial aid from the state or federal government for school, I cannot benefit from unemployment, a reduced healthcare plan, or a retirement fund.” (CNN).

Despite Trump’s explanation that, "DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me, I will tell you. To me, it's one of the most difficult subjects I have because you have these incredible kids,” (CNN) he has still chosen to stay true to his campaign promises of cracking down on illegal immigration.

Fortunately, current DACA recipients can still apply for new permits, and will not be deported immediately. The Trump administration is trying to phase out the program with “minimum disruption”.

However, the looming question on ev-

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eryone’s mind is: Why now?

At the beginning of the summer, CNN reported that “10 state attorneys general wrote to the President asking him to end DACA and giving him a September 5 ultimatum” (Shoichet, Cullinane and Kopan).

Talks of stricter immigration laws have been on the table for a while now, it just seems like we have reached the end of the line.

Many of the world's top companies have spoken out to try and stop the repeal, including an open letter to the President signed by Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, among others. The letter explains that, “More than 97 percent are in school or in the workforce, 5 percent started their own business, 65 percent have purchased a vehicle, and 16 percent have purchased their first home” and “Unless we act now to preserve the DACA program, all 780,000 hardworking young people will lose their ability to work legally in this country, and every one of them will be at immediate risk of deportation” (FWD.US).

Mark Zuckerberg also posted a Face-

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book status stating that, “they [Dreamers] understand all the opportunities they have and want nothing more than the chance to serve their country and their community” The damage that the deportation of 800,000 bright young adults could bring to the United States is catastrophic. “Our economy would lose $460.3 billion from the national GDP and $24.6 billion in Social Security and Medicare tax contributions,” (FWD.US) suggests the letter penned by the “Leaders of American Industry on DACA”.

In a hasty tweet written by Trump on September 5th, 2017, he says, “Congress, get ready to do your job - DACA!” (realDonaldTrump). Hours later, he followed up by explaining, “Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do).

If they can't, I will revisit this issue!” (realDonaldTrump).

In a short six months, 800,000 young men and women will officially know if they will be asked to leave the only home they have ever known.

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Section Editor: Julia Clarke & Jordan Tsering voices@theplantnewspaper.com

Dunkirk: Both a Lesson and Reminder for Canadian History Christina Papageorgakopoulos Copy Editor Quebec students study Canadian history for years throughout primary and secondary school, yet no one has ever heard of James Campbell Clouston.

Christopher Nolan’s latest film, Dunkirk (2017), has recently passed the 400 million (USD) mark. Critics are calling it one of the greatest films of year, if not one of the best war epics in recent memory. While many lined up for the sheer action of the film, many also remember it as Harry Styles’ acting debut as well. Essentially, the film recounts the Battle of Dunkirk during the Second World War, where nearly 200,000 men of the Allied forces were evacuated from the beach in Dunkirk, France.

While many people are unfamiliar with the heroic evacuation that occurred between the 26th of May and the 4th of June, 1940, an even smaller amount know of J. Campbell Clouston. The Montreal native, McGill graduate, and Commander in the Royal Navy served as the pier-master at Dunkirk. The pier-master’s job was to keep order to the some 200,000 men who were attempting to leave the beach through what was known as The Mole, the large and elevated pier where ships would dock to transport as many men as possible.

For five consecutive days and nights,

James Campbell Clouston helped nearly 200,000 men off the shores of Dunkirk and back to the safety of the English Channel while German troops were tightening the noose around the beach. Before

beach was evacuated.

This remarkable Canadian accomplishment has gone virtually unrecognized up until Nolan’s film was released. Commander Bolton, the character who serves

Clouston arrived at The Mole, 50 men per hour were being evacuated. He raised this number to 2000 before leaving for Dover to confer with his peers in the navy. Clouston died on his way back to Dunkirk when the Germans sunk his ship. It is important to understand that one of the reasons why Cdr. Clouston was lost in history is probably because of his death shortly after the

as the pier-master in Dunkirk, is made to sound distinctly British by Kenneth Branagh, which did not sit well with Dane Clouston, Cdr. Clouston’s son. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Dane explained that, “My Canadian father was the one and only piermaster. [Cdr. Clouston] was hardly a composite character.

And the way Commander Bolton was

left on the pier at the end of the film was thoroughly deceitful, given the way my father died.”

The issue of J. Campbell Clouston’s heroism being lost in time is both relevant to all Canadians and Canadian students.

The years spent learning about the floorplan of seigneuries, the Seven Years’ War, and the October Crisis and are arguably well-spent, but it is still remarkable that Quebec students are not exposed to the history of this particular man. A man who became a war hero without killing a single person.

While some would argue that it is not up to the big shots in the film industry to be historically correct, it still falls on the shoulders of Canadian historians, and our own government. As the future of the country, some of the responsibility falls on us to ensure that the next generations of Canadians remember the sacrifices that people like J. Campbell Clouston made.

The Fake News Industrial Complex Marco Ferrante Contributor November 8th, 2016: A day of change, and of political revolution. A change so drastic, it will likely tip the scales of power forever. What happened on November 8th shocked the world. A man defied nearly every poll and prediction. He created a movement so strong that it swept the nation and gained him the acclaimed title of President of the United States. A man determined to succeed pulled off the seemingly impossible achievement since Gandhi’s liberation of India. Donald Trump became President of the United States.

How did he pull it off? What were the keys to his success? Does he represent the future of politics? As Donald John Trump, the current President of the United States, was sworn into office, all of these questions crossed my mind. To his followers, he was inspiring, brash, and bold. He seemed to speak to them directly. He understood their grievances, their hardships, and their sorrow. He bonded with them through a level of trust, understanding, and hope which was unparalleled since the Reagan era.

He had bridged a connection between the

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people and power which had been lost to a mass of special interest groups, corporations, private investors, and bankers. The future of the nation was being put into question. The media, political elites, even Washington D.C., was set ablaze.

From the start of his campaign and throughout the campaign trail, he was attacked, demeaned, slandered, and painted as a monstrosity unfit for office. He viciously condemned the media outlets whose sole purpose seemed to use any and every tactic in an attempt to undermine his campaign and his administration. He labelled these media outlets as Fake News. The chaos of November 8th gave rise to the Fake News Industrial Complex.

From the beginning of Trump’s campaign it seemed as though the media was out to get him, his followers, and his objective: Making America Great Again. The Fake News Industrial Complex involves the publication of dishonest and unethical journalism. Throughout the 2016 election, the majority of American media outlets violated numerous ethical norms. They vehemently scrutinized the Republican nominee while heaping praise on the opposing candidate Hillary Clinton. Throughout a lengthy political campaign, controlling in-

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formation is fundamental to winning. The President’s war on fake news essentially handed him the keys to the White House due to his ability to control information amongst his supporters.

Perhaps the most important story to come out of all this is, whom is to blame and why.

Perhaps the most important storyline to come out of this is who is really to blame.

Is Donald Trump really the fascist, islamophobic, homophobic, transphobic, anti-semitic, white supremacist monstrosity some outlets paint him to be? Needless to say, he is many of those things. One cannot disregard the derogatory rhetoric Donald Trump used throughout the campaign trail. One can also not disregard the hateful supporters he has and has defended.

However, citizens from Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio were also simply fed up of supporting the same lies politicians have been promising them for years. They saw the truth in Trump, and wanted to believe in his vision of bringing back jobs to the United States.

Therefore, everyone is to blame. The Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for allowing the two worst candi-

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dates in history to squabble over the highest office in the world; both of whom have been subject to numerous investigations.

Rather than promoting their vision of reformation through innovations in health care, tax reform, education, infrastructure, and world stability, the candidates focused on demeaning and slandering each other and their temperaments. The media is at fault for providing Trump with 1.8 billion dollars worth of free advertisements, for its obvious partisanship for Hillary Clinton, and for its clear lack of journalistic integrity. It is also guilty of disregarding the people and their concerns throughout the turbulent campaign trail.

Lastly, we must blame ourselves. If the war on fake news has taught us anything it is that we must be more cautious than ever. In a time of mass political unrest, we must remember to remain informed.

Knowledge is power, and the fake news industrial complex has proved to us that the American political system is more broken and corrupt than ever. To fix their system, Americans must learn to utilize the power of knowledge if they aspire to take back their country. And for us the people to forever remain vigilant.

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Section Editor: Julia Clarke & Jordan Tsering voices@theplantnewspaper.com

VOL. 47 ISSUE 1 - SEPT 12, . 2017

Dawson Speaks: The Fake News Edition Less toxic than "Spotted" that's for sure ...

This segment of "Voices" features Dawson Students and their unfiltered answers to questions related to each issue's theme

What is "Fake News" for you?

How does "Fake News" make you feel?

"The Onion; when news is purposely fault and satire, but, it’s conveyed as being serious."

Matthew Vendetti, Cinema Communications

"I feel like I can’t trust the world. Fake News is all over the internet, and even news sources we consider trustworthy don’t always show the full story. Sometimes they angle stories differently to focus on things that would benefit their Agenda."

Emaline Gonzalez, North South

"Fake news is basically something that doesn’t have a source to back it up. Fuck Donald Trump."

Lielle Ohayon, General Social Science "I think it’s when the media doesn’t cover a story properly. So either they don’t take every angle into account, or they pick and choose what info to put into their article to make it more interesting or controversial. Publishing something out of context is something I would also consider as Fake News."

" I follow the way reddit uses the term, and what I consider fake news is when[for example], you see on the news lots of pictures of controversial activity and then how they blow it out of proportions when it’s not a big deal. THey call it fake news because it’s not that big of a deal."

Kevyn Dao, 3D Animation and CGI "It’s like I can’t always trust the news. I can’t just read the news anymore, I need to check sources and make sure what i’m reading is actually right. That makes it much harder to trust the news."

Heather Grow, Child Studies

Stecy Chery, Cinema Communications

"Fake news is news that doesn’t have any reliable sources. It lacks concrete information with facts to back it up."

"It sucks. You think you’re told something that’s true, but then you look into it and realize it’s not."

Paula Renomeron, General Social Science

Patrice Andrea, Biomedical Labarotory Technology "Fake News is something that attracts me, and that irritates me.

You’re not being provided with news that’s worth reading, the title grabs your attention and then the content is untrue. I’m tired of vague and inaccurate news."

Eva Le Melinaire-Ulloa, Professional Theatre

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sciences - arts & culture

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Section Editors: Sofia Mucci science@theplantnewspaper.com

Are Lies Bringing Us Together?

Sofia Mucci Science Editor Money, marriage, master’s degrees, morality, … Any idea where this is going? All of these important things that start with the letter “M” have one thing in common: their power on our society is entirely based on a common fiction. The argument isn’t that coins don’t actually have value, that education is useless, nor that God doesn’t exist; the point is that modern-day humans have the unique capacity to assign meaning to intangible things. Professor Yuval Noah Harari published a best-selling book in 2011 entitled “Sapiens: A Brief History of Human Kind” in which he proposes a mind-boggling theory on why Homo Sapiens outlived all the other human species and climbed to the top of the food chain solely on account of its brain.

Although humans have inhabited the Earth for millions of years, an event occurred 70 000 thousand years ago that would change the face of this planet: the Cognitive Revolution. The most widely

accepted theory on how this happened, known as the Tree of Knowledge, is that genetic mutations changed the very structure of our brain to allow it to develop a new kind of language with inexhaustible potential for communication. Harari explains in his book: “we can connect a limited number of sounds and signs to produce an infinite number of sentences, each with a distinct meaning” (Harari 22).

This precious asset facilitated exchanges of information on the environment, on relationships between individuals, and even concerning “imagined realities” (Harari 31) According to Harari, the reason the Cognitive Revolution was so important in our species’ success - or demise, which is a question of opinion – is that it allowed us to create the global community we have today. Before this biological event, humans could only cooperate in groups of 150 members or less because their trust in each other was based on personal relationships.

When Homo Sapiens started expressing their imagination, they created systems based on common belief that allowed them to cooperate with limitless numbers of in-

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dividuals. The economy would not be possible if we did not all agree on the assigned value of the dollar, professors wouldn’t get hired if their employers didn’t believe in the meaning of their diplomas, and diverse celebrations of life and death would not take place if no one believed in the existence of a spirit within the physical body.

Nevertheless, being the terrestrial species with the most complex social structure is not only good. Humanity’s feats can arguably be considered incredible mistakes depending on one’s perspective. A dramatic change that occurred following the cognitive revolution was the Agricultural revolution. As plants were eventually domesticated and agriculture developed, the land was partitioned to increase efficiency.

Once nomadic peoples who had a close relationship to nature were now spending their days labouring within small defined territories. It is plausible that this new sense of ownership of land evolved into the expansion-consumed empires that have marked history time and time again until this day. Although many of them spread culture and knowledge across continents, it caused the demise of many peoples, assimi-

The Growing Issue in Photojournalism Gary-Joseph Panganiban Editor In Chief With it’s 12th Montreal edition underway, the world renown photojournalism contest that is World Press Photo is set to attract over 50 000 visitors to the Bonsecours Market. The main hall features the International Exhibition; a series of powerful images capturing some of the biggest stories of 2016, like the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, or the ascent of the Black Lives Matter Movement in America. Although problems and issues we face today were clearly reflected in these photographs, one underlying problem was harder to distinguish from the others: the presence of fake news.

“Fake news is all over ,” said Laurens Korteweg, the Director of Exhibitions and Education at World Press Photo. “And talking about fake news within the photojournalistic industry quickly brings you to discussions on Photoshop and staging, which is happening more and more.”

According to Korteweg, in the last two years of the contest, between 15% and 20% of the remaining contestants in the last round had to be disqualified due to misuse of Photoshop or for staging. Although all photographers use the program to tone their works, some overtone their photos or even remove details in an attempt to make it look “cleaner.” These lead to their disqualification as the image is no longer considered reliable. It’s the same case for photographers who stage their photos; the general public is misled into thinking that

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these images are portraying a certain reality when they really aren’t.

This was the case for Giovanni Troilos.

Troilos is an Italian photographer who was initially awarded the first prize of World

such as Vice, The Wall Street Journal and even the UN to cover stories in war-torn countries, was not an actual person. According to an investigation conducted by the BBC, the identity of Eduardo Martins

Press Photo’s Contemporary Issues portion of the contest in 2015, but ultimately had his award stripped away from him.

His work entitled La ville noire, a series of photos depicting the Belgian city of Charleroi as symbol of the European life, was disqualified because one of his photos were snapped in Brussels rather than in Charleroi like he had indicated in his submission.

More recently, in early September of 2017, another controversy surrounding photojournalism arose; it was discovered that the supposed heroic photojournalist and Instagram sensation Eduardo Martins, who apparently worked with organizations

was forged by an unknown individual as none of the organizations he said he had worked for had any records of him working there. It was also revealed that he “had been stealing pictures taken by professional photographers who had risked their lives in conflict to get them” and that he “fooled journalists and picture editors by making slight alterations to the images.” (BBC) To counter this growing issue, World Press Photo has tightened up their expectations towards submissions in recent years.

Following the disqualification of Giovanni Troilos in 2015, they put in place their first code of ethics to bring clarity to the way

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lating, destroying, and even enslaving them.

In all cases, war and violence triumphed.

But can we really own land? How does one possess a physical space with boundaries only real in our collective imagination?

So now what? Does this mean our society is based on lies and all is an illusion?

Should we keep creating myths or debunk them? It may be too late to make that decision since it seems to be ingrained in our biology, but maybe we can be selective about which imagined realities we choose to buy into. When you spot fake news, you might think back to the cognitive theory… Why is this person lying? Do they just want to cooperate or are they trying to get something out of me? Whether they want your vote or your money, you are giving them virtual power through intangible institutions such as the national government and the Market, so just watch out for fictions that might not play in your best interest.

they enforce their rules. World Press Photo have also put a lot of focus on the judging process, making it clear that reliability is a point of focus for them.

“Concerning the issues [of fake news and staging], we will we keep doing checks and keep improving our procedures for the contest,” said Laurens Korteweg. “We want to be able to say to our visitors that this a place where you can trust the information you see; a safe place.”

Korteweg also mentions that cooperating, rather than competing, with other similar photography contests is important.

“We should join forces with other contests and other organizations so that is it clear to the professionals who submit their work what they can and cannot do. If we come up with a consensus, it will be easier for us consumers to understand and trust what we see.”

For the moment, it is still too early to tell what will happen with fake news in the near future. Will it be amplified by mainstream media and the growing accessibility to information, or will the attention it’s getting dial down as the general public slowly becomes more and more aware of the issue? All we can conclude for now is that fake news is very much present in our world today.

So while we wait and see how everything will unfold, we might as well enjoy the rest of one of the World’s best display of photography. Montreal’s 12th Edition of the World Press Photo Exhibition is open until October 1, and the entrance fee for students 10$.

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Photos by: Sara Yacoub, GaryJoseph Panganiban

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Section Editor: Nicholas Parrott sports@theplantnewspaper.com

Cheerleading: A Sport Tatiana Lateille Contributor

Many cheerleaders get annoyed when someone asks the question, "Is cheerleading a sport?" Whether it's another athlete, teacher or a friend who doesn't understand why you aren't into a "serious" sport, it can become overbearing.

According to the Office of Civil Rights, the Women's Sports Foundation indicates for a sport to be recognized, it must be a physical activity which involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance of mass, it must be competing against/with an opponent, it must be governed by rules that explicitly define the time, space, and purpose of the contest and the conditions under which a winner is declared and acknowledgement that the primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants. Cheerleading meets all the criteria above and therefore is indeed a sport. Case closed. But how difficult can this sport be?

Ian Truong, a now-graduated cheerleader on the Dawson Blues has been doing this sport for four years, two years in high school and two years in CEGEP. "I am a back spot and I base when I'm needed," said Truong. Base and back spot are the people who support the athlete (flyer) in the air. Truong said he got into cheerleading because he used to be a musical theatre kid and cheer is a performance sport while at the same time is athletic.

Hilary Fontus, also on the Dawson Blues team, has been cheerleading for 10 years. "I started cheerleading when I was eight years old,” she explained. Fontus is quite the professional in this sport since she has competed at all six levels. "I am also a back spot and base.”

Fontus says she first wanted to try cheerleading out because of the movies. "My mom did research to find me a club close to her house and found SpiriX and I fell in love with the sport.” Cheerleading can be very demanding on a teenager’s life. "It teaches you discipline, teaches you how to work with other people."

Fontus has also had many injuries from Cheerleading. "I’ve had concussions and I am recovering from one right now, I have had my nose broken, torn an ACL, broken a clavicle and broken an ankle," said Fontus.

Cheerleading comes with a lot of difficulties and effort. "You have to rely

Although many believe that Cheerleading is not a dangerous or physically demanding sport, Ian has the injuries to prove it is not easy. "I had a concussion from a flyer falling on my head, I sprained my ankle while doing a front handspring and I also sprained my wrist during a pyramid," said Truong.

on your teammates for everything, unlike individual sports, everyone has to be at practice and has to know what they're doing because otherwise it can be life threatening," said Truong.

It can be extremely demanding physically since they have to lift humans in the air and do all kinds of tricks. "It works on

are hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and rugby, but come October almost everything will be in full swing.

At many of these sporting events in years past, there has not been a large amount of students going to cheer on their teams. It is understandable too, since they do play on weekends and there is not much, if any, advertising around the school to be aware of when the games take place.

It is quite unfortunate that more people do not go since they have had some very successful teams over the past few years.

The Women’s basketball and hockey teams were both the runner-up’s in their respective leagues last year, which are both very competitive.

The price of admission is reduced

for Dawson students at the games, so it is extremely affordable for students to attend. The athletes also appreciate when they have the support of the fans. Seeing people there to show support never fails to get the players motivated to perform.

For those who are interested in going to watch the hockey teams, the men play at the Westmount Recreation Centre and the women play at the Complexe Récréatif Gadbois. Both of the Soccer teams play at the Soccerplexe Catalogna. The Rugby home matches take place at Parc Douglas and finally, lacrosse is played at Ed Meagher Field.

For more information on the teams, full schedules can be found on the RSEQ website, as well as CEGEP sports news and statistics.

all your aspects of your body; you jump, run, you go from stunt to stunt. What I love about it is that you’re not just doing one thing, you’re doing several things in two and a half minutes," said Fontus.

Some people may not realize how dangerous this sport is, but these athletes have people’s lives in their hands. "You're throwing someone up in the air up to five feet and their counting on you to catch them so they don't break their face," said Fontus.

Truong said it can be disappointing if his teammates let him down. "It's not something you can improvise, it's something you have to rehearse."

When it comes to the stereotypes cheerleaders have to endure, Truong said it can be difficult to deal with. "It’s hard to break a stereotype when we're pretty much invisible to the general public.”

Fontus said, laughing, what got her into cheerleading when she was younger were the stereotypes with the pompoms and the football teams. "But now I can say that the stereotypes where people say that cheerleading isn't hard, it's not a sport and it's just dancing: 'ya'll' are wrong."

These stereotypes can stop the sport from being recognized in many institutions. Truong will be going to McGill this year and will not be joining the cheer team there because they are not recognized by the school as a sport.

Fontus has seen people get injured and has even seen people die of injuries from cheerleading on the World’s (Competition with teams from across the U.S. and in over 40 countries around the world) mats.

"People have to start taking this seriously and start saying 'Oh maybe it’s not just pompoms and hair and makeup and girls that look out for their weight," said Fontus.

New School Year, New Sports Season Nicholas Parrott Sports Editor As a new school year comes along, it brings with it a new year of athletics here at Dawson. Although not everyone who comes to Dawson is interested in playing for a team, there are many ways that support can be shown.

Here at Dawson, there is a vast variety of sports to follow. There’s badminton, basketball, cheerleading, hockey, lacrosse, rowing, rugby, soccer, and volleyball. With the amount of choice available, there is a sport that every single person is able to get behind.

Every weekend there are a number of different events that take place. In September, the sports that have started

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As of now, the tryouts for this season have all pretty much been wrapped up, but if you are interested in joining a sport, there will always be next year. There are also a number of positions possibly available for the game staff for these sports, if you still want to be involved. Most of these positions have been filled, but be sure to keep checking in case of a shortage of employees.

With this new season, there will surely be success found for a number of the teams that we have here. Now is a great time to show your support for the Dawson Blues by attending any of their games and wearing some Blues’ gear. Everyone should be looking forward to this great opportunity to make Dawson proud.

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VOL. 47 ISSUE 1 - SEPT. 12, 2017

Upcoming Events: Corn Roast, September 14 The Plant Contributors Meeting, September 20 Concordia comes to Dawson September 28 Peace Week, September 13-21 Korea Tea’s Running Man Event, September 22 Breakfast with Dawson's Christian Fellowship, September 25

Comic by Chris Tardy

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