Forgotten News Stories: Why these past news stories still matter

Timing, significance, where you live, human interest and prominence is generally what makes something newsworthy. However, these traits are fleeting, and every news outlet imaginable is looking for the next big story that will captivate readers and viewers alike. Here are some forgotten stories that made headlines the last few years that you should still care about.
Bangladesh factory disaster
1,130 people were killed when a factory building collapsed in spring of 2013. Over 2,500 more were injured and rescued from the wreckage. While there was public outcry and outrage shortly after this tragedy, not much has changed in Bangladesh and other third world countries. Factory disasters continue to happen and negligence from factory owners and builders still runs amok. It’s important to remember if things like this catastrophe happened and continued to happen in the United States or other first world countries, changes and reform would happen very quickly. But because this happened in Bangladesh, it got swept under the rug.
Ebola outbreak
In March of 2014, an Ebola epidemic spread amongst the region of West Africa. When Ebola reached the United States, there was 24/7 news coverage about the disease outbreak and every media outlet seemed to be scaring you into thinking you were going to be the next one to get it even though only 11 people in the U.S. have contracted the disease. West Africa is no longer in an epidemic as it was declared Ebola free in January of this year.
Germanwings flight 9525
Spring of 2015 was when Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed into the French Alps, killing 150 people on board. When news outlets broke this story it was difficult to determine what caused the crash. Experts were guessing an equipment malfunction or a pilot error, but the truth finally came out. The pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had locked his co-pilot out of the cockpit, disregarded incoming radio messages, and deliberately crashed the plane into a mountain. This led to a global discussion and debate on how to monitor airplane pilot’s mental health, as well as other professions that require a person to be mentally stable.
Charleston church massacre
Nine African-Americans were shot and killed inside a church in Charleston, South Carolina by a white man who had hoped to spark a race war. You’d think this headline would be from 50 or so years ago, but this happened in June of this past year. This massacre sparked a debate of whether or not the Confederate flag is still considered racist and if it’s “okay” to fly its colors. Charleston, the campus of Ole Miss, and New Orleans are among the prominent cities of the South that have removed the Confederate flag from their government buildings. I find it odd and extremely weird that people still want to defend flying the flag. If you’re still in favor of the Confederate flag and don’t see anything wrong with flying it, watch the movie “Selma” and let me know if you still feel adamantly about lifting those colors.. If you do, I would wager you’re either a racist or really uneducated.
Malaysia airlines flight 370
The missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 had 239 people on board and was traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014 when it vanished. Assuming all 239 people that were on board are no longer alive, it would be the second deadliest incident involving a Boeing 777. There was a massive search spanning 2,300 miles of mostly ocean and land. To date, the only confirmed piece that of Flight 370 is a flaperon, part of the right wing. Flight 370 was a Boeing 777. That is the world’s largest twinjet and only a flaperon has been found. That’d be like losing an entire cake and only finding a sprinkle. With all the new technology we have in the twenty-first century, it’s mind-boggling to consider how something like this could happen.
If you’re hearing about any of these stories for the first time, don’t sweat it too much. You’re not the only one. However, consider this a plea to continue to educate yourself on current events. The more you educate yourself on everything that is going on in the world, you will be more objective and less reactive and you’ll be less likely to think or do things out of fear, frustration, or anger.