Alexa Gorman

alexagorman.wordpress.com — Tensions are high among members of Stony Brook University’s School of Journalism and the campus Media Relations Department. The two often butt heads over what stories should be covered for classes and campus publications, but this semester brought a whirlwind of new issues.

gorman490.wordpress.com — An in-depth look at the impact of assistance dogs. (Multimedia, print, video and photos)

Newsday — Gender equality. The glass ceiling. The terms aren't new, but finding ways to tackle the issue are constantly coming out. Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, is a proponent of finding a balance between work and home to solve the problem. In "Lean In," a book about women in the workplace, Sandberg argues that to break the glass ceiling, we need to take a top-down approach, starting with women in government and letting that example cascade down through the workplaces. The "Lean In" movement Sandberg is trying to create is "half business school and half book club," according to the New York Times.

Newsday — The bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon bring out the most devastating emotions: despair, depression, anxiety. But in the days after tragedy, we are usually overwhelmed by evidence that good still exists. After the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, for example, came the #26acts #20acts movement started by NBC News correspondent Ann Curry. The goal was for people to complete 26 random acts of kindness-one for each of the victims. In a matter of days, Twitter and Facebook posts about #26acts went viral. People donated clothing, food and money to local shelters and homes.

Newsday — I've been at my office desk for about three hours. My hands are twitching; my fingers are trying not to act on muscle memory. Soon, the nerves will start. Did I miss something? What is everyone doing? I'm going through withdrawal. No, I'm not a drug addict -- I'm addicted to social media. But to develop better work habits, I'm trying to stay away from the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. In many workplaces, employees are strictly forbidden from going to these sites on company time. I hope to enter the workforce full time in about three months, but the idea of working eight hours straight without Facebook horrifies me.

Newsday — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been babbling since midday, filibustering the nomination of John Brennan to be the new director of the CIA with a little help from his Senate colleagues. Beginning with a promise to "speak until I no longer can," Paul says that he will not "sit quietly and let President Obama shred the Constitution" with drones. So far, Paul has gone through an entire binder of notes. He just got some support from Sens. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz, who are joining the effort by asking a series of long-winded questions.

Newsday — Picture this: a room full of distinguished United Nations delegates busy at work-debating, dealing and drinking. Not just a casual cocktail over dinner, either. Falling down drunk. Pretty soon, a DWI will stand for "delegating while intoxicated." At least that's the suggestion behind a "modest proposal" made by American diplomat Joseph M. Torsella. Earlier this week, Torsella proposed banning drinking from negotiation rooms - a surprisingly controversial request aimed to speed up budgetary proceedings. Before we pass judgment, let's step back and put ourselves in the diplomats' shoes: they work for a post-WWII organization based on the world order as of 1945.

Newsday — A New York City Emergency Services worker was exposed as the author of racist posts on Twitter under the name of "Bad Lieutenant." This embarrassment to the city's Fire Department came just a few days after the son of a top ranking commissioner, Joseph Casino, was also fired for vile speech online. While the FDNY is still drafting obviously much needed social media rules, the New York City Police Department just came out with guidelines and restrictions for employees when using social media sites. It bars workers from identifying themselves by job title and posting photos in official uniform, except those taken at official ceremonies.

Newsday — The death of Liam Armstrong, a senior at Smithtown High School East who was struck by a subway train Tuesday night in Manhattan while attempting to cross four tracks, is horrific. Grief-stricken community members showed support for those closest to Armstrong by posting things like "always remembered" and "you'll be missed" on social media websites. The accident was tragic, that is no question, but is creating a Twitter hashtag - which provides an easy way to find posts, but also can attract outsiders with negative comments - too much for this sensitive time?

Newsday — Britney Spears shaved her head. Lindsay Lohan has more mug shots than head shots. Demi Lovato went back and forth between slicing her wrists and puking in toilets. Celebrity breakdowns are nothing new. The latest spotlight on a celeb gone wrong fell on Amanda Bynes. Bynes, known best for her television roles on All That and What I Like About You, has been making questionable life choices for the past few years. There was a rumored drinking problem, strange posts on Twitter about retirement, a car accident...

Huffington Post — The 2008 presidential election made history among young voters. Rallies on college campuses paired with social media activism brought out the highest amount of 18-29 year-olds on Election Day -- over 22 million. This year's race, however, forecasts a completely different turnout. According to a poll from the PEW Research Center, 63 percent of 18-29 year-olds, known as Millennials, definitely plan to vote this year; this is down from 72 percent in 2008. The lack of enthusiasm compared to that in 2008 is reflective of both parties, according to PEW.

Huffington Post — In the days of print, the news section was news and the opinion section was opinion. The only grey area was the physical paper that was distributed. Now, the grey has flooded the online world of blogging and reporting. There is this unspoken fine line between news and opinion that blurred dramatically when anyone could post online and call it "news." This line, however, is not the one to which I am referring. As a journalism student, I am talking about the fine line between the professional world and what I like to call the goof-ball world.

www.sbstatesman.com — Tonight's town hall style debate gave President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney the chance to address undecided voters about their positions on issues including foreign policy, taxes and economic growth. Obama, who spoke and made his points with an air of confidence, seemed to have made a recovery from his loss at the first presidential debate. Commentators following the debate noted that the President's assertiveness and confidence seemed a bit too aggressive, however, especially when correcting his opponent. Romney also garnered praise for his performance as he capitalized on the momentum from his victory at the last debate.

www.sbstatesman.com — President Barack Obama and his challenger, Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.), began the series of presidential debates on Tuesday night with the topic of domestic issues. Questions from proctor Jim Lehrer of PBS NewsHour ranged from the economy to the federal debt to health care and the role of government. Mitt Romney came out swinging from the beginning. Critical, well-prepped and relentless, the governor of Massachusetts has been dubbed the winner. Commentators and analysts like to talk about the mannerisms of the candidates when determining who won the debate. President Obama is being criticized for starting out with a defensive and condescending tone, which, according to CNN commentators, dissolved about halfway through.

www.sbstatesman.com — Stony Brook University's Project 50 Forward is on-track and continuing to progress, according to President Samuel L. Stanley, Jr.'s State of the University address. The only problem is that no one seems to know exactly what track the project is supposed to stay on. "I believe Project 50 Forward will add value to the Stony Brook degree, propel us into the ranks of the top 20 public research universities, and make a positive impact on every associated...but it is going to require the involvement of our entire university community," Stanley said in his address.