The first controversial issue in the contemporary media landscape is the Supreme Court’s potential overturning of Roe vs. Wade. Jones (2022) claims that this decision will limit women’s economic mobility since the United States is the only developed nation with no childcare aid or paid family leave. If women cannot terminate their pregnancy, they will most likely be pushed into debt, poverty, eviction, and bankruptcy. Jones makes a compelling argument for keeping abortion legal because instead of merely taking a moral stance, she looks at the long-term, economic repercussions of prohibiting it.
The second controversial issue is Biden’s promise of student loan forgiveness and the creation of federally subsidized colleges. In this article published on NBC News, Wyman (2022) argues that opposing student debt cancellation is a manifestation of the purely American fetish for individualism and the pursuit of personal freedom. It shows a lack of empathy and ignores the reality of college costs exponentially rising at the same as a degree becomes a prerequisite for a self-supporting salary. Wyman’s argument is successful because it is supported by hard data and thus appeals to both cerebral and emotional intelligence.
The third controversial issue is whether the United States should increase its involvement in the Ukraine war. Beauchamp (2022) claims that military aid and sanctions are ineffective by themselves, and the West needs to outline the conditions under which the sanctions can be removed. Furthermore, the United States needs to keep lines of communication with Russia to negotiate a favorable outcome. Beauchamp’s ideas might be sound, but there is nothing revolutionary in them that warrants publication on a major news site. His article is unsuccessful because it purports to outline how the U.S. can help Ukraine without starting World War III, but all it achieves is explaining basic political strategy.
References
Beauchamp, Z. (2022). How the US and its allies can help Ukraine without starting World War III. Vox.
Jones, C. (2022). What the end of Roe v. Wade could mean in a nation without child care aid or family leave. USA Today.
Wyman, C. (2022). The selfish and extreme reactions in response to Biden’s student debt relief. NBC News.