A Year in Review: CMN’s Most-Read Stories of 2018

1. Samantha Daily: Sorority Sister, Dog Enthusiast, and ‘MasterChef’ Contestant

I first met Sam Daily in August of 2015. It was a hot Kentucky summer day as we ran from Memorial Coliseum to the front lawn of 238 E. Maxwell. The sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma welcomed us with cheerful embraces and squeals of delight after a tough week of recruitment. Sam was the nicest of women and that day she became my sister for life as we received our pins. Read CMN’s exclusive interview with Daily in Courtney Good’s report for CMN.

2. Analysis: Breaking Down Childish Gambino’s ‘This is America’ Music Video

Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, dropped a new music video for his song, ‘This is America.’ In the span of ten days, the video racked up more than just 129 million views— it also racked up controversy. Read all about it in Lindsay Wigo’s report for CMN.

3. West Virginia Student Kicked Out of Fraternity After Racist Social Media Post

A West Virginia University (WVU) student is no longer associated with his former fraternity and could face disciplinary action from the school after a video showing him using a slur toward a black waitress at a nightclub appeared online last night. Read more in our report by the CMN staff.

4. Who’s Speaking Where? Looking at 2018 Commencement Speakers

Chance, Oprah, Hillary — even Jimmy Carter — will offer words of wisdom to new grads this month. Read more in Rachel Chan’s report for CMN.

5. Right-wing Activist Robinson Arrested by UK Police

Law enforcement in the United Kingdom arrested right-wing activist Tommy Robinson. Robinson was holding a Facebook live stream, where he claimed to be reporting on the case. After an hour passed, police officers approached Robinson and arrested him for breach of the peace and incitement. Read more in Lawrence Lease’s report for CMN.

6. Concert Review: Greta Van Fleet Is a New Nostalgia for Everyone

Being hailed as the deified second-coming of Led Zeppelin is probably a difficult act to keep up, but if it is, Greta Van Fleet certainly doesn’t show it. Videos from Shaky Knees and Coachella display a confident young group who really enjoy playing for the masses; their assertive stage presence is absolutely stunning. But seeing them in a smaller venue was much more illuminating. Read more in Nicole Kitchens report for CMN.

7. Ranking Fox’s World Cup Broadcast Teams, From Best to Worst

For anyone who experienced the Gus Johnson Champions League final trainwreck, watching soccer on Fox might still fill you with trepidation, but things have definitely improved since that dark day in 2014. Watching every match since the Russia-Saudi Arabia opener on June 15 (38 so far), has caused me to form some strong opinions about the Fox broadcast teams. Here’s how I would grade their work so far, from best to worst. Read more in Patrick Foster’s report for CMN.

8. ‘Delco Mom’ Is Taking the Internet, and Philadelphia, By Storm

Some may have heard this quote from a video that began circulating only hours after the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl. A hilarious celebratory video was posted on Facebook from the perspective of a “typical Delaware County (Delco) mom.” Who posted the video? That’s the brilliant part. Read more in Lindsay Wigo’s report for CMN.

9. Analysis: Why Victoria’s Secret Is Failing in 2018

How does a company that once dominated women’s lingerie and fashion industries fall so behind? By continuing to use the same advertising and marketing strategies that worked in the 80’s, but no longer work now. The company that once dominated the world of lingerie is now falling behind its competitors. Read more in Kayleigh Shultis’ report for CMN.

10. Starting Your Morning with a Bang: University of Toronto Professor Accidentally Plays Pornography to Lecture Hall

On September 24, a video surfaced that appears to show University of Toronto psychology professor, Steve Joordens playing a pornographic video on the projector screen to a jam-packed lecture hall, entirely by accident. The University of Toronto’s newspaper, The Varsity reported that the class was PSYA01: Introduction to Biological and Cognitive Psychology which had about 500 students in the lecture hall. Well, this is one way to start your Monday morning lecture. Read more in Erin Whitten’s report for CMN.