Editorial | States should follow Pennsylvania’s lead in pursuit of curbing gerrymandering
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
July 10, 2019
Since individual states hold all the power to curb gerrymandering, they need to follow in Pennsylvania's footsteps and prioritize making their maps as fair as possible.
Editorial | This is the real border crisis
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
June 26, 2019
Democrats and Republicans need to throw their ideological differences away in order to ensure that people arriving at the border are, at the very least, being treated humanely.
Editorial | Pennsylvania politicians need to take Clairton pollution seriously
By Pitt News Editorial Board
June 18, 2019
We place trust in these politicians to protect us, and their refusal to acknowledge the health and environmental violations is doing the opposite.
Editorial | Acknowledge progress and pitfalls during Pride month
By Pitt News Editorial Board
June 12, 2019
But the past few years also brought forth a slew of hateful events, serving as a bleak reminder that we still have a long way to go. In order to continue progressing forward, it’s vital to acknowledge both the progress and the pitfalls.
Editorial | YouTube needs to make deliberate changes in order to protect children
By Pitt News Editorial Board
June 5, 2019
The New York Times recently reported that Youtube’s algorithm, which the site uses to personalize content recommendations for its users, was showing a video of girls playing outside in two-piece swimsuits to users who had watched other videos of prepubescent, half-dressed children — after they had watched sexually themed content. The result of this was a loop of videos that experts say sexualize children.
Editorial | Assange’s journalist credentials aren’t the issue
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
May 28, 2019
His prosecution is worrisome because it erases the line between the responsibility of government employees to safeguard information and the freedom of civilians who are protected under the First Amendment.
Editorial: States are slowly chipping away at abortion rights
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
May 22, 2019
While the Alabama law certainly is a blatant attack against women, there’s a slew of other laws in states around the country that restrict abortion in smaller ways which might be even more effective in overturning Roe v. Wade.
Editorial | Alyssa Milano’s proposed sex strike isn’t empowering
By Pitt News Editorial Board
May 14, 2019
Though Milano likely has good intentions, a sex strike isn’t an empowering or effective way for women to protest abortion laws.
Top 10: Excuses for missing a final
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 18, 2019
It happens. We get it. Here are the top 10 reasons you can give professors for why you missed your final that’s worth 30% of your grade.
Editorial: Leave advertisements out of space
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 17, 2019
In a day and age where it’s nearly impossible to go anywhere without seeing some sort of advertisement, putting them in the sky seems not only irritating, but unnecessary and harmful.
Editorial: Undocumented immigrants aren’t punishment for sanctuary cities
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 16, 2019
President Donald Trump’s latest proposal involves more than just labeling undocumented immigrants as a threat. Now, he’s trying to use them as punishment.
Editorial: Inciting violence against politicians hurts everyone
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 15, 2019
It is natural to disagree with politicians, but no matter how opposed one is to their values, inciting violence against them through misinformation — as Trump did with his video — is never OK.
Editorial: Denison scavenger hunt wasn’t funny
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 14, 2019
What was meant as a dumb prank played with the real fears of thousands of women at Pitt.
Top 10: Ways for presidential candidates to earn our support
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 11, 2019
With Bernie planning a Pitt stop in Oakland this Sunday, we decided to give presidential hopefuls an easy guide to pandering for our votes.
Editorial: Ending affirmative action sets us back
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 10, 2019
Affirmative action policies play an important role in ensuring the systemic challenges faced by marginalized communities are diminished.
Editorial: Hiring Brandon Flood is a step in the right direction
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 8, 2019
This is a major step forward in normalizing the rehabilitation of inmates and allowing them to participate fully in civil society and benefits the justice system as a whole.
Editorial: Pass the Stop HATE Act
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 7, 2019
U.S. legislators are introducing the Stop Harmful and Abusive Telecommunications Expression (HATE) Act of 2019 to Congress to learn more about how people spread hate online, which is a good first step toward preventing further shootings.
Top 10: Places to jaywalk in Oakland
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 5, 2019
We at The Pitt News say get the goobermint out of our crimes of convenience! Here are the top 10 places to jaywalk in Oakland.
Editorial: Lilly Singh is what late night needs
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 4, 2019
Singh’s new role with NBC is a huge step forward for diversity and representation on late-night television.
Editorial: Don’t dismiss Biden allegations
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 3, 2019
We owe the women who made the allegations against Biden the same respect we give all other victims of assault and harassment who come forward.
Editorial: Closing the boyfriend loophole could save partners of abusers
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 2, 2019
The NRA's stance is anti-woman and overlooks the dangers people face from intimate partners who own guns and have shown tendencies toward violent, abusive or stalker-like behaviors.
Editorial: The actual William Pitt the WPU should be named after
By The Pitt News Editorial Brad
April 1, 2019
We can’t count the ways Brad Pitt has shaped this world, but we can count the reasons we can show Brad Pitt at least a fraction of the love he deserves.
Top 10: Things to lobby for in Harrisburg
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 28, 2019
We don’t normally enjoy interacting with those who work in the State capital but here are our top 10 things to lobby for in Harrisburg.
Editorial: Allies, know our place
By The Pitt News Editorial Staff
March 28, 2019
It’s not about what makes us comfortable. It’s not about what we want to do and it’s not about our opinions. It’s about their justified anger.
Editorial: The GOP isn’t the healthcare party
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 27, 2019
Getting rid of the ACA and Trump’s statement are both mistakes that will hurt both the American people and Trump’s reelection bid in 2020.
Editorial: Shooting survivors need more mental health resources
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 25, 2019
These people’s pain didn’t stop in the aftermath of the shootings, and they — as well as all others in their terrible position — deserved access to mental health resources to help them process and grieve what they lost.
Editorial: Rosfeld decision isn’t surprising, still disappointing
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 24, 2019
The time it took for the jury to reach a decision compared to the gravity of the crime shows how little we value the lives of young black men in America.
Top 10: People we would actually support for president
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 22, 2019
Amy Klobuchar defended her harsh staff treatment, claiming toughness is needed to deal with Putin, but has she ever threatened her rival one hour into starting her new job? Gritty has.
Editorial: West Virginia gets creative holding Church accountable for abuse
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 20, 2019
The state’s solution to these legal impediments might help in the effort to hold accountable those who enabled the abuse to happen.
Editorial: Stop calling Beto O’Rourke a progressive candidate
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 19, 2019
While O’Rourke quickly rose in fame and favor following his failed Senate bid, his past voting record as a member of the House of Representatives doesn’t match the progressive image he currently projects.
Editorial: Admissions scandal not surprising
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 19, 2019
For many students, the college admissions process should be a merit-based process providing opportunities to move up in the world.
Editorial: Rise in white nationalism fed by politicians
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 17, 2019
In wake of the mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, we’ve seen that such blatant refusals to admit the gravity of white supremacy and racism have a wider effect than just the United States alone.
Top 10: Pitt News Drink Factory
By The Pitt News Editorial Staff
March 7, 2019
We’ve gone and collected the mud and rainwater in that pothole and blended it with some tire rubber for the defining Forbes-Avenue experience in a cup.
Editorial: Conversion therapy ban a good first step
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 7, 2019
The process is considered ineffective and abusive by most medical professionals, and a ban on it is a good step forward for Allegheny County.
Editorial: Trump makes empty promise for “A Plus” emergency relief
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 6, 2019
Trump’s inconsistency in responding to disaster relief is unacceptable, and future disaster-affected states deserve the same support he has given Alabama.
Editorial: Fox-Trump relationship unethical, dangerous
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 4, 2019
The New Yorker article shows an unethical, incredibly alarming relationship between Fox News and the Trump administration.
Editorial: Executive order for free speech would do more harm than good
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 3, 2019
The executive order is yet another swing and a miss for the Trump administration, as it manages to both fundamentally misunderstand the role of the Constitution and propose a problematic solution.
Top 10: Things Pitt should be matching
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 1, 2019
Pitt will soon match any federal Pell Grant. Here are an additional 10 things that Pitt should match and reimburse.
Editorial: Don’t ignore Cohen’s testimony
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 28, 2019
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony yesterday is something that deserves the nation’s refocused attention.
Editorial: Focus on hate crimes, not Smollett
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 27, 2019
Regardless of Smollet's alleged hoax, we have to pay more attention to dangers of hateful organizations and violent individuals.
Editorial: Trump’s gag rule unethical, harms women
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 25, 2019
The federal rule would decrease women’s access to inclusive health care and promote a dangerously edited education of all possible family-planning options.
Editorial: Human trafficking is a bigger problem than we’d like to admit
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 25, 2019
Human trafficking is a widespread, serious issue that hits closer to home than expected — including here in western Pennsylvania.
Top 10: Space Force Objectives
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 22, 2019
Get in the shuttle, loser, we’re going to make the galaxy great again. As the Space Force blasts off, here are 10 top priorities for the new military branch.
Editorial: Sanders isn’t the answer for 2020
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 21, 2019
Many Democratic contenders are running on platforms that were heavily influenced by the ideas Sanders supported in 2016. He should allow them to do so and act as their mentor, instead of insisting on carrying on his own legacy.
Editorial: Post-Gazette executive editor threatens newspaper integrity
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 20, 2019
Not only does Burris’ new assignment indicate a condonement of the whitewashing of racism, but it flies in the face of journalistic ethics.
Editorial: Don’t forget to vote in SGB election
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 19, 2019
The people we vote for will influence our lives as students in numerous ways, so it’s important to vote for candidates who will best represent us.
Editorial: The wall isn’t a national emergency
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 18, 2019
What Trump fails to recognize in all this is that there is no crisis at the border. His national emergency creates far more problems than it solves and is a complete overextension of executive powers.
Top 10: Master plan must-haves
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 15, 2019
Here are the top 10 most pressing issues to students and faculty alike that Pitt must incorporate into this master plan.
Editorial: Let’s talk about measles
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 13, 2019
States must equip children with access to vaccinations and the resources to reverse misinformation while closing loopholes that allow families to opt out of vaccination requirements for personal reasons.
Editorial: Pro-Palestine doesn’t mean anti-Semitic
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 12, 2019
The tweets, which have been decried by Democrats and Republicans alike, lacked the context of a long history of anti-Semitic tropes and offensive stereotypes.
Editorial: Adopt paid Election Day nationwide
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 10, 2019
Sandusky’s new policy is an excellent idea that will hopefully improve voter turnout, and the rest of the country should follow its lead.
Top 5 / Bottom 5: Las Palmas
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 8, 2019
Las Palmas has a cult following on campus — but is there anything they could do that would actually cause them to lose support? Read more here:
Editorial: Air quality concerns require stronger action
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 7, 2019
The number of air quality alerts issued lately is cause for great concern. It feels as if we’re sliding backwards with our air quality, and this is something we absolutely can’t allow to happen.
Editorial: Trump defies bipartisanship for border fiction
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 6, 2019
Despite the triumphs made in the last year, Trump’s address only further displayed eagerness to use falsehoods to stoke fear and xenophobic anger to accomplish his political ends.
Editorial: Big Pharma must be stopped
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 5, 2019
One company may be responsible for illegal activities that expanded and considerably worsened the opioid crisis.This kind of shameful opportunism must be stopped if we’re to have any chance at stopping a national health emergency of this magnitude.
Editorial: Northam’s racist photo is inexcusable
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 4, 2019
Northam is far too defensive of something that has no defense, and should immediately resign from office as the vast majority of his fellow Democrats demand.
Top 10: Reasons to cancel classes
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 1, 2019
From time to time, we may have to cancel classes — and here are 10 reasons why.
Editorial: Pitt needs to handle the cold better
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 31, 2019
Pitt needs a more formalized plan for cancellations due to inclement weather for the safety of its students and staff.
Editorial: City leaders must be transparent in gun control battle
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 30, 2019
If City leaders hope to try their hand at overturning decades of court precedence, City residents deserve to know more about their plan than waiting to “find out.”
Editorial: Duke professor’s email is xenophobic, discriminatory
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 28, 2019
Neely’s email, which implied that students speaking in a language other than English would be penalized, was uncalled for and xenophobic in nature. This isn’t the kind of thinking that should be welcomed or allowed at universities.
Editorial: Hosting Louis C.K. reflects badly on Pittsburgh
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 28, 2019
Louis C.K.’s presence in Pittsburgh — and the entire tour — was a mistake and an insult to women in comedy and in the audience.
Editorial | Pitt’s hazing report fails student safety
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 25, 2019
Pitt’s failure to provide anything above what is required by law is a failed commitment to student safety.
Editorial: Post-Gazette cartoons don’t speak for Pittsburgh
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 23, 2019
A string of editorial cartoons published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this past week may have left you scratching your head — and you’re in good company. Three cartoons drawn by Post-Gazette cartoonist Steve Kelley in the span of one week show a blatant disrespect for women and put into ques...
Editorial | Gallagher needs to pay it forward
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 22, 2019
Former Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg had a history of donating large portions of his retention bonuses to Pitt. It’s time Chancellor Patrick Gallagher followed suit.
Editorial: To protect Mon Valley, U.S. Steel must change
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 18, 2019
The Clairton Coke Works plant has a long history of pollution violations. With the health of local residents at stake, U.S. Steel must finally commit to improving the coke plant’s track record.
Editorial: Pitt is no place for hate
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 17, 2019
We’ve all heard slurs that target a wide range of ethnicities, religions, genders and sexual orientations. But there is no place for this kind of language at Pitt or in Pittsburgh.
Editorial | GOP hard on King, soft on Trump
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 16, 2019
The Republican leadership likely hopes their actions against King will be seen as a genuine stand against white supremacy, not something done when it is politically convenient. The GOP’s silence on Trump says otherwise.
Editorial: Trump administration threatens women’s health care
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 15, 2019
The Obama-era requirement that companies provide access to free birth control to employees seems to be temporarily safe from the Trump administration, but as always under this president, the fate of women’s health care still hangs in the balance.
Editorial: Democratic newcomers need to learn from 2016 mistakes
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 13, 2019
If Democrats want to win back the White House, their presidential candidates need to learn from the last time around and not allow campaigning and rhetoric to get as ugly and intense as it did in 2016.
Editorial: Trump’s test of emergency powers
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 11, 2019
The National Emergencies Act of 1976 was originally passed to provide a check on presidential power while codifying specific constraints under which presidents could declare states of emergency. Congress must enforce this intent.
Editorial: The real consequences of Trump’s fake crisis
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 10, 2019
Trump is both a hypocrite and wrong to blame Democrats for a lack of resolution to the shutdown, and the longer he blames others for a problem created entirely by himself, the more people he puts at risk.
Editorial: Trump’s border security the wrong answer to real problems
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 9, 2019
President Donald Trump’s first prime-time address was his opportunity to make a case for his border security plan. Instead, it highlighted just how little Trump understood the problems he hoped a border wall would fix.
Editorial: Trump needs to compromise on wall
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 8, 2019
Trump needs to put aside his ego long enough to agree to a compromise, or else the consequences of a prolonged government shutdown will be serious for many Americans.
Editorial: Tumblr’s moderation efforts miss the mark
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
December 7, 2018
Tumblr admits its moderation efforts are not perfect and that the use of automated tools to identify adult content “versus say, a political protest with nudity or the statue of David, is not simple at scale.”
Editorial | Ruling protecting priest anonymity unfair to victims
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
December 6, 2018
On Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court voted 6-1 to keep those 11 priests anonymous. But the decision is only a victory for serial sexual abusers and self-interested church officials.
Editorial | Pittsburgh ordinance stifles community voices
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
December 5, 2018
Community voices in Pittsburgh lobbied for a seat at the table in city planning and development. The process to earn that seat is shutting them out.
Editorial | Denmark immigration policy inhumane
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
December 4, 2018
Denmark seemingly took a page right out of President Donald Trump's playbook on Friday, except far more severe — the Danish government will house rejected asylum seekers on a 17-acre island.
Editorial: Ohio bills threaten reproductive freedom
December 3, 2018
The Ohio bills criminalize choice in a way that is pulling the pro-choice stance of the national conversation about abortion closer to a pro-not-getting-arrested-for-exercising-autonomy stance.
Editorial: Destruction of rape kits unjust to victims
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 30, 2018
A CNN investigation revealed that police agencies across the country have been throwing away rape kits, oftentimes before the statute of limitations is up. This is a terrifying reality for victims, who can no longer trust that the evidence they give will even be used.
Editorial | Gab back online: a public safety hazard
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 29, 2018
Gab was taken down last month after it’s ties to the Tree of Life gunman were revealed to the world — but it’s back up as of this weekend, which should alarm anyone who cares about public safety.
Editorial | Trump calls for state TV network: a dictator move
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 28, 2018
The president believes the United States should form a state TV network — but such an endeavor would be a dangerous propaganda purveyor.
Editorial: Trump fundamentally misunderstands role of justice system
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 27, 2018
The Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court Friday to fast-track the case of the President Donald Trump’s military ban for transgender citizens, an obvious overstep by the executive branch — and it’s not the first time the Trump administration has crossed this line.
Editorial: Troops not necessary to welcome migrant caravan
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 26, 2018
An order from the White House gives these troops permission to use lethal force against migrants to protect Customs and Border Protection personnel. This is yet another example of the Trump administration’s inability to humanely and intelligently deal with immigration.
Editorial: How to handle relatives at Thanksgiving
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 20, 2018
While Thanksgiving dinner at your great-aunt’s house is not the ideal place to throw hands with your grandpa, there are ways of confronting loved ones without turning the conversation into a battleground whence your relationships may never recover.
Editorial: Trump wrongly blames forest management for fires
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 19, 2018
Unsurprisingly, President Donald Trump has once again proven himself incapable of appropriately responding to tragedy, resorting to victim-blaming and threats rather than promising to help with disaster relief.
Editorial: GQ’s “Woman” of the Year cover insensitive
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 16, 2018
The GQ magazine's "Woman" of the Year cover featuring Serena Williams has drawn the ire of fans on social media since its release. The stylistic choices completely ignore the important context of Williams’ history in the public eye.
Editorial: Proposed YAF lawsuit against Pitt unnecessary, harmful
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 15, 2018
Pitt levied a $5,546 security fee against YAF for hosting Ben Shapiro — and YAF swiftly threatened to sue the university in response. But the lawsuit would be a completely unnecessary publicity stunt.
Editorial: Peduto to release Amazon bid: too little, too late
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 14, 2018
Peduto will release Pittsburgh’s Amazon headquarters bid on Thursday, but he should have done that a lot earlier. Pittsburgers deserve to know about major, local economic developments.
Editorial: Heed Macron’s warning about nationalism
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 13, 2018
The centennial demonstrated that a century hasn’t made foreign relations any simpler — in fact, we may be sliding back into old habits. And French President Emmanuel Macron made a serious case for the collective good at a time when the forces of nationalism are dividing the world in the same way they did leading up to WWI.
Editorial: Remember mental health of shooting victims
By The Pitt News Editorial
November 12, 2018
Pittsburgh is still feeling the damage a mass shooting can have on a community. We’re tired of reading about it. We’re tired of writing about it. And we’re acutely aware, after having lived through it and after one person was a part of two of these events in the span of a year, that mass shootings have become a cultural problem that must be fixed.
Editorial: Attack on Acosta is an attack on all media
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 9, 2018
President Donald Trump’s administration has a history of attacking the press, but its most recent attack is alarmingly reminiscent of ways authoritarian countries like China treat the press.
Editorial: Sessions’ resignation could curb Russia investigation
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 8, 2018
Wednesday's events showed a president who feels trapped by an FBI investigation that is slowly drawing to a close and a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.
Editorial: Young people turn out: Pa. blue wave becomes tsunami
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 7, 2018
Midterm elections are traditionally Republican dominated — but young people came out in full force this year, giving Democrats a badly needed win.
Editorial: Why TPN didn’t endorse candidates for midterm elections
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 6, 2018
Here at The Pitt News, we don’t believe in endorsing electoral candidates — it’s wholly unnecessary and it tarnishes our image as an honest, objective newspaper.
Editorial: Bolsonaro threatens democracy
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 5, 2018
Leaders and parties that exercise dictator-like control over the governments to which they were elected pose an intense, immediate threat to democracy worldwide. Civil liberties, freedom of the press and global security are at stake.
Editorial: Executive order on birthright citizenship unconstitutional
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 2, 2018
The president fueled his election campaign with fear and hatred toward immigrants, but his most recent attack on them could affect the way we interpret the Constitution itself — an overreach of executive power that would hurt the lives of hundreds of thousands of children born to noncitizen parents.
Editorial: Top 5 reasons to keep Halloween on Oct. 31
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 1, 2018
Would Halloween be more fun if it were always on a Saturday? A recent petition which has now received more than 50,000 signatures think so. But the Pitt News Editorial Board disagrees.
Editorial: Trump’s divisiveness, insensitivity provokes protests in Pittsburgh
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
October 31, 2018
Trump’s arrived in Pittsburgh on Tuesday to console victims’ families in the Tree of Life shooting — but according to the Jewish community and many other people in Pittsburgh, he wasn’t welcome.
Editorial: Pittsburgh doesn’t welcome Trump
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
October 30, 2018
If the president had any respect for the victims and their families, he would stay away and allow them time to mourn without his heavily politicizing presence.
Editorial: Pittsburgh will heal
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
October 28, 2018
We didn’t expect to be thrust into the national spotlight in this way. We didn’t expect we’d become another member of a long, growing list of cities that have been the victims of mass shootings. Squirrel Hill is a peaceful, historically Jewish neighborhood about a mile away from Pitt’s campus — too close to home for it to happen to us.