Culture

Death of Charlie Kirk Sparks Debates Over the Extent of Free Speech Written by Leanna Sheffield, Staff Writer  Censorship is defined as the suppression of free speech or communication. In today's world that is more often than not through our mass media. Although it is not a new issue, more recently it has become more prevalent in our society.  In the 2024- 2025 school year alone, over 6,800 books were banned in public and school libraries. Most of these bans were because of sexual content, offensive language, religion, LGBTQ+ content, violence and racism, and content deemed inappropriate for certain ages.  We are also seeing more examples of censorship in other forms of media, such as television. Jimmy Kimmel’s long running late night talk show was pulled from the air...

Nepalese Revolution Sends Shockwaves Around the World. In The Middle Of it All? Gen Z. Written By: Dayshaun Powe, Staff-writer The nation of Nepal has been under a watchful eye over the past few months. First gaining international traction on Sept. 4, 2025. When the government applied their nationwide ban on 26 different social media platforms. The ban was due to a failure of the platforms to register to comply with local laws and standards. This was then followed by a major rise in protest – largely led by the nation's Gen Z population. Although many assume that this ban on social media is the sole cause of Nepal's Revolution, it couldn't be farther from the truth. The ban on social media is what pushed many of the nation's youth over the edge, as they all saw it as a new attempt...

Written By: Emma Adkins, Staff Writer Winthrop University’s Department of music hosted Naoko Watanabe on Sept. 28 for an afternoon recital that blended traditional Japanese art songs with popular selections. The performance, held in Barnes Recital Hall, introduced students and community members to a scene rarely heard outside Japan. The program featured works by composers including Kosaku Yamada and Tamezo Narita – pioneers of the kakyoku tradition that combines Western classical structure with Japanese poetry.  Watanabe's soprano shifted between delicacy and power, moving from Narita’s “Song of the Seashore” to Yamada’s “The Flowers of Wild Orange”. Her clear diction allowed even audience members unfamiliar with Japanese to connect to the emotion of the texts. The recital...