Sad girl Autumn is in full swing

Adele’s new album ’30’ will make you wish Adele never put out music — in the best way possible.

It’s been more than a decade since the singer/songwriter Adele released her epic breakup album 21, which became one of the most overwhelmingly successful records in history and transformed her from promising talent to indelible superstar.

The time since has brought with it more success — a nearly equally successful third album, 25, a James Bond theme song, sold-out worldwide tours (all of them) — as well as personal growth and struggle. Just like all of us.

In an interview with NPR, Adele said a lot of people tend to think that the person who leaves a relationship or leaves a marriage is fine, and that they’ve got the power of their choice., but that wasn’t her case at all. She said it was one of the biggest decisions she ever had to make.

The album is beautifully sad in all of the right ways and hopefully you don’t have many plans for Thanksgiving break, because if you decide to listen, you might have to stay in bed.

Here’s what you can do:

Music journalism comes in all shapes and sizes. You can do a reaction piece and talk to fans and casual listeners of Adele to see how they are reacting to the album. This ca also be an album review where you spatter listener response in. The choices are endless.

Another avenue you can go down would be talking to a music theory expert and breaking down the album into all of its parts. Someone who studies theory will be able to tell you why her sad songs are seriously devastating.

NPR is famous for their music journalism. Some of the writers there have given tips on how to break into the scene:

• Reach out to as many people as you can — because what you know and who you know both matter.
• Develop self discipline
• Seize every opportunity to cultivate your own voice
• Start and maintain a blog. People will start to trust your musical opinions and knowledge.

More than just a muppet

Sesame Street makes history with the debut of its first Asian-American muppet

At only 7 years old, Ji-Young is making history as the first Asian American muppet in the “Sesame Street” canon. She is Korean American and has two passions: rocking out on her electric guitar and skateboarding. The children’s TV program, which first aired 52 years ago this month, gave The Associated Press a first look at its adorable new occupant.

Ji-Young will formally be introduced in “See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special.” Simu Liu, Padma Lakshmi and Naomi Osaka are among the celebrities appearing in the special, which will drop Thanksgiving Day on HBO Max, “Sesame Street” social media platforms and on local PBS stations.

Here’s what you can do with this:

Sesame Street is a 52 year-old program. It’s hard to have anything run on air for that long because times change and media has to change as well. However, the classic children’s show is able to stay relevant by adapting to the 21st century seamlessly.

Whether it be through diversifying their characters, or using social media to build their brand, kids and adults alike know the names of Elmo, Big Bird, and Bert.

Our own newsrooms need to be a little more like Sesame Street.

As shown in a study by PEW, newsroom employees are more likely to be white and male than U.S. workers overall. More than three-quarters of newsroom employees are non-Hispanic white people. That is true of 65% of U.S. workers in all occupations and industries combined.

There are signs that these demographics are changing ,though. Younger newsroom employees show greater racial, ethnic and gender diversity than their older colleagues, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

By implementing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative in your newsroom, our newspapers can begin to reflect the people we write for.

Britney’s free, so now what?

How Britney Spears got free, and what comes next

After a court decision on Friday, singer Britney Spears will be able to avail herself of rudimentary freedoms that most of us take for granted but that have been denied to her during the 13 years she lived under a probate conservatorship. She will be able to make her own medical decisions, sign her own contracts, and spend her own money.

She now faces a legal battle with those who once managed her life and money, including her father and former conservator, Jamie Spears, and her former business manager, Lou Taylor, who has, along with her company Tri Star, resisted efforts by Spears’s lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, to obtain her financial records.

Spears is still in a profoundly difficult position, despite, and perhaps because of, her new control of her life. If Spears acts in any way that could be construed as irresponsible, it could be taken, in legal battles to come, as proof that she can’t handle her own life.

The pop star’s case has illuminated the impossible bind that conservatees can sometimes find themselves in: once a person has been formally deemed incapacitated, she might lose the opportunity to ever prove her capacity.

Here’s what you can do with this:

Britney’s conservatorship has been in the media a lot and now that she’s free it opens the chance to talk about others who are struggling.

A conservatorship is granted by a court for individuals who are unable to make their own decisions, like those with dementia or other mental illnesses. While song may be in good spirit, other conservatorships are a means of manipulation.

This is a topic that may be sensitive so you want to proceed with caution and understanding.

But for now #FreeBritey is #BritneyIsFree.