2019 is shaping up to be among the ‘newsiest’ years in history
You might think from all the media coverage in recent days of the 50th anniversary of the historic landing on the moon that 1969 was the biggest news year in recent memory.
Or you may feel that 2001, rather than 1969, was the biggest news year because of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in the Washington, D.C., area.
I’d argue, though, that this year, 2019, is the “newsiest” year since 1968. True, both 1969 and 2001 were huge years for news, however, they were driven primarily by a single event, namely the moon landing and the World Trade Center attack.
But it’s hard to top 1968 for sheer volume of major news events from around the world. That was a year of triumph and tragedy unlike any seen since the end of the Second World War. Consider these 1968 events: In space, Apollo 8 astronauts orbited the moon and snapped a photo of Earth rising, the first time our whole planet was seen from space. Abroad, North Vietnamese fighters launched the Tet Offensive, disproving U.S. claims that the south was winning. Massive riots in Paris between police and students shook France. Pope Paul VI banned “artificial contraception.”
Also, starvation killed more than one million people in wartorn Biafra. The Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the “Prague Spring” revolt. U.S. medal-winning sprinters raised glovefisted salutes at the Olympic Games in Mexico City to protest violence toward blacks.
In the U.S., as anger over the Vietnam War increased, U.S. president Lyndon Johnson announced he would not seek re-election. Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, sparking riots. Bobby Kennedy entered the Democratic presidential race, but was assassinated minutes after winning the California primary. Riots rocked the Democratic convention in Chicago. Richard Nixon was elected president.
In Canada, Pierre Trudeau won the Liberal leadership in April and the federal election in June. Quebec separatists rioted in Montreal on St.-Jean-Baptiste Day, hurling bottles at Trudeau. The Parti Québécois was created and René Lévesque chosen as its first leader. Laws creating Canada’s medicare system came into effect and the three branches of the Canadian Forces were merged into one. Now compare that to 2019. Abroad, you can start with the news this week that Boris Johnson has succeeded Theresa May as Britain’s prime minister, adding more controversy to the Brexit mess. “Yellow vest” protests have spread across much of the world, from Belgium to Taiwan. Venezuela is in chaos, with widespread blackouts again this week.
In eastern Europe, the rise to power of far-right populism is increasing fear of a return of fascism. The Vatican held an unprecedented four-day summit on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. North Korea continues to mount a nuclear threat. The Middle East has fallen into deeper strife with more tension and troubles with Iran, Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia.
In the U.S., Donald Trump continues with his chaotic presidency. His latest outrage is sending tweets that deepen racial divisions. Congress continues to probe possible Russian meddling in U.S. elections. Appalling conditions continue for children locked up in refugee detainee camps on the southern U.S. border.
In Canada, Justin Trudeau’s government is rocked by the resignations of cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott in the wake of the SNC-Lavalin affair. A patronage scandal and controversial spending cuts send Ontario Premier Doug Ford plunging in public opinion. Jason Kenney’s United Conservatives win a majority victory in Alberta. The Toronto Raptors win the NBA championship. And there’s surely more to come. The “newsiest” year since 1968? In my view, there’s no doubt about it.