Is This The End Of TikTok? By Evelyn Patch

Remember “The Renegade”, “Slick Back”, ¨It's Corn¨ and ¨I Am Your Mother¨?  Alas, the party could be over. When social media began it was all fun, connecting with friends, doing crazy things. But it was not long before concerns began to increase. Chinese government influence,  media addiction and TikTok´s profit from minors have become the main points for banning TikTok in the United States.

The China-based owner, ByteDance (a Chinese internet company), has been given two options by a bipartisan congressional bill for banning TikTok, which was recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. ByteDance can sell TikTok to an U.S.- based owner or face a ban. If ByteDance sells, TikTok will continue operations in the U.S. under a new owner. The bill also requires the new owner to give up control of the TikTok algorithm, which feeds users content based on prior searches. If ByteDance chooses not to sell, the TikTok app will no longer be available in app stores or web hosting services for anyone based in the U.S. 

Both the Democrats and Republicans have expressed deep concern that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over information regarding users' data. About 170 million Americans use TikTok, which means many American citizens' user data will be given to the Chinese government. TikTok has influenced the U.S elections in the past and there's also a fear that theChinese government may try to influence future elections using personal data.“TikTok accounts run by a [People’s Republic of China] PRC propaganda arm which reportedly targeted candidates from both political parties during the U.S. midterm election cycle in 2022,” a report said. However, TikTok denies any ties with the Chinese government. 

Although the profit of TikTok is not public, a Harvard University study showed that TikTok has made two billion dollars from youth aged thirteen to seventeen. TikTok overall ad revenue from users under eighteen is 35%. A Pew Research study found that one in six teens use TikTok almost constantly. Interestingly, the Chinese government does not allow Chinese citizens to use TikTok due to its addictive properties. Regulating social media has been an interest of many states in the United States over the past few years, with 33 states now suing Meta (the owner of Instagram and Facebook). 

The question then arises, what will happen to those who make a living off of TikTok? If TikTok is banned there will be an economic impact. Those who are content creators will lose their jobs, their main source of income. About 11.6 million people's main source of income is TikTok.

The bill now needs to be passed by the Senate. If it passes it will go to the White House, where President Joe Biden will need to sign it. President Biden has already expressed that he will sign it. ByteDance will have 180 days to sell TikTok. However, if it is banned, people will almost certainly find a way around the ban, or start using other media platforms. So is this really the end of TikTok? 

Works Cited

FARRINGTON, BRENDAN. “Florida House passes a bill to ban social media accounts for children under 16.” AP News, 24 January 2024, https://apnews.com/article/social-media-florida-government-f06dcfcbb8ff75ac3d3b0324cd16a7e7. Accessed 11 April 2024.

HADERO, HALELUYA. “Will TikTok be banned in the US? Here's what to know.” AP News, 13 March 2024, https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-bill-divest-5b5a685e8f1e19d22182d62526bf19b8. Accessed 11 April 2024.

“House passes bill that could lead to TikTok ban, AP Explains.” AP News, 13 March 2024, https://apnews.com/video/district-of-columbia-china-government-united-states-government-china-texas-1f4f7e0481bd4bad800eaa074a18c136. Accessed 11 April 2024.

ORTUTAY, BARBARA, and HALELUYA HADERO. “Social media companies made $11 billion in US ad revenue from minors, Harvard study finds.” AP News, 27 December 2023, https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-meta-instagram-revenue-teens-harvard-cc9bf875d6f7259ba2aee8805ccdaf3d. Accessed 11 April 2024.

“Roughly 1 in 6 teens use YouTube and TikTok almost constantly, survey finds.” AP News, 12 December 2023, https://apnews.com/article/teens-social-media-tiktok-snapchat-17e0ff4dec0f2744674cac4e7ae5b3ca. Accessed 11 April 2024.

WILLINGHAM, LEAH. “TikTok ban: Creators warn of economic impact if ban succeeds.” AP News, 15 March 2024, https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-reaction-influencers-4ae88afbc344630b2c1091a4a1784078. Accessed 11 April 2024.

Gangs are Controlling Haiti’s Capital by Julian Nowlin

I’m about to describe a fictional city and you think about if you want to live there. It’s in the Caribbean, so it’s hot and exposed to hurricanes if they get close enough. A recent earthquake devastated the city. You won’t be able to walk on the streets because it’s too dangerous. Gangs infest the city and have mini wars between them right there in plain sight. This is what is happening in Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince.

There are lots of videos, most of them by gangs who are broadcasting ransom for the people they kidnapped. A lot of them show terrible things happening to the people of Port-au-Prince, some of them I probably can’t name because this is a school newspaper. Over 2,000 people have been kidnapped off the streets in the fast growing trade. Gangs control about 80% of the city according to an estimate, and day by day the gangs will try to take more. Earlier in March Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency. 

Prisoners are being freed as the gangs destroy prisons which adds even more crime to the already chaotic streets. Law enforcement can’t do anything about this because police stations are being burned down and the police officers in them get killed. The remaining police officers risk their lives daily to fight the criminals.

Some neighborhoods in the city are getting creative to keep the gangs out. They use the biggest and heaviest things that they can find including dumpsters, RVs, and other automobiles to give them some time for peace in the violence. 

Even life for people in the gangs is terrible. A 14 year old told CNN that he doesn’t like to see people die in front of him every day. 

“The thing I hate the most is when [other gang members] kill someone and they make me burn the body.”

Is the government helping? No. The former Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, recently resigned. Although this might stop the protests, it will not help the issue of the gangs. Haiti is a mess, and if things keep going at this rate then the gangs might take over larger parts of Haiti.

Source: CNN   

Wordle Word by Olive Hollis

So I just did the word for today (April 1st) and I have never seen or heard this word before. Seeing as this won't be published today I’m gonna say what the word was. Frond. Like what is this word? I’m sorry but do you use the word frond on a daily basis? I didn’t think so. I looked up the definition of frond and it’s the leaf-like pattern on a palm, fern or similar plant. And the sentence that google used for this word was “fronds of bracken” like what is that supposed to mean? I don’t have a conversation and the word frond comes up. “What’s your favorite plant?”

“Fronds”

“Oh, why so?”

“Fronds”

“What?

“FRONDS!!!”

This is not a conversation that people have! Please give me an example of a sentence that I could say casually in an everyday conversation with someone with frond in it. Well you can’t! 

I’m going to make more of the conversation thing from above because that was fun and I can’t figure anything else to write about the word frond.

“What’s so special about fronds?”

“Fronds are fronds”

“Well I know that.”

“But do you?”

“Yeah… right?”

“Do you?”

“... Yes”

“Hey guess what?”

“What?”

“Fronds”

After 86 Years, New Evidence on Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance Has Been Found by Madison Mikita

Amelia Earhart was one of the most famed pioneers of the 20th century. She broke boundaries for women and was the first person to fly solo across the United States, and the second person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, mysteriously disappeared during her attempt to circumnavigate the world in July 1937. It’s been almost 90 years and no one knows what happened to the duo, but as of a few months ago, that may be changing. 

A group of marine robotics experts and underwater archeologists from Deep Sea Vision have found what could be Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra. The team discovered a plane-like mass about 100 miles from Howland Island, which was Earhart’s planned destination. Lloyd Romeo, co-leader of Deep Sea Vision’s search for Earhart’s plane, spoke with 8th-grade students at Park Forest Middle School on February 23rd from California via Google Meet to discuss his team’s possible historic findings.

This discovery could certainly be Amelia’s plane, after all, it matches the dimensions of the Lockheed 10-E Electra and Amelia’s radio signals right before disappearing. Romeo doesn’t believe she could have ended up anywhere other than around Howland Island and is 80% sure the plane is Amelia’s. 

Lloyd says the whole idea started with his brother, Tony Romeo. He remarked, “We all became interested in different areas that kind of converged.” Lloyd studied engineering and industrial controls while Tony studied contract law and started a business. According to Lloyd, Tony always felt Amelia Earhart’s disappearance was a “solvable mystery”. So that’s why (after a lot of research) Tony bought the HUGIN 6000 (a vehicle used to collect data underwater), they shipped it to Darwin Australia, put it on the boat they would be using, and set sail for Howland Island. 

The team was getting frustrated when after 90 days they still hadn’t found anything. It wasn’t until the very last day when they got the sonar image of what might be Amelia’s plane. Tony Romeo says, “It was definitely a surreal moment for all of us.” The team announced their discovery on January 27th, 2024.

Lloyd says they don’t have any plans to bring the plane to the surface, particularly because they don’t have the resources to do so, but the whole team agrees the plane belongs in the Smithsonian Institute.

Works Cited

Deep Sea Vision, https://www.deepseavision.com/. Accessed 22 March 2024.

“Amelia Earhart.” National Air and Space Museum, https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/amelia-earhart. Accessed 22 March 2024.

“Amelia Earhart: Possible breakthrough reportedly emerges.” New York Post, 2 September 2023, https://nypost.com/2023/09/02/amelia-earhart-possible-breakthrough-reportedly-emerges/. Accessed 22 March 2024.

Ranking Pizza Toppings by Sam Rockmore

Disclaimer 1: Pineapple does not belong anywhere near pizza.

Disclaimer 2: Neither does pear.

Disclaimer 3. This is a shorter article than usual.

8. Pear.

The moment I saw this, I had to throw up. I hate this.

Who invented this hot garbage? You are an insult to the beauty of humanity. You’re not a human. You’re a manifestation of everything that’s wrong with humanity.

You monster.

I have nothing left to say about you people.

You’ve committed a great atrocity. I will find you.

You can’t get away with this.

7. Pineapple.

This is an insult to everything Italy stands for.

Also, the evil scumbag who invented this monstrosity framed Hawaii.

He was from Greece, and moved to Canada.

6. Extra cheese. (Not the shake on)

Not a good choice by any means, but at least it isn’t one of the past two.
Pizza has enough cheese.

If I add more cheese, it’s just too much. It gets all stringy, and gets stuck in your throat, so you either guzzle down half the slice at once, or choke.

The shake-on extra cheese however? It doesn’t do that! It’s just delicious!

5. Onion.

It’s solid.

However, you need to have at least one other topping to take down the onionness.
Going just cheese, sauce, and onions? That… what… n-no!

That’s against the rules.

If you’re not a barbarian, and throw a meat on the pizza with the onions, then you have a good slice.

4. Bacon.

If I’m being honest, bacon on pizza is kinda overrated. Like, I mean, it’s good and all, but it’s not that good. Chill.

3. Sauce.

If you don’t put sauce on your pizza, what’s the matter with you?

Sauce is crucial.

However, there are some horrific people who put the cheese under the sauce?!

That’s not how that works!
Sauce, then cheese.

Chicago style pizza is another kind of pizza that’ll make you projectile vomit from just thinking about it.

The cheese does not go under the sauce in any circumstance. 

If you use sauce like a normal person, it’s great!

2. Pepperoni.

Pepperoni is overrated.

It’s really good though.

I personally like the thick pepperoni better, but thin’s good too.

You can’t go wrong with pepperoni.

That’s all.

1. Sausage.

While pepperoni is good, Sausage is godsent.

The Domino’s Italian Sausage has the perfect texture, while also tasting fantastic.

If we’re doing two topping pizzas, I get pepperoni and sausage.

It’s just really good.

There’s no argument here.

Objective fact.

Protesters Fling Soup at the “Mona Lisa” in Paris by Abby Cao & Serena Tian

On Sunday, January 28, protesters hurled pumpkin soup at the famous Mona Lisa housed in the Louvre, but fortunately, the painting was protected by its glass casing. 

The two protesters who were responsible are said to be part of a group called the Riposte Alimentaire (meaning Food Response), which is an environmentalist group. Said on Riposte Alimentaire’s website, “It is now up to us, ordinary citizens, to enforce the commitments to which our government refuses to comply and to build a just and resilient society. It is up to us to enter into civil resistance.” The group says its main goal is to provide access to healthy food that pays farmers with dignity, but many are questioning their methods.

A video was recorded showing the entire incident. At ten a.m (Paris time), two women hurled pumpkin soup at the Mona Lisa, and it splashed all over the protective casing while the crowd gasped and booed. The women crossed beneath the wooden railing to address onlookers. One protester quickly took off her jacket, showing the words “FOOD RIPOSTE” on her shirt.

“What is more important: art or the right to a healthy and sustainable diet?” she shouted.

The Louvre’s security staff quickly intervened, evacuating everyone from the room, called the “Salle de Estats”. Staff then placed black panels around the Mona Lisa and the women, isolating them from the tourists.

The Riposte Alimentaire said they were there to make awareness of the little food production and the many people who are in hunger in France. They are calling for “the integration into the general social security system.” 

In their website, they claim to be part of the A22 network. A22 connects some of the many protestant groups: UK’s Just Stop Oil, Renovate Switzerland, Italy’s Ultima Generazione, and so many more. A similar attack was orchestrated on Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” in 2022, conducted by Just Stop Oil.

Why do environmentalist activists throw food onto famous paintings? The protesters are conveying a powerful message: art cannot exist on a destroyed planet. 

French Culture Minister Rachida Datl condemned the Louvre protest by posting on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The Mona Lisa, like our heritage, belongs to future generations. No one can justify it being targeted!” 

The museum has stated that it is lodging a complaint.

And despite the many attacks on the Mona Lisa, to this day, she is still smiling ever so mysteriously, hiding the many secrets she may contain.

Works Cited

Riposte Alimentaire, https://ripostealimentaire.fr/. Accessed 15 February 2024.

“Protesters hurl soup at the ‘Mona Lisa’ in Paris.” CNN, 29 January 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/28/europe/soup-thrown-mona-lisa-louvre-paris-intl/index.html. Accessed 15 February 2024.

The USS North Carolina, the Greatest Living Battleship in History by Stephen Austin

USS North Carolina, the Greatest Living Battleship in History…

The USS North Carolina (BB-55) made not only United States history, but world history over its great use and time in WW2, overruling any competition the exact day it was built. The USS North Carolina was made in the New York Naval Shipyard during the event of WW2 as a fierce countermeasure to any naval attack or invasion. Being created to be the heaviest piece of metal in the entire ocean. Weighing a staggering 36,600 tons while unloaded, 44,800 tons loaded with ammunition alone, made it an above average weighted battleship, however, it was the most decorated (armed) battleship in all of the Carolina class and one of the most decorated in the entire world.

The USS North Carolina had so much power in it, that the governor of the vessel even made a remark on it, saying “Its very power is fascinating. It commands our respect and will help us command the respect of the world. It speaks a language even a dictator can understand.” Clyde Hoey, Governor of North Carolina (1937-1941). The USS North Carolina was one of the fastest ships in the entire world during its existence on the water, in fact, it was so fast that it stunned many people by the sheer speed and power. This super speed was also not just for bragging, but it gave huge tactical advantages, being able to easily outrun any enemy it faced.

Officially, on April 9, 1941, what was considered to be the “world's fightingest ship” (Battleship North Carolina - Ship History) was commissioned at 11:30 a.m., from the New York Navy Yard. When the ship was launched, the “hype” around it had accumulated so much to the point where as soon as it was announced to launch, it took the early media by complete storm. Many would soon be standing around the USS North Carolina as it was honorably released into the ocean.

 “Placed to service the $70,000,000 battleship it had taken nearly four years to build.” (Battleship North Carolina - Ship History), when it was announced that the ship would be commissioned, everyone was very shocked and excited to hear that because it ended up being commissioned four months ahead of schedule. “As bugles blared and white-capped officers and bluejackets saluted, a pennant was run slowly up the flagstaff to show that the ship was in commission. Millions listened over the radio as the mightiest battleship afloat was put into service.” - The Young Catholic Messenger, April 25, 1941.

After initial drop offs and showing, the USS North Carolina was promptly nick-named “The ShowBoat” because of its mass decoration (weaponment). At the time they were testing the Showboats instruments, the roaring thunder-like shock could be heard from miles away, forcing them to test such weapons in the middle of the ocean, giving it voyage time in the process. On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, and the United States declared war on Japan and Germany. Because of this, the USS North Carolina was ordered to be stationed at Pearl Harbor in fear of being attacked once again. On July 11, 1942, the USS North Carolina finally made it all the way over to Pearl Harbor, and when the crew arrived, supposedly the crowd went wild. “The crews cheered and cheered us. I couldn’t help saying to myself, ‘They’re cheering us for nothing.’ We hadn’t done anything. We had not fired a single shot yet. But to them, we were the symbol of help finally arriving in force.” (Firecontrollman Lary Resen).

There were many battles fought in the time of WW2 and also in general. The USS North Carolina was so jam-packed with weapons and armament, that it had been brought in all of those many battles. The USS North Carolina had been brought in every single major naval offensive across the entire world. The Showboat had accumulated fifteen battle stars over the course of its career, earning the title of the most decorated battleship within the duration of WW2. The image illustrates roughly the entirety of The Showboats surface.

As the world would find out very shortly, WW2 had officially ended after three more years of constant war. After WW2 ended, all the battleships and tanks and airplanes were now officially out-of-service because there was no use for them currently. However, after WW2 had ended, the USS North Carolina had been decommissioned, and it was then used as a training ship, to help sailors understand what a Battleship looks like and feels like, along with how to use the weapons and control surfaces. It was then taken over to the Interactive Reserve Fleet in Bayonne in New Jersey, to be docked and kept in prime condition for use in training.

Work Cited

“USS North Carolina (BB-55).” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_North_Carolina_(BB-55). Accessed 15 February 2024

“The Battleship, North Carolina Memorial Ship History.” Battleship North Carolina, https://battleshipnc.com/ship-history/. Accessed 15 February 2024.

https://www.wect.com/2022/05/30/remembering-fallen-aboard-uss-north-carolina/

The End Of A Trailblazer: Ingenuity’s Mission Comes To A Close by Kale Cunningham

After 3 years of flying across Mars, NASA has ended the Mars helicopter Ingenuity’s mission. During its most recent flight, NASA lost contact with the helicopter for several hours. And although they managed to regain contact with the probe they learned that it had made an emergency on the ground. They discovered that it had damaged its rotor blades during the incident. This unfortunately means that Ingenuity had no more chance to fly again safely. 

“Helicopters like this are not designed to fly even with the smallest fraction of a grant of imbalance and we're gonna have the end of our mission in the weeks ahead," says Teddy Tzanetos, the Project Manger for the Ingenuity mission.

A Legacy To Remember 

Ingenuity landed on Mars in February 2021 with the Perseverance Mars rover. After it was deployed onto the surface in March the helicopter waited a month before it was able to fly. But finally on April 19, 2021, the helicopter made its frist flight into space. The helicopter was intended to fly a total 5 flights over a 30 day period. Before Ingenuity no one even knew for sure that you could conduct a powered flight on another planet. But Ingenuity proved that you could. Ingenuity racked up over 70 flights and clocked up almost three hours total of flight time on the red planet. The highest it flew was during Flight 57, which it reach an attitude of 78 feet. The longest it flew was during Flight 69 which it reached almost 3 minutes in the air. Although those feats may have seem diminutive compared to Earth helicopters, Ingenuity opened up new door way to flight on Mars. 

The Sad, Happy Ending

Ingenuity’s mission is expected to end in a few weeks. The mission team plans to power off the helicopter, but they are still very proud of the results of the mission. "We couldn't be prouder or happier with how our little baby has done," Tzanetos said in a statement on Wednesday (Jan. 31) ."It's been the mission of a lifetime for all of us.” 

I have enjoyed writing about Ingenuity’s adventures on Mars, and now that its mission has ended I feel sad that it has to go. But, it has changed our understanding of science that I am grateful for. 

Ranking Sodas because I didn't wanna remake the ranking drinks article. Also carbonated milk is a soda. by Sam Rockmore

I see no need to explain this. 

Disclaimer 1: Carbonated Milk is a soda, and if you disagree, [Insert mockery later]

Disclaimer 2. Mountain Dew is awful. Cry about it.

Disclaimer 3. If you actually cried about it, what are you doing, you absolute buffoon. 

Disclaimer 4. This is only sodas, no flat drinks, otherwise Choccy Milk and Tea will dominate.

Disclaimer 5. This is the last disclaimer.

Disclaimer 6. The previous disclaimer is lying.

10. Mountain Dew.

Mountain Dew is TERRIBLE. It’s nasty. Accept it. Anybody who enjoys this is a Virginian Fortnite Player who has an irrational fear of a shower. It’s coloured like Chernobyl, and tastes like it too. 

Just why?

Why does this even exist?

It’s nasty; cry about it.

9. Root Beer.

I don’t understand this. It’s bad, and yet, somehow, a majority of people think it’s good? The real stuff’s better. It’s nasty, and only makes it evident that children crave Alcohol. They see their parents drink one beer, and then suddenly, they’re desperate to get their grubby little hands on it, so I say, alcohol did nobody any good, so ban it from the country, like in Flaerhart, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, the UAE, Yemen, Oman, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Morocco or Iraq. Sam Rockmore for president 2024. Root beer floats are good though, although they could use a different soda, or hey, Choccy milk would work great with chocolate ice cream. Coke with Vanilla Ice cream also sounds good.

8. Doctor Pepper

This tastes like if you put a Plutonium Bomb in a blender, then drank it. This garbage burns like paint remover. For some reason, my father likes this stuff. He’s a lunatic.

7. Starry

Starry is a ripoff of Sierra Mist, which was a rip-off of Sprite and 7-Up.

Needless to say, I discourage plagiarism. Sierra Mist tried to reverse-engineer Sprite and 7-Up, and didn’t do all that well. Then, Starry tried to reverse engineer Sierra Mist, and that’s how we ended up with the most empty Lemon-Lime soda ever.

6. Fanta

Fanta’s actually really good, but I had to put it down here for historical reasons.

Who made Fanta?

IT’S THE NAZIS. The Nazis invented Fanta, and it was literally a Nazi staple.

When the Nazis captured a country, they changed all of their Coke factories to Fanta. But hey, Fanta is really good though, so I still had to put it high.

5. Pepsi

Pepsi isn’t exactly coke, but they did okay. Pepsi is just kinda mid, but hey, I actually like their logo better.

Also, to get Pepsi in the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union sold Pepsi some decommissioned ships, causing Pepsi to have the 6th largest navy, until they sold the boats to Sweden for scrap metal.

4. Sprite

Sprite is good. I prefer 7-Up by a long shot, but Sprite is good too. This is an argument where I’m actually fairly tame.

3. Coke

Please, go back to the old recipe, I want that pure Colombian Cocaine 

actual sugar. But yeah, Coke is good. It’s solid, and can keep you awake. It is a really basic favourite though.

2. 7-Up

Oh god, this is so good. It’s like Sprite, but god tier. If it’s an option, I’ll take my 7-Up, because they almost definitely don’t have my favourite.

1. Milkis

This is Carbonated Milk. It’s fantastic, please trust me. If I saw a six pack of Milkis, but the only way to get it is to nuke Slovakia, well, Slovakia is gone.

But yeah, a nice, cold carbonated milk hits different. There’s an East Asian Market right off of Blue Course, next to the Enterprise Car Rental Company. A 6 pack of Carbonated Milk is $8.50.

Buy it.

Now.

Or else. I found a website where I can legally buy Uranium, so you better listen.

North Korea leans toward nuclear war with US and South Korea by Julian Nowlin

You have most likely heard about Kim Jong Un and his ballistic missile program in the isolated country of North Korea. If you’re like me, then you expect nuclear war every day. But if you’re not like me, this likely doomsday scenario is not far from happening. 

The United States has been aiding South Korea and practicing war games there, as the Asian country is one of their closest allies. Lots of times Kim Jong Un has threatened war when the US practiced war games. His reasoning “for frequent and committed actions” Kim says are “dangerous” or “provoking.” 

He also said this about his military and ballistic missile program that scared me a lot: “... the munitions of industry, nuclear weapons and civil defense sectors to further accelerate the war preparations… due to anti DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) confrontation moves of the U.S. and its vassal forces unprecedented in history.” 

That means that he will be pushing his forces and nuclear program to up their game so they can match the United States and South Korea. 

North Korea will also send spy satellites up to space this year much to the alarm of the United States and South Korea. 

No matter what, the citizens of South Korea and the United States will be well-informed if North Korea acts with nuclear intentions. The citizens of North Korea, however, will likely be fed continued propaganda from its government, and thus be kept largely in the dark about the realities of any international situation. 

Source: CNN