Great Stories to Newsjack Today
Cocaine Santa Sweater
Walmart had to apologize this past week for having a sweater that apparently showed Santa in front of several lines of cocaine on the Canadian version of their website. The sweaters, which were allegedly from a third-party vendor were removed from the market but not before causing a stir on social media.
This case has several possible newsjacking options. If you practice criminal law you could talk about cocaine use, charges, or how those charges change depending on the quantity a person is caught with. If you’re a contract lawyer, you could discuss what terms the third-party may have violated of there agreement with Walmart. If you’re an employment lawyer, you could discuss the rights of the person who put this particular sweater onto the marketplace.
Refugee Nativity
Whatever your political stripe I’m sure you have an opinion on how this California Church has decided to display its nativity scene. By depicting Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in seperate cages topped with barbed wire, the church is making a rather pointed comment on the current administration.
If you’re an immigration attorney the story is pretty straight-forward and it basically writes itself. If you’re an intellectual property lawyer I’m sure you can type up a few lines on the rights of the artist and the church and how it is their right to have created this display. On the other side, if you’re real estate attorney, you might be able to come up with a discussion on why they should have to take the display down due to its potential effect on the surrounding property values.
Artist Eats Art
A Miami man and artist actually ate another piece of art this weekend. The piece, a banana duct-taped to the wall, was valued at $120,000 and, according to one art critic was “mocking the art world” as that is what the original artist in known for.
Looking for a twist on this one? If you’re a property attorney you could discuss the loss and the possible suit against the banana eater. A lawyer practicing estate planning could discuss the other two similar pieces that were purchased and how their natural degredation could effect the buyer’s retirement plans. A bankruptcy specialist could look into how the banana eater could address his impending financial doom as he potentially has to pay back.
