WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT, THIS IS A WIN MORE. HE’S A SENIOR AT AN INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL AT A CROSSROADS IN HIS LIFE. MOST OF MY FRIENDS ARE GOING TO A FOUR YEAR COLLEGE, BUT OWEN IS NOT. IT KIND OF MAKES ME A LITTLE SAD THAT I WON’T BE ABLE TO BE WITH THEM. WHY? HE AND OTHER HIGH SCHOOLERS ARE MAKING THE DIFFICULT DECISION TO SKIP COLLEGE. PLUS, DISCOVERING A DINOSAUR LAUNCHED A CAREER HE NEVER KNEW EXISTED. JUST REALLY KIND OF A DREAM COME TRUE. LOOK AT HOW HE’S BRINGING RELICS OF THE PAST TO LIFE. AND SOON TO BE PARENTS WITH A SIMPLE QUESTION WHERE AM I GOING TO BE DELIVERING MY BABY? AS HOSPITALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY CLOSE THEIR LABOR AND DELIVERY UNITS? THAT’S GETTING HARDER TO ANSWER. WE EXPLORE THE OPTIONS FOR EXPECTANT MOMS LIVING IN MATERNITY DESERTS. ALL THAT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. ON THE FACE OF IT, GOING TO COLLEGE MAKES SENSE. RECENT NUMBERS SHOW A YOUNG PERSON WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE MAKES ABOUT $22,000 A YEAR MORE THAN SOMEONE WITHOUT ONE. BUT EVEN WITH THE PROSPECT OF A BETTER PAYING JOB, STUDENTS ARE STARTING TO ASK, IS COLLEGE WORTH IT? FROM COST TO TIME INVESTED TO WORK LIFE BALANCE AND EVEN POLITICAL POINTS OF VIEW, SOME STUDENTS ARE RETHINKING COLLEGE AS THE NEXT STEP AFTER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION. OUR CORRESPONDENT LAURA CHAVEZ WENT TO CENTRAL INDIANA TO TALK WITH TWO SENIORS WHO ARE DECIDING TO TAKE A DIFFERENT PATH. CAN YOU GET THE PLACE? I’M JUST ABOUT DONE. IT’S DINNERTIME AT THE MOORE HOME IN CENTRAL INDIANA. AND OWEN MOORE, THE YOUNGEST OF THE FIVE CHILDREN AND A SENIOR AT KOKOMO HIGH SCHOOL, IS THE CENTER OF THE FAMILY’S ATTENTION. YOU’RE STARTING IN SEPTEMBER, RIGHT? YEAH. DESPITE WHAT COULD BE CONSIDERED A FAMILY TRADITION, OWEN ISN’T FOLLOWING IN THE COLLEGIATE FOOTSTEPS OF HIS SIBLINGS AND PARENTS. IT WAS DEFINITELY A LITTLE, LIKE, NERVE WRACKING, LIKE GOING IN AND TELLING THEM, LIKE, HEY, I’M NOT GOING TO COLLEGE. BUT MY PARENTS HAVE BEEN VERY, LIKE, RESPECTFUL AND SUPPORTIVE OF OF MY DECISION, MY PLANS ARE TO START AT HOBART AROUND SEPTEMBER OR AUGUST AND CUT THE K OUT WELDED TO THE CENTER OF THE GATE. HOBART IS A WELDING INSTITUTE IN OHIO. HE’LL BE IN A NINE MONTH PROGRAM AND AFTER THAT IT’S IN INTO THE WORKFORCE, HOPING TO MAKE ABOUT $40,000 A YEAR. OWEN IS PART OF A GROWING TREND WITH GEN Z OPTING OUT OF COLLEGE IN 2021, 43% OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES ENROLLED IN A FOUR YEAR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY. THAT’S DOWN 3% OVER FIVE YEARS. THE MAIN REASON CITED COST. THE 2004 GRADUATING CLASS WAS LOOKING AT AN ANNUAL PUBLIC SCHOOL COST OF ABOUT $4,600. NOW, THAT SAME TYPE OF PUBLIC SCHOOL COSTS OVER $9,300, PUSHING MANY STUDENTS TO HEAD DIRECTLY INTO THE WORKFORCE OR GET A CAREER CERTIFICATION LIKE OWEN’S CLASSMATE, KEYARA KILLEBREW. I ALWAYS HAVE LOVED ANIMALS. A SCULPTOR, KEYARA RECENTLY SHIFTED HER FOCUS TO CARING FOR ANIMALS WITH A PLAN TO MAKE THAT HER LIFE’S WORK. I’M GOING TO THE VET TECH INSTITUTION TO GET MY ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE, AND THEN AFTER THAT TO HOPEFULLY JUST JUMP RIGHT INTO THE VETERINARY FIELD AND GET INTO THE WORKFORCE. BOTH KEYARA AND OWEN ATTEND A CAREER ORIENTED PROGRAM AT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL, THE KOKOMO AREA CAREER CENTER. IN THE MORNING, THEY GO TO TRADITIONAL CLASSES, BUT IN THE AFTERNOON THEIR STUDIES FOCUS ON TECHNICAL EDUCATION. PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS VOCATIONAL SCHOOL. IT’S SUCH A GOOD KITTY. JONATHAN SCHUCK IS THE DIRECTOR AT CCAC. GOOD MORNING. I THINK THESE KIDS ARE QUESTIONING A LOT OF THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, OPTIONS FOR THEMSELVES AND YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE RIGHT PATH FOR THEM. YOU KNOW, DO THEY WANT TO GO TO A TRADITIONAL FOUR YEAR COLLEGE, WHICH POSSIBLY CAN LEAD TO A LOT OF COLLEGE DEBT? AND I THINK THE KIDS ARE LOOKING AT THIS AND GOING, OKAY, WHAT IS RIGHT FOR ME AND FOR MY PASSIONS AND WHAT I WANT TO DO AND WHERE IS IT GOING TO LEAD FOR ME IN THE DECADE SCHUCK RUN, RUN THE PROGRAM ENROLLMENT AVERAGES ABOUT 1300 STUDENTS A YEAR. BUT RECENTLY, HE SAYS, MORE KIDS ARE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED FOLLOWING THIS PATH AFTER GRADUATION. I THINK THE KIDS THAT COME HERE ARE REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT BEING HERE. THEY’VE ACTUALLY CHOSEN TO WANT TO BE HERE. AND I THINK A LOT OF THEM, IT REALLY HELPS THEM IN THEIR EDUCATION IN REGARDS TO BEING SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS THEY FIND HERE. GOOD. VERY GOOD FOR SOME PEOPLE. THEY GO TO COLLEGE FOR THAT FOUR YEARS AND THEN THEY JUST THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. AND THEN THEY THEY STRUGGLE FOR LIKE 2 OR 3 YEARS, LIKE TRYING TO FIND A JOB. AND I JUST WANT TO GET IN AND OUT. WHO’S MY LEFT GUARD? ME. I AM A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT NOT HAVING A COLLEGE DEGREE, BUT THE FINANCIAL SIDE OF IT, THAT’S DEFINITELY A HUGE BONE. S JUST BECAUSE, I MEAN, THERE’S NOT AS MUCH DEBT AND I MEAN, I’LL BE MAKING A PRETTY DECENT AMOUNT OF MONEY. OWEN HOPES STARTING HIS CAREER NOW WILL GET HIM CLOSER TO SOME OF HIS OTHER GOALS, LIKE AN EARLY RETIREMENT. AS FOR KEYARA, SHE’S CONSIDERING BECOMING A ZOOLOGIST, WHICH WOULD MEAN EVENTUALLY GOING BACK TO SCHOOL. BUT FOR NOW, THIS IS HOW THEIR ADULT LIVES BEGIN. IN KOKOMO, INDIANA, I’M LAURA CHAVEZ. FOR MATTER OF FACT. NEXT ON MATTER OF FACT, AS EXPECTANT PARENTS NEAR THE NINE MONTH MARK, IT’S TIME TO MAKE A BIRTH PLAN. BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE CLOSEST LABOR AND DELIVERY WARD IS HOURS AWAY? WE FOLLOW THEM ALONG THEIR TOUGH JOURNEY. PLUS, RESTORING A DINOSAUR IS AN INCREDIBLY LABOR INTENSIVE PROCESS, AND HE’D NO. WE INTRODUCE YOU TO THE ARTIST BEHIND SOME OF THE MASSIVE DINOSAUR SKELETONS YOU SEE IN MUSEUMS AND A LOOK AT THE GROWING TREND OF TIKTOK USERS RELYING ON THE APP TO FORM THEIR POLITICAL OPINIONS. YOU’RE WATCHING MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS IT’S HAPPENING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. HOSPITALS CLOSING THEIR LABOR AND DELIVERY UNITS, LEAVING EXPECTANT MOMS WITH FEW OPTIONS TO SAFELY GIVE BIRTH. ONE OF THE LATEST CLOSURES, THE MONROE COUNTY HOSPITAL IN ALABAMA. FAMILIES MUST NOW TRAVEL UP TO 103 MILES TO GET PROPER HELP. LABOR AND DELIVERY UNITS ARE EXPENSIVE FOR HOSPITALS TO MAINTAIN, AND TEXAS LEADS THE NATION IN MATERNAL D WARD CLOSURES. ONLY 40% OF RURAL HOSPITALS THERE HAVE THEM. OUR CORRESPONDENT LEONE LAKHANI, WENT TO WEST TEXAS AND FOLLOWED EXPECTANT MOMS WHO HAVE TO TRAVEL FOR HOURS JUST TO GIVE BIRTH. THIS REMOTE TOWN IN WEST TEXAS IS HOME TO FEWER THAN 400 PEOPLE. THIS IS WHERE CARRIE GONZALEZ AND HER HUSBAND DECIDED TO MAKE THEIR HOME. SIX YEARS AGO, WE WERE LIVING IN AUSTIN, WHICH IS WHERE I GREW UP, AND WE WERE JUST KIND OF SICK OF CITY LIFE. WE ENDED UP HERE KIND OF BY ACCIDENT. WE FOUND PROPERTY AND STARTED BUILDING A HOUSE HERE. CARRIE IS BRINGING UP HER FIRST CHILD HERE. LITTLE PALOMA IS HAPPY AND CAREFREE TODAY, BUT HER JOURNEY INTO THE WORLD WAS A HARROWING ONE. WE HAD HER A YEAR AGO, APPROXIMATELY, AND WE HAD PLANNED TO HAVE HER AT HOME. BUT AS CARRIE APPROACHED FULL TERM, HER BLOOD PRESSURE BECAME A CONCERN. I CALLED MY MIDWIFE AND SHE CONSULTED WITH MY DOCTOR AND SHE TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD GO TO THE HOSPITAL AND JUST HAVE THEM CHECK ME OUT. WHILE THE NEAREST HOSPITAL WAS JUST 30 MINUTES AWAY, THE LABOR AND DELIVERY UNIT PERIODICALLY CLOSED DUE TO STAFF SHORTAGES. THE DOCTOR CAME IN AND TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED TO BE INDUCED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND THAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE MY BABY NOW. SO AT MIDNIGHT THEY WERE GOING TO BE CLOSED. THEY THEY TOLD ME THAT I WOULD NEED TO BE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER HOSPITAL. THE NEAREST HOSPITAL WITH SPECIALIZED CARE WAS 2.5 HOURS AWAY. GIVEN HER CONDITION, CARRIE HAD TO BE AIRLIFTED THERE. THANKFULLY, PALOMA ARRIVED SAFELY AND THE GONZALEZ’S WERE ABLE TO GO HOME AFTER A DAY. THE COST OF THE THE DELIVERY FOR US WAS I THINK IT WAS 7000. AND THAT DOESN’T INCLUDE. THE $94,000 HELICOPTER RIDE. WE’RE STILL DEALING WITH THAT WORKING THROUGH THE INSURANCE COMPANY TO GET THAT PAID FOR. ASIDE FROM THE POTENTIAL COSTS, THE DISTANCES ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR SAFE CHILDBIRTH IN REMOTE AREAS LIKE THESE. ACCORDING TO DR. JOHN RAY. YOU KNOW, I THINK GEOGRAPHY IS JUST HARD TO APPRECIATE, I THINK HOW DIFFICULT THAT MAKES THINGS. RAY TRAVELS BETWEEN THREE CITIES EVERY WEEK TO SEE PATIENTS. THE FURTHEST IS PRESIDIO, A CITY NEAR THE MEXICAN BORDER, 90 MILES FROM HIS HOME. I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I’VE HEARD STORIES WHERE SOMEONE DROVE FROM PRESIDIO ALL THE WAY TO ODESSA FOR A FOLLOW UP VISIT. PROBABLY 250 MILES ONE WAY. LIKE MOST DOCTORS IN RURAL AREAS, RAY IS A FAMILY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN. HE SAYS A THIRD OF HIS PATIENTS ARE OBSTETRIC. IT’S IN THIS BORDER TOWN. THIS CLINIC IS THE ONLY OPPORTUNITY FOR MANY EXPECTANT MOTHERS TO SEE A DOCTOR UNLESS THEY TRAVEL FOR HOURS. MUCHAS GRACIAS, KARLA. YOU CAN SEE ME IN PRESIDIO ONCE A WEEK, BUT I’M NOT HERE EVERY DAY. DENTAL ASSISTANT BRITTANY ALONSO GETS THE GENERAL CHECKUPS AT THE PRESIDIO CLINIC, BUT HAS TO DRIVE AN HOUR AND A HALF FOR HER BABY’S ULTRASOUNDS. AND THERE’S NO OPTION TO DELIVER HER BABY HERE. WHENEVER I KNEW THAT I WAS PREGNANT, MY FIRST THING WAS LIKE, WHERE AM I GOING TO BE DELIVERING MY BABY? AND THEN SINCE THE ALPINE HOSPITAL, IT’S BEEN CLOSING, NOT THE HOSPITAL, BUT WHERE THEY DELIVER BABIES. IT’S BEEN CLOSING FOR DAYS. SO THAT’S ONE OF THE CONCERNS. THE LABOR AND DELIVERY UNIT IN THE ALPINE HOSPITAL IS NOW FULLY OPEN, BUT BRITTANY IS WORRIED STAFF SHORTAGES COULD CHANGE THAT. THERE’S ALSO NO NEWBORN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT IN CASE THERE’S A NEED. THE NEXT SPECIALIST HOSPITAL IS MORE THAN 200 MILES AWAY IN MIDLAND, ODESSA. I’M GOING TO BE MOVING TO MIDLAND BECAUSE OF THE LIKE WHERE AM I GOING TO BE DELIVERING? SO I MIGHT BE GOING OVER THERE. WOW. SO THAT YOU’RE MOVING COMPLETELY JUST TO BE CLOSER TO THE HOSPITAL? YES. UPROOTING HER LIFE TO GIVE BIRTH. CARRIE GONZALEZ SAYS SHE WOULD DO THE SAME NEXT TIME. YOU HAD THIS WHOLE PLAN FOR HOW YOU WANTED YOUR BIRTHING PROCESS TO BE. IT DIDN’T WORK OUT THAT WAY. SO HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL NOW? I MEAN, IT MAKES ME SAD, REALLY. I MEAN, I FEEL REALLY LUCKY THAT WE HAD A HEALTHY BABY, BUT THAT SHOULD BE THE MINIMUM WHEN YOU’RE HAVING A BABY. FOR MATTER OF FACT, I’M LEONE LAKHANI IN WEST TEXAS. COMING UP, HIS JOB TO ACCURATELY RECREATE DINOSAUR SKELETONS AS WE HAVE THE BONES. HIS CHALLENGE THERE MAY HAVE BEEN BURIED UNDER TWO MILES OF SEDIMENT, BUT HOW HE WORKS TO SHOW YOU WHAT DINOSAURS REALLY LOOKED LIKE. PLUS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE TRYING TO INFLUENCE OUR PERCEPTIONS AND OUR BELIEFS. WHAT YOU CAN DO TO BE A SMARTER CONSUMER OF SOCIAL MEDIA THIS UPCOMING ELECTION YEAR. WELCOME BACK. TO MATTER OF FACT, THIS NEXT STORY TAKES US BACK WAY BACK. DINOSAURS HAVE BEEN EXTINCT FOR ABOUT 65 MILLION YEARS, AND YET WE SEE THEIR LIFE SIZE REPLICAS IN MUSEUMS ALL OVER THE WORLD. THEY’RE THOUGHT TO BE PRETTY ACCURATE DEPICTIONS OF WHAT DINOSAURS LOOK LIKE FROM THEIR SIZE TO OTHER FEATURES LIKE TAILS AND TEETH. AND THAT’S DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE. SCIENTISTS HARDLY EVER FIND A COMPLETE SKELETON. DESIGNERS LIKE ROBERT GASTON WORK WITH PALEONTOLOGY ARTISTS TO ACCURATELY RESEARCH AND REDESIGN THE LIFE SIZE FIGURES. GASTON NOW OWNS ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF COMPANIES CREATING AND BUILDING THESE PREHISTORIC LOOK ALIKES. OUR PRODUCER, TARA CLEARY, TRAVELED TO WESTERN COLORADO TO AN AREA KNOWN AS THE DINOSAUR DIAMOND TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GASTON’S WORK. MY DISCOVERY OF GASTONIA WAS THE THE WHOLE LAUNCH INTO WHAT I DO TODAY. WHAT WAS THROUGH PARTICIPATING IN THE EXCAVATE ATION THAT KIND OF SNOWBALLED AID MY DEGREE WAS IN FINE ARTS, SO I WAS REALLY WELL SUITED TO ALL THE SKILLS THAT YOU NEED TO RESTORE DINOSAURS. SO IT WAS JUST KIND OF SOMETHING I NEVER COULD HAVE PLANNED FOR, BUT JUST REALLY KIND OF A DREAM COME TRUE. NOBODY TO THAT POINT HAD EVER DONE A RECONSTRUCTION OF THAT TYPE OF ARMORED DINOSAUR. SO THAT WAS REALLY EXCITING TO TAKE THAT ON AND THAT WAS THE DISCOVERY THAT LAUNCHED EVERYTHING FOR ME HERE. IT’S VERY, VERY BADLY CRUSHED. THIS SKULL IS DISTORTED. IT’S THE PROCESS BASICALLY BEGINS WITH THE PREPARED MATERIAL THAT THE MUSEUM HAS EXCAVATED. A LOT OF TIMES THE ANALOGY I LIKE TO USE IS CARS AND JUNKYARDS. YOU’VE NEVER SEEN THAT TYPE OF CAR. YOU GET ONE THAT’S BEEN RUN THROUGH THE CRUSHER AND AND YOU DON’T REALLY HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. BUT MAYBE YOU HAVE OTHER SPORTS CARS THAT LOOK SIMILAR. WE BETTER DO THAT NOW. AND SO YOU’RE TRYING TO, WITH THE HELP OF PALEONTOLOGISTS, DECIPHER WHAT THAT ANIMAL’S BONES LOOKED LIKE BEFORE OR THEY WENT THROUGH THAT WHOLE PROCESS. SO WE PATTERNED HER PLUMAGE AFTER A RED TAILED HAWK. I’M DR. JULIE MCHUGH. I’M THE CURATOR OF PALEONTOLOGY FOR THE MUSEUMS OF WESTERN COLORADO. YOU DIDN’T STAB YOURSELF ENOUGH WHEN YOU WERE MOUNTING THE FEATHERS. I DIDN’T STAB MYSELF AT ALL. I FIRST STARTED WORKING WITH ROBERT PRETTY SOON AFTER I CAME TO THE MUSEUM OF WESTERN COLORADO. THAT’S THE ANIMAL’S BLIND SPOT. BLIND SPOT? YEAH. SO IT’S REALLY DIFFICULT FOR SOME PEOPLE TO IMAGINE FROM JUST A HANDFUL OF BONES WHAT A WHOLE ANIMAL WOULD LOOK LIKE. AND SO THESE FULL SKELETON MOUNTS PROVIDE THAT MISSING LINK TO BRING THESE PIECES OF INFORMATION TOGETHER, TO CREATE A REPRESENTATION OF WHAT THESE ANIMALS WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE IN THEIR LIFETIME. WHEN YOU RECONSTRUCT THIS, THE THING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO STRESS WITH THIS PROCESS IS WE DON’T WANT TO ATTEMPT A RECONSTRUCTION IF WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MATERIAL, THEN IT IS A WORK OF FICTION. WE’RE NOT JUST DECIDING, OH, LET’S THROW THIS HERE, LET’S THROW THAT THERE. LOOK AT THE BASE OF THOSE BROW HORNS. IF THEY WERE COMPLETE, THEY WERE GIGANTIC. YEAH. TO SEE SOMETHING WE’VE DONE IN A MUSEUM IS REALLY A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. AND THE OTHER THE OTHER PART OF THAT IS KNOWING THAT WE’RE HERE FOR SUCH A SHORT TIME, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE’RE LOOKING AT ALL THIS STUFF AND ON A GEOLOGIC SCALE, OUR OUR LIFETIME IS POOF. IT’S GONE. WE’RE WATCHING CLIMATE CHANGE TAKE PLACE OVER DECADES, WHICH MAY BE TO US SEEMS LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF A PROTRACTED EVENT, BUT LOOKING GEOLOGICALLY, THIS IS INSTANTANEOUS, LIKE A METEORITE HITTING. AND SO TO KNOW THAT YOU’RE DOING SOMETHING THAT LEAVES A MARK THAT WILL BE HERE AFTER YOU’RE GONE IS REALLY, REALLY WONDERFUL. KIND OF COOL, COOL THING TO TO KNOW. SEEING THAT DOES MAKE YOU THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT OUR SENSE OF TIME AND OUR IMPACT ON THE PLANET. ST AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, LAWMAKERS CONCERNED ABOUT THE THREAT OF TIKTOK HAVE HELD HEARINGS AND BANNED IT ON FEDERAL EMPLOYEES PHONES. THIS IS A NONPARTISAN CONCERN. SO WHY IS THE AMERICAN PUBLIC RELYING ON IT NOW MORE THAN EVER? PLUS, HOW THESE TWIN SISTERS SPUN AN ART PROJECT THAT HAS GONE GLOBAL, ALL TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH. MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER ATYOUNG PEOPLE ARE IN TURNING TO TIKTOK TO GET THEIR NEWS. THAT’S ACCORDING TO A NEW POLL BY PEW RESEARCH CENTER. IT FINDS ABOUT A THIRD OF ADULTS UNDER THE AGE OF 30 SAY THEY REGULARLY GET THEIR NEWS FROM THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM. AND THAT’S A BIG JUMP IN JUST A FEW YEARS, UP FROM 9% BACK IN 2020. MARK BERKMAN HEADS THE ORGANIZATION FOR SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY. HE SAYS HE’S CONCERNED ABOUT THE GROWING TREND, ESPECIALLY WITH A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION JUST AROUND THE CORNER. WE’RE CONCERNED ABOUT DISINFORMATION. WE’RE CONCERNED ABOUT FOREIGN ACTORS MANIPULATING OUR DEMOCRACY THROUGH NEWS THAT IS FED THROUGH TIKTOK AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS. YES, WE’RE CONCERNED ABOUT ITS IMPACT ON CRITICAL THINKING AND DEMOCRACY PARTICIPATION. SO THERE’S REALLY A WIDE RANGE OF VERY SERIOUS CONCERNS HERE. OF COURSE, THERE ARE REPUTABLE NEWS SOURCES ON TIKTOK. SO HOW DO YOU SCROLL WISELY IF YOU COME ACROSS A PIECE OF NEWS ON ON SOCIAL MEDIA, ON TIKTOK, WE REALLY WANT TO DEVELOP THE HABIT AMONGST OUR YOUNG PEOPLE GOING AND LOOKING AT A NEWS SOURCE THAT THEY KNOW THAT THEIR FAMILY TRUSTS AND THEY’RE VETTING THAT MATERIAL AND THEY’RE DOING THAT REALLY AS A HABIT. TAKE THOSE 20 30S AND GO AND LOOK IN AN ARTICLE ON WHAT YOU’RE SEEING AND GET INFORMED AND DETERMINE WHETHER THAT’S ACTUAL NEWS. IT’S WORTH NOTING THAT WHEN YOU BROADEN IT OUT TO ADULTS OF ALL AGES, ONLY 14% SAY THEY REGULARLY TURN TO TIKTOK FOR NEWS. STILL AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS MUSEUM DISPLAY. WE FOCUS ON A GLOBAL EFFORT TO RAISE CLIMATE AWARENESS WITH A CROCHETAND FINALLY, A GLOBAL ART EXHIBIT IS RESTORING CORAL REEFS TO THEIR FORMER GLORY, AT LEAST CONCEPTUALLY. IT’S CALLED THE CROCHET CORAL REEF PROJECT. CHECK OUT THESE PHOTOS FROM ONE OF ITS ONGOING EXHIBITS AT THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART IN PITTSBURGH. THESE CROCHETED SCULPTURES HIGHLIGHT WHAT MUCH OF THE WORLD’S CORAL REEFS USED TO LOOK LIKE VIBRANT AND FULL OF COLOR. TWIN SISTERS CHRISTINE AND MARGARET WERTHEIM ARE THE ARTISTS BEHIND THE PROJECT. THEY LAUNCHED IT 18 YEARS AGO TO BRING AWARENESS TO REEFS DYING DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING. WELL, NOW, NEARLY 25,000 VOLUNTEERS ACROSS THE WORLD HAVE JOINED IN. THEY SOMETIMES WEAVE IN TRASH AND PLASTICS TO REFLECT THE HARMFUL WASTE IN THE OCEAN. TODAY, THERE HAVE BEEN 52 SATELLITE REEF EXHIBITS IN CITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE, INCLUDING NEW YORK, CHICAGO AND NOW PITTSBURGH. IF YOU WANT TO CHECK IT OUT IN PERSON, IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH SEEING. THAT’S IT FOR THIS EDITION. A MATTER OF FACT. I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. I’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK TO WATCH MORE STORIES LIKE THIS. ANYTIME, HEAD TO MATTEROFFACTTV.