--- title: Oscars Patricia Arquette Equal Pay Politics: Policy Issues Noticed description: People in Hollywood have never been shy about sharing how they feel about politics, and this year's Oscars ceremony was no exception. canonical: https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-23T19:26:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:50.593Z article:section: Politics og:title: These Four Policy Issues Got Our Attention at the Oscars og:description: Here's where things stand. og:url: https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These Four Policy Issues Got Our Attention at the Oscars twitter:description: Here's where things stand. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # These Four Policy Issues Got Our Attention at the Oscars > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=43360ae6-3a8b-40c9-adc9-44ff700976cd&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=43360ae6-3a8b-40c9-adc9-44ff700976cd&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=43360ae6-3a8b-40c9-adc9-44ff700976cd&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Oscars 2015: Birdman Wins Best Picture [Watch (HLS stream): Oscars 2015: Birdman Wins Best Picture](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/rS7KkhWJ.m3u8) (0:31)  _Published 2015-02-23. Oscars 2015: Birdman Wins Best Picture_  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Feb 23, 2015 7:26 PM UTC  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Feb 23, 2015 7:26 PM UTC Hollywood is never shy about sharing its [thoughts on politics](http://time.com/3663360/golden-globes-2015-michael-keaton-politics-show/), especially on Oscar night. But after the acceptance speeches fade, what happens next? Here’s a look at the status of several issues raised at the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night. **Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood,” on Equal Pay** **The issue:** The Pew Research Center estimates that [women earn 84 percent of what men earn](http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/12/11/how-pew-research-measured-the-gender-pay-gap/), though the gender pay gap has [narrowed since the 1980s](http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/04/08/on-equal-pay-day-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-gender-pay-gap/). This is the rare issue that also affects Hollywood. The 10 highest-paid actors were paid $419 million in 2013 while their female counterparts earned $226 million, barely half as much. **What Arquette said:** “To every woman who gave birth to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America.” **The outlook:** Legislation introduced last year would have [made it illegal](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/04/09/senate-falls-six-votes-short-of-passing-paycheck-fairness-act/) for companies to retaliate against employees who share how much they make, a key step in ensuring men and women are paid equally. It failed to pass the Senate and is dead in the current Republican Congress. Some states, such as [Vermont](http://www.nwlc.org/our-blog/vermont%E2%80%99s-new-equal-pay-law-%E2%80%93-challenge-policymakers), are tackling the issue, however. **Common and John Legend, “Selma,” on Racial Justice in the U.S.** **The issue:** [Racial disparities persist](http://time.com/2982938/race-study-african-american/) decades after the events depicted in Selma. In their acceptance speech, singers John Legend and Common highlighted two: the high rate of incarceration among black men and [changes in voting rights laws](http://time.com/3445283/voting-rights-battles-heat-up-ahead-of-midterm-elections/), such as requirements that voters show government ID at polling stations. **What Legend said:** “We know that the Voting Rights Act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right now in this country today. We know that right now, the struggle for freedom and justice is real. We live in the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more black men under correctional control today then were under slavery in 1850.” **The outlook** **: Protests over how police have handled black male suspects have given the cause momentum.** The Eric Garner case helped inspire New York City officials to begin to [rethink their approach](http://time.com/3618964/nyc-mayor-bill-de-blasio-announces-police-retraining-program/) to policing. Activists on the left and right are [coming together](http://time.com/3686797/charles-koch-criminal-justice/) to push for reforms to the criminal justice system, though voting rights legislation isn’t going anywhere in Congress. **Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, “Birdman,” on** **Immigration Reform** **The issue:** Immigration reform has been a hot button political issue for years. Millions of undocumented immigrants live in the U.S. and there’s widespread disagreement about how they should be addressed. **What Iñarritu said:** “I want to dedicate this award for my fellow Mexicans, the ones who live in Mexico. I pray that we can build the government that we deserve. And the ones living in this country who are part of the latest generation of immigrants in this country, I just pray that they can be treated with the same dignity and respect of the ones who come before and built this incredible nation.” **The outlook:** Immigration reform is a thorny issue, and legislators in Washington repeatedly have had trouble finding common ground. President Obama took action on his own, taking executive actions providing temporary legal status to millions of immigrants. Still, those actions remain contested in court and Congress isn’t likely to do much on this issue. **Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry, “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1,” on Veteran Suicide** **The issue:** [Twenty-two veterans](http://time.com/3694053/veteran-suicide/) commit suicide everyday — a rate that more than double the rate in the general population. While the Veterans Affairs Department provides mental health services, mental health experts say many the veteran culture makes many hesitant to take advantage of the resources. **What Kent said:** “This immense and incredible honor goes to the veterans and their families who are brave enough to ask for help.” What Perry said: “I want to dedicate this to my son Evan Perry, we lost him to suicide, we should talk about suicide out loud.” **The outlook** **:** PresidentObama recently signed the [Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act](http://time.com/3707640/clay-hunts-legacy-for-veterans/), which creates an outreach system for veterans suffering from mental health issues and provides financial incentives to encourage psychiatric doctors to treat veterans. The law is a good start, but activists working to stem suicide say the issue requires more attention. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/"},"headline":"These Four Policy Issues Got Our Attention at the Oscars","datePublished":"2015-02-23T19:26:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:59:50.593Z","description":"People in Hollywood have never been shy about sharing how they feel about politics, and this year's Oscars ceremony was no exception.","url":"https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/","keywords":["Oscars","Mental Health","Veterans","Suicide","Barack Obama","politics","celebrities","Immigration","immigration reform","Civil Rights","Equal Pay","voting rights","Patricia Arquette","john legend"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/oscars/","name":"Oscars"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/","name":"These Four Policy Issues Got Our Attention at the Oscars"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Oscars 2015: Patricia Arquette's Acceptance Speech","description":"Oscars 2015: Patricia Arquette's Acceptance Speech","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/4q78Oygo/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-23T03:01:21.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4q78Oygo.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/","duration":"PT23S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Oscars 2015: John Legend and Common Acceptance Speech","description":"Oscars 2015: John Legend and Common Acceptance Speech","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/iTO7FYou/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-23T04:23:29.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/iTO7FYou.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/","duration":"PT28S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Oscars 2015: Birdman Wins Best Picture","description":"Oscars 2015: Birdman Wins Best Picture","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/rS7KkhWJ/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-23T05:16:02.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/rS7KkhWJ.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/","duration":"PT31S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3718774/oscars-policy-issues/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```