Blog Post #9 : Main Stream Media

When I am assigned to write about a topic I am not totally comfortable with, I actually tend to enjoy it more due to discovering so much information embedded within the topic exploration. This happened when I was assigned to study MSM or mainstream media. Of course, I have heard mainstream media being mentioned previously, but in all honesty I did not know of its extensive influence… but that soon changed. Mainstream media was a classification that was created within the world of journalism to basically group all large broadcasting and publishing media outlets that reach the large majority of the general public. Up until the 2000’s, mainstream media solely consisted of the news (both published and broadcasted) and the national broadcast system. Yet, today the classification of mainstream media has drastically expanded.  Common examples of mainstream media include CBS, CNN, ABC, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. These media outlets all share a leading goal, to reach the most amount of viewers. 

Although everyone can say they are familiar with one outlet that is considered mainstream media, there are more underlying implications. There are both positives and negatives that affect our general public that we might not be aware of.  One of the most beneficial outcomes of mainstream media is to inform current generations of their rights and keep them educated on current matters. Due to the heavy influence of mainstream media today, its outlets maintain a global audience. This is another positive influence of mainstream media - its ability to be mass-produced and reach an extremely large audience.  One of the most significant downsides of mainstream media is that they are commonly embedded with bias. Some have even been accused of trying to divert the audience due to their reach of the population. This has been seen throughout many presidential elections.  For example, Fox News has been connected with a conservative stance and the Republican Party, while CNN has been seen to lead more towards the liberal ideology and the Democratic Party.  There have actually been several incidents where outlets will manipulate their information in order to help gain favor for the political party their beliefs are aligned with. In a recent experiment conducted by The Washington Post and Mike's Hard Lemonade, it was found that 70% of Americans have reported that they feel overwhelmed by the news that is constantly being published, and 56% of that number are adults that claim that it has added serious stress within their lives. This is not going unrecognized by the sources, for there seems to be a strong effort in beginning to publish more uplifting news articles. 

Media has become an inseparable part of our society. Whether it is education, politics, cooking, technology, or fashion, nearly everything is influenced by mainstream media. It is constantly surrounding us and influencing our daily lives. One of the most evident reasons for the media is to cover current situations that occur, for as citizens we want to be informed on trending topics, and mass coverage can lead to a better understanding of contemporary issues. We are also affected by the media because outlets can pick what they want to include within their coverage, which can be misleading. There can be various serious matters that may be going on globally and that we are uneducated about because the media does not want to cover it. This is the largest effect that mainstream media has on us, because it is so accessible and constantly surrounding us. Essentially, their coverage is what we know to be our world today. 

Currently, mainstream media reaches nearly everyone within our society, from the educated to the illiterate. There is a visible target within each of the outlets that are considered to be mainstream media. Outlets such as The New York Times and CBS are considered to be elite types of media. These sources are agenda-based and have specific targets and reaches. They are able to do this due to the immense amount of resources they have. The direct audience of The New York Times tend to be named “privileged”. Most of the readers of the New York Times are typically seen to be wealthy or middle to upper class, or have been connected to a political party. Other outlets such as ABC and CNN reach the majority of the public, despite their social or political status. In a 2021 survey, it was proven that ABC and CNN were the most commonly known outlets that are considered mainstream media. This means these outlets are reaching the general population and all factions, wether it be the old or young, the gay or minority, rich or poor. It is clear that the media reaches everyone, and yet some outlets target different audiences. 

Since mainstream media is already so heavily involved within our lives today, it is concerning to think how it may impact future generations. We rely on the media, especially those outlets that are considered mainstream, to educate us on an array of topics.  The media was really first introduced with World War I, which was mostly just propaganda. The start of the mainstream media influence was slightly before the generation of most of our grandparents, which grew and expanded as they did. Have you ever noticed that many of our grandparents will believe anything they see on the news? That is because they trust the media, for they have relied on it since they were born. In today's world, we have learned that not all news we encounter is accurate, which can make us more discerning in finding the truth.

In all, it is evident that mainstream media is here to stay. It has only grown and become stronger from its inception, and has embedded itself more within our society and daily lives. Despite all the negatives of the media, I am hoping that the effort to prioritize positivity will continue. I also hope that all of society will become more educated concerning the purpose of mainstream media and to learn what to rely on or not. Overall, I believe that when properly utilized, mainstream media is a benefit within our society. 

Blog #6 : Each One Teach One

 This week during my class, our professor assigned us a EOTO, which stands for Each One Teach One. Essentially, we each were assigned an essential communication tool and taught the class a little about its use and its history. I thoroughly enjoyed the research I conducted, for I learned so much I would have never known my topic, which was the world wide web. Yet little did I know how much I would take away from my classmates' research as well.

One of the presentations I found the most interesting was on the typewriter. The typewriter stopped being used by the time I was born, but it was commonly used while my grandparents were growing up. Before the typewriter was invented, it could take months or years to be able to write books or newspapers. The typewriter was a revolutionary piece of technology, and thus giving a new level of accessibility in publishing. The first typewriter was produced in 1867, and yet it did not look like the typewriter we all picture within our heads. This first prototype was actually called the Hansen Writing Ball. It was shaped as a sphere, and was originally created in mind for the blind to utilize. It was not very popular, and only a few were sold before the classic typewriter came into the picture. 

The second most interesting presentation I listened to was the one on drones. I have never personally used one, but I actually have quite frequently seen them flying overhead, whether it be a concert or graduation or any type of event. Drones are typically used to capture photographs and video footage. Yet, little did I know that prior to the creation of drones, helicopters and airplanes were used to capture that same footage. Drones were created because they were smaller and less expensive. One interesting facet of the presentation was a news story where a drone was able to capture footage of the destruction within Ukraine. This would have never been possible if not for the creation of drones. It allows for footage to be taken in places and from heights that humans could not possibly reach. 

Blog #5: Censorship

 Growing up in the United States we are taught about the wars and conflict that  shaped our country. Through United States history classes and world history lectures, we understand that lives lost are honored to bring peace. But what we do not often realize is that the United States still maintains military operations around the world. If we were really at peace, would our own country need to do this? Why is much of the general population uninformed about this? 

This is because it is censored from our media, which blocks the truth from being spread throughout our typical news outlets. Yet the website Anti-War gives the truth of the conflict going on throughout other countries. This website contains hundreds of articles, ranging from stories inside of our own US military to the Israeli government capturing Palistian children. It is all information that would cause distress if it were to be public knowledge, and therefore it is censored by our government. It is clear that various search engines and online databases are connected with the government, which is why censoring has become more clearly evident. One of the ways young adults can see censorship within their everyday lives is within the TikTok app. TikTok has an ability to put videos “under review” before they are even uploaded. In all honesty, it sounds similar to prior restraint. TikTok is continuously getting more strict with their guidelines, even removing videos where users' outfits do not seem appropriate enough, and thus flagging them for nudity. 

In all, it is very evident that there are significant amounts of censorship throughout our heavily-consumed world of technology today, whether it is a simple 30 second video or an article on a violent invasion in Ukraine. The government is restraining the First Amendment by removing these stories, and especially the freedoms of speech and press.  If this is our world today, which is constantly increasing in censorship, I am greatly concerned to see our world in 20 years. 

Blog #4 The World Wide Web

 In all honesty, I was excited to research the world wide web (www) and discover how and when it originated, especially because our culture is so immersed with technology today. I was also extremely interested to learn that there is in fact a large difference between the world wide web and the internet. The world wide web’s main goal was to bring information from across the world and make it accessible within one platform of technology.  It was created based on a positive experiment held by CERN, which is the European Organization for Nuclear Research. In 1991, Sir Tim Bernes-Lee created the technology of the world wide web. 

When Lee was asked what made him think of creating the world wide web, he responded with, “Well, I found it frustrating that in those days, there was different information on different computers, but you had to log on to different computers to get at it. Also, sometimes you had to learn a different program on each computer. So finding out how things worked was really difficult. Often it was just easier to go and ask people when they were having coffee.” Once Lee created the world wide web, it took a few years of further development to become easily accessible. Two years after the creation, it became slightly more accessible with the development of the Mosaic web browser. Yet this browser came at a price to download, and thus still leaving a barrier. While the popularity grew, Lee realized the true potential the web had if it were accessible to the general public, leading to it becoming free and accessible in April of 1993.  Following the world wide web's public release, it became the most popular system on the internet in 1995. Within the first few months of that year, it was recorded that 18 million people within the United States and Canada were utilizing the web.  

Lee himself created three distinguishable technologies that are the main facets of the world wide web which are still used today. The first consists of HTML, which stands for HyperText Markup Language. This basically is the formatting that was created to run the web, otherwise it would not process correctly. The second technology is URI which stands for Uniform Resource Identifier. This is used to process each resource that is embedded within the web.  It is now commonly referred to as URL. The last technology is HTTP, which stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol which basically creates links across the web. This technology enhanced features within the web that were not previously available to keep track of sources scattered across the platform. 

Although the internet and the world wide web are quite different, they actually rely on one another to run properly. The internet is essentially a network of different devices running on a platform, one of which is the world wide web. The www is a specific software that runs on the internet. These two terms commonly get confused with one another, or mistaken for the same thing due to the popularity of the world wide web. 

Overall, I believe it was extremely interesting to learn the history of the world wide web and the internet, especially since it is so influential within our lives today, and something that we take for granted and do not often consider its origins. Our common use of these platforms have been enhanced from years of research and progression. We should be thankful for such a historical scientific creation that is easily accessible at a moment's notice today.

Blog #3 : Speech Theories

 

When I first saw I was assigned to write a blog on speech theories, I was filled with panic for I had no clue what it could even entail. Yet once I began to research, I realized how interesting the theories actually are. They are all written by scholars (all seeming to be law professors) who committed their studies to dissect aspects of the First Amendment. In all honesty, I would not be surprised if my professor had created a theory himself, for he is extremely knowledgeable of the First Amendment.  

The theory that resonated the most with me was developed by Lee Bollinger, who not only is a lawyer, but the 19th and still surviving president of Colombia University. His theory and book writing all stemmed from an incident that happened within a suburb of Chicago, Skokie Illinois. This community had a large Jewish population, very much like my own hometown. In 1977, a group of followers of the Nazi party had planned on parading through the community. These individuals had not been Nazis themselves, yet held the same beliefs of the party under Hitler’s ruling. Personally, I was shocked to learn about this case, for although I was raised Catholic I could not imagine an event like this occurring within my own hometown. This incident emerged as one of the largest First Amendment cases in the United States. The “neo-nazis” claimed that their protest was protected under their right of free speech, while the Jewish citizens of the town claimed to be under attack due to their religious beliefs. The American Civil Liberties Union were the ones to uphold the case, in which they defended the right to protest. Ultimately, the Nazis won the case in favor of the First Amendment, thus leaving a largely controversial case and ultimately no march within Skokie. 

This event left Bollinger to write his book The Tolerant Society, questioning the measures of the First Amendment. He named the incident of Skokie to be a form of extremist speech. Despite this extremely controversial matter, Bollinger gave insight into how it can help give a fuller understanding of the First Amendment. This theory seems to be the most important to me, for Bollinger’s interpretation of it makes the most reasonable sense.  When he tested his theory of the Skokie case, he came to the conclusion that all the judges on the case actually condemned Nazi beliefs, and yet still believed it was a right protected under the First Amendment.  His theory explains that the outcome of the Skokie case left the legal system with a sort of “tolerance” of the First Amendment. This ruling has created a sort of acceptance of extremism in terms of freedom of speech.  Bolinger also believes that all of society contains impulses of intolerance, for we do not want to stray from our own beliefs. Most people do not act on these impulses, but still may accept those individuals who do. 

Overall, I believe that Bollinger’s theory is somewhat similar to “cancel culture” today. There are no written rules for someone to be canceled, and personally I believe cancel culture goes against all aspects of the First Amendment. The problem with cancel culture is that it is not the government going against a person, yet others in society. This is similar to Bollinger’s theory, for there seems to be a tolerance present yet no written rules within cancel culture. People can be outed for all different statements, ranging from small to borderline extremism. 

Post #2 : The Supreme Court

 I can recall the first time learning about the Supreme Court, when I was taught that there are three branches of government in the United States: legislative, executive, and judicial. Once introduced to the judicial branch, the Supreme Court immediately came to the forefront of my mind. Yet through years of the study of history and endless AP classes, there are still many things to learn about the Supreme Court. First, I am very surprised  I did not know that the Supreme Court has an official abbreviation of SCOTUS. Although this is a very simplistic piece of information, it proves my point that there is still much more for me to learn about the Supreme Court. I was also very fascinated to learn that the Supreme Court actually met first in New York City. Yet, I can say that I am not overly surprised, as most of the significant  happenings at the time did happen in the north. 

I think that one of the biggest take away points about the Supreme Court is that the justices essentially hold more power than the President. If a President were to be impeached, the Chief Justice presides over the trial. One of the most notable Chief Justices was Earl Warren, who ultimately banned segregation within schools, which was established through the case of Brown v. Board of Education. He also established the Miranda Rights. which ultimately is “the right to remain silent” that is stated each time someone is put under arrest. 

I think the most interesting thing I learned from reading the overview of the Supreme Court written by the History Channel was Texas v. Johnson. Until reading this article, I had always believed that flag burning was illegal. Growing up, I was even scared to have the flags my family would place in my yard for holidays later placed improperly in my garage. Yet I have come to find that flag burning is actually protected under the First Amendment since 1989. This is a protected right for those who are protesting the government or other political issues to release their frustration in this manner. 

After reading this article, I have gained much more respect and admiration of the Supreme Court. I am very interested in legal studies and cases, as I plan on attending law school after my undergraduate education. Learning that the Supreme Court began with six justices and contains nine today shows the growth of our judicial system. Reading the article allowed insight into all of the monumental changes within our government today that were a result of the ruling of cases through the Supreme Court. Seeing all the changes, I maintain respect for the judicial system and hope that one day I can be part of more monumental changes. 

Post #1 : My Top Sources of News and Information

What is a source? Well, the official definition is “a place, person, or thing from which something comes or can be obtained.” In all honesty, a source is as simple as any place where you receive information. Nowadays, sources are more accessible, although they may not always be as reliable due to the presence of social media within our daily lives. Sources range from physical paper to the scroll of an iphone.  

The most frequent source that I obtain information on has to be the app Tik Tok.  Whether it is involving updates on influencers or current events, there is a video for nearly everything that is currently trending. Although the information within the app is definitely not always reliable, it is fairly easy to filter through false information. Personally, I believe I am more educated on current social issues from the rapid flow of new videos within the Tik Tok feed. I would most definitely recommend the app to my peers, but they should not rely on Tik Tok as a verified source.

A second source that I avidly use is The Washington Post,which is a daily newspaper. I am subscribed to the newspaper on my phone, which allows direct access as soon as it is published.  I also receive notifications right on my phone when the daily news or other articles are posted. The Washington Post is a reliable source,which remains fairly neutral and without bias on social issues. I never found myself to be one to read news articles until I found the ability to access newspapers directly on my phone. Now, I find myself checking The Washington Post at least once a day and would highly recommend others to read it. 

Another digital source that continues to become more and more popular is Twitter. Twitter allows politicians to directly make statements in the form of a tweet. Each of their accounts are verified, which allows users to know that it is actually that person. News outlets also utilize Twitter to make short tweets about breaking news or other highlights. Although Twitter contains all of these great features, there can also be “fake news” or misleading information found throughout the app. As long as you pay attention to verified accounts, Twitter can be a great source for discovering current information.

Now I am not sure what you were told in high school, but I was told that you should not use Wikipedia. In all honesty, the second I graduated and moved on to a higher level of education, I began to utilize Wikipedia. Wikipedia has helped me in all different aspects of studying, whether it is to understand a term, learn a Spanish concept, or write a paper. Wikipedia is one of the most comprehensive sources that appears on most search engines. 

The last source that I would recommend is the Federal Register. Yes, I know that this may not be considered the most interesting source for some, but it has to be one of the most interesting sources I have come across.  The Federal Register is run by the government, and it contains all of the current laws and regulations.  It is completely up to date and is changed every time a new regulation is altered. My dad was the one who introduced me to this source, for he works in the fishery industry and is constantly affected by the regulations in fisheries. He uses the Federal Register to check these constantly changing laws. The reason the Federal Register is such a great source is because I am planning on attending Law school after my undergraduate studies. I would recommend this source anytime you are searching for accurate information regarding legal issues or government policy or regulations. 

At the end of the day, we encounter sources everyday, whether it be through a professor, peer, the news, or social media. We are continuously fed new information, whether it is accurate or not. There are endless sources in our present reality. We just must filter them to advance our search for knowledge.