Citizen Journalism

The old days of having to write a "letter to the editor" that was interesting enough to earn a spot in the paper are changing due to the internet and social media.  Now, it is entirely possible to gain attention and momentum by posting an open letter on-line, through social media, or even in a blog post!

This brings a ray of hope that the US government is NOT (yet) censoring the average American citizen and that free speech truly does extend to the internet.

I think that it is amazing (and so important) that the average American citizen can participate in journalism to help our world reach a new level of accountability.  In his speech The Net Delusion and the Dark Side of Internet Freedom, Evgeny Morozov points out that censorship can not be allowed to exist in other countries because it is fundamental for world development that freedom of speech exists everywhere.  Western-developed programs that are allowing governments to censor their citizens' freedom of online speech should be put to rest.

I hope that the increase in citizen journalism continues to keep government and corporations accountable on new levels as technology continues to improve.

Changing Media Landscape

In his book Mass Media and American Politics, Doris Graber asks three questions that I think are worth considering. His questions (verbatim) are: 

1. Are new media outlets more polarized than traditional outlets?
2. Do audiences purposely seek out news that agrees with their partisanship?
3. What are the implications when citizens only seek out news that fits their viewpoints?

As for the first question, I believe that new media outlets are more polarized because in order to gain more interest, they want to be extreme enough to draw people's attention.  If you see a news headline that says "Obama Passes Bill" you would probably be less likely to click on the article than if you come across a headline that reads "Obama's Controversial Decision."  

For the second question, I think that initially the general public gains their first information from a trusted source that they find agrees with their partisanship.  But if the topic is truly interesting, they will look further into the issue and see what others are saying also.  I tend to see articles from the news sources that align with my partisanship first because I subscribe to them on my newsfeed.  But after I read about a subject, I want to hear a balanced view so that I can be most likely to find the truth.

When citizens only seek news that fits their viewpoints, trouble arrives.  The idea of people only considering information that they agree with is much like a child who does not get the desired answer from one parent heading to the other to get what he wants.  We must guard against being blinded by partisan bias and open ourselves to researching news to find the truth.

Mass Media & Elections

Mass media is extremely influential in America today.  Between radio shows, television, print publications, and on-line stories, a significant portion of any American's day is affected by the media.  Although most stories start with facts, bias plays a large part in how things are presented to the public.

In Graber and Dunaway's Mass Media and
 American Politics, the authors write: 

"Media stories often create skewed impressions because they cannot report stories in detail or full context."

With a presidential candidate such as Donald Trump, I feel that the media could have quite a bit of sway in how the public will respond to his words if the full context is not conveyed. Unfortunately for Trump, there are times when all the context of the situation and what was said would appeal to the American public.

Is the media protecting Hillary?

I personally do not think they are.  News of scandalously deleted e-mails have not found in every form of media.  If anyone is protecting her, I would point toward paid-off prosecutors or judges.

I am interested to see if she will actually give under-oath answers before the election.