Contemplating Media & the First Amendment
In every discussion about the distribution of government funds, someone brings up military spending. And every time someone quips, "Why don't we just spend less on the military? There are billions going towards them," I always express my opinion on the matter: "The U.S. government has dug themselves into a hole so deep - with... Continue Reading →
We've been seeing a lot of whistleblowing not just in the past few weeks, but in the last 6 years or so when Snowden leaked highly classified information to the media. People have mixed emotions about this. On one hand, the fact that the government knows every single word we say and every set we... Continue Reading →
Photo from 11/15/19 edition of The Onion. Like any other red-blooded American, I have been hooked on the impeachment proceedings. And, as literally every lawyer/politician/journalist/random person on the street will tell you, it is a purely political process. An entertaining political process, sure, but strictly politics through and through. And during these last few days,... Continue Reading →
Kentucky man Ben Hart just won a three-year legal battle over the right to personalize his license plate. Why? His requested license plate read “IM GOD.” This might seem a bit ridiculous, but this was an important win in Kentucky. For the courts to allow other God related license plates because they have to... Continue Reading →
As we're arguably amidst the most digitally intrusive era known to man, there are few "national security" or "anti-terrorism" federal acts that seem to surprise me anymore. After reading about the Patriot Act in Chapter 6 though––I was a little shocked. "Source Protection in the Age of Surveillance" from Journalism After Snowden by Emily Bell... Continue Reading →
This week, there’s been a lot of talk in the media about whistleblowers. Should they be identified? Should they be punished for their actions? The recent whistleblower — having leaked a phone transcript that reveals information about the president’s shady business with Ukraine — has been the topic of conversation among senators, congressmen and the... Continue Reading →
One of the most famous whistleblowers in American history is Edward Snowden, a man who revealed just how much information the government is collecting on us. While he is off hiding from the U.S. government in Russia, we citizens have to deal with the implications of the information he revealed. When Snowden revealed his findings... Continue Reading →
Reading the articles about war and journalism this week, I am just so blown away by the fact that people would risk their lives in order to cover wars. That being said, I think it is so completely respectable and I can understand that they believe the public should see what's going on. Personally, I... Continue Reading →
Just within three decades, not only has our society’s means of gathering, sharing, and storing information changed but so has our relationship to information. Before the internet, people had to search for information by going to places like libraries for books. You need to learn some basic facts about Emperor Penguins? The average height of males... Continue Reading →
Earlier this week, the New York Times published an article on student journalists facing backlash for publishing a photo of a student in distress during a protest against a Jeff Sessions giving a speech on campus. The student called the photo “trauma porn” and the student newspaper took the picture off of twitter and issued... Continue Reading →
Free Press Free Speech 