Week 6

Topic One:

Newspapers have never been a really big part of my life and I think that it's partially because of my location. Events in my immediately local areas aren't generally covered by any of the major newspapers. Because of this I've always used Facebook for community updates and things like that. I think it's a very effective platform especially when you're looking to find information about something that just happened, and you don't want to wait to read about it in the Sunday paper. Recently there was a civil emergency warning that Oregonians got on their cellphones. No details were given and a lot of people were really panicking, because no one knew what the emergency was. After trying to find something on local news websites and coming up empty handed, I went on Facebook and found the answers I was looking for within minutes.

When it comes to local politics I'll admit that I could  be much more well informed. Unless there's something really big happening, everything flies under my radar. I think being more knowledgeable about the goings on in Oregon as a whole as opposed to just my very small area is a definite goal that I'm working toward. I would say right now, on a scale of one to five, my knowledge level would be about a three, because while I consider myself to be very knowledgeable on a local level, there's definitely work to be done on a state level.

When it comes to pay walls or any paid subscriptions to news sites, I've never found it necessary. In my experience there's always a way to get the same information for free. 


Topic Two:

To me, fake news is a pretty serious accusation, and it shouldn't be taken lightly. To accuse someone of lying to the public when their very job is to inform the public of the truth is a big deal. I think there have been instances with President Trump accusing media of reporting fake news just because he doesn't like what is being said, and I don't think that it's acceptable for him to do that. I think any accusation that is proven false should be considered libel and there should be consequences if the accusation wasn't made in good faith. It's incredibly important for people to be able to receive trustworthy information, especially with what is happening in the world. If there is in fact as much fake news as President Trump claims (which I highly doubt), then there needs to be some serious staffing changes in the media. But, if the president is just being whiny and trying to discount credibility because he doesn't like people reporting certain information, then I think he needs to grow up, shut up, and knock it off. Freedom of the press is a very important right in America, and sometimes I worry that we're in danger of losing it with this current administration.

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