A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Streitmatter writes how news organizations have influenced history through an “eagerness to harness the power of visual images.” Pictures can tell a news story in a way that words cannot, and these images can reach across the world in an instant with our access to social media.

Thankfully, we have the ability to go back in time and see what the social, political and economic climate was through the images that were distributed through print and broadcast media.

Our history today is being written through visual images. We see photos of children in Syria during chemical warfare, or photos of Boston Marathon runners after the bombing. While at times these images can be hard to swallow, it is important we understand that our ability to see the world at all times is a privilege.

Think of how we would view the world without being able to view the world. Journalism continues to tell history in both a written and visual narrative, and journalists use of the visual image will continue to captivate people from the present and inform them of the past.

The Difficulty in Seeking Truth and Reporting It

Distinguishing the real from the fake in today’s news poses a threat to the integrity of the outlets reporting the stories to the public. When I read the headlines of news stories today, I catch myself dismissing or rolling my eyes at stories for being ridiculous, only to late see the same stories plastered across every social media or news outlet. That’s not necessarily fault of the reporting, but more so of the current world we live in.

I find it dismaying when I tell people that I’m interested in journalism, only to be responded to with, “Oh, all news is fake anyways. You can’t trust anything the media says.” There are still reporters and outlets that hold up the values of journalism, but they are unfairly being lumped with the TMZ-type news that is devoured by society.

I feel that real news has to claw its way out of barricade of tabloids and flashy headlines to reach the public, but even if it gets read by that point, it’s relevance and credibility can get lost. Not to mention there are plenty of powerful people who are discrediting news outlets left and right, making that journey even more clouded.

News today that is worthy of reading is still told in a way that is by and for the public. Many reporters and outlets today might forget that, but it makes finding those true, turn-the-world-on-its-head stories all the more worthwhile.

University Investigates Reports of Sexual Assault

An investigation of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity ensued after anonymous reports were filed about the sexual assault and potential drugging of as many as four females, according to Chicago Tribune reporters Stacy St. Clair and Gregory Pratt.

According to the report, it was not clear how the person that reported the incidents knew about the alleged attacks. The claims against the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity were filed after an event on January 21. Not long after, another anonymous report was filed about a second fraternity, but the school has not publicly named that house.

The identities of the four women involved were unknown, according to Northwestern spokesman Bob Rowley. Despite the unknowns in the case, the University shared the information with faculty and students in accordance with federal law.

The level of transparency the University maintained when releasing this information resonated with students as “unprecedented,” and received praise from students for “taking sexual assault allegations seriously.”

A statement was released by SAE chapter president, Manos Proussaloglou, that “pledged cooperation with the university’s investigation.”

No criminal investigation was opened due to lack of witnesses.

 

 

 

Trump Accuses Obama of Wire-Tapping during Campaign

The day Donald Trump stops taking to twitter and making claims that aren’t backed by factual evidence will be the day hell freezes over. One of Trump’s most recent claims accuses former president Barack Obama of wire-tapping Trump Tower during the 45th president’s campaign, according to Quartz writer Ephrat Livni.

Livni added that from these accusations, Obama had grounds to sue Trump for libel over his “defamatory words.”

Libel is defined as a published, written statement that inflicts damage upon the reputation of another. Accusing Obama of illegal wire-tapping, a federal offense, means Trump could be sued for threatening the former president’s reputation.

While Trump has been vocal about his distaste for the media and “fake news,” he should be more cautious to make sure he is not aiding and abetting the spread of this “fake news.”

Sooner or later, Trump might land himself in hot water with the law over his words. According to Joel Rose’s NPR article, Trump already faces over 50 lawsuits after just two weeks in office. What’s one more added to that impressive collection?

And remember, Mr. President, once it’s on the internet, it’s there forever.

Majority Oppose Laws Against Transgender Rights

Instead of talking about how to improve healthcare or the national debt, our politicians feel it’s most imperative to discuss who should be allowed to use what bathroom.

Transgender rights have come to the forefront of the LGBTQ+ community, and most Americans are opposing laws that ban transgender men and women from using bathrooms that don’t reflect their sex assigned at birth, according to an article published on NBC.

The non-partisan group that conducted this research found that 53 percent of Americans “opposed laws requiring transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their sex at birth,” 39 percent “favored such laws,” and one in ten of the 2,031 surveyed “had no opinion.”

People having no opinion these days seems to be a rare, but these numbers were even more divided among party lines. Majority of Democrats and Independents opposed these laws, and majority of Republicans favored them. Surprise, surprise.

While the topic appears to be about the right to use whichever bathroom they choose, the real issue is whether or not trans people are allowed to exist in public spaces.

It is a shame that Americans pledge “liberty and justice for all,” but then don’t really mean all. Transgender lives are human lives. They just want to pee in peace. It’s 2017. Let’s move on.

 

Rising Tension between the President and the Press

Donald Trump is no stranger to the media, which is evident from the fact that it’s nearly impossible to read the news today without mention of him. However, recent events this week have shown increasing animosity between journalists and the Trump administration.

This past Friday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer barred several news outlets from attending his daily press briefing after a series of tweets from President Trump about media outlets and their harboring of “fake news.”

Not only were the Times and CNN barred from the briefing, but other outlets such as BuzzFeed, Politico, the BBC and The Huffington Post were not allowed to attend according to the New York Times article by Julie Hirschfeld Davis and media correspondent Michael M. Grynbaum.

Just one day after, CNN’s Dylan Byers reported that President Trump took to twitter Saturday to announce he will not attend the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, an annual tradition that raises money for journalism scholarships.

This announcement comes after “increasingly hostile relations between the media and the White House,” according to Byers.

Trump continues to take to social media today with another tweet about the harboring of fake news in regards to Trump’s alleged relations with Russia.

Some have expressed concern over Trump’s actions against the media, including NY Times executive editor Dean Banquet, who spoke out against the Times’ exclusion from Friday’s press briefing.

“We strongly protest the exclusion of The New York Times and the other news organizations. Free media access to a transparent government is obviously of crucial nation interest,” said Banquet.

 

 

 

 

Values That Define Our News

Lately, it seems you can’t read or watch the news without talking about Trump. After watching Nightly News with Lester Holt on Wednesday, three specific news values that reoccurred in two stories about the President were apparent: prominence, human interest and impact.

The breaking news story was Judge Neil M. Gorsuch calling Trump’s attacks on the judiciary, who are ruling on his controversial travel ban, “demoralizing.” Impact plays a large role in this story because of the millions of people who are both directly and indirectly affected by the ruling. Any news generated by Trump — good or bad — is reported on not only because of he is one of the most prominent figures in American government, but because the interest people have in what he does.

Additionally, Nordstrom dropping Ivanka’s clothing line and Trump’s response on twitter was reported on. While this doesn’t seem like news, the fact that it has a connection to Trump makes it newsworthy. This story does not have a direct impact on a large number of people by any means, but it does affect the opinion people have about the President.

People have a fascination with him, whether it be of a comical or genuine interest, but the stories being reported about him let the people to make that decision for themselves.