This past Wednesday I was able to listen to a workshop about fake news presented by Dr. Nicole A. Cooke, Dr. Stephanie Craft, Dr. Barbara M. Jones, and Dr. Rachel M. Magee. A lot of interesting topics were discussed, but there were a few main points that stuck out to me. First of all, a lot of information was given about tips for spotting fake news. Some of the tips included looking for inflammatory language and looking at the about page.
Another topic I found interesting was about photo journalism. Dr. Barbara M. Jones discussed how it is often hard to spot fake photos in the news. One example she gave was of a photo of hundreds of dead children that was described by many national newspapers as a photo of Muslims being tortured in Burma. In reality, it was a photo of victims of a hurricane. This was just one example of how photos can be manipulated to allow an author to tell a fake news story. Dr. Jones warned to be skeptical of all news in order to be a watchdog of the press.
My name is Nicole Rose. I’m a Sophomore studying political science and communication. I wanted to take Journalism 200 because I thought it would be useful to help understand how a major segment of the media works and to help boost my writing skills. It also helps that the class fulfills an advanced composition requirement!
I am originally from Chicago and I loved growing up in a big, diverse city. Coming to this campus was a bit of a culture shock. I am definitely not used to seeing so much corn. After graduation, I am planning on moving back to a big city because it is definitely something that I miss. Hopefully, I will get the chance to explore different cities other than Chicago because I love to travel and experience new places!
As for what I want to be when I grow up, the plan, as of right now, is to go to law school and become a lawyer. I can definitely see myself in a highly competitive career path, so I think going to law school will be a good fit. The type of law I want to practice is still undecided. However, I know that I want to be able to help make a difference in people’s lives regardless of the type of law I practice.
