Journalism is a huge part of what history is. Throughout the past journalism has kind of told the world what issues and pieces of information should be of interest. In Rodger Streitmatter’s book Mightier than the Sword it is stated that most news organizations in American history put journalistic principle above financial gain. By putting journalistic principle above financial gain, the truth has been able to shine and allow the public to better understand what is going on in the world. If it were not for journalist like William Lloyd Garrison we might not have known about just how terrible things were in the south.

Journalists have served as watchdogs of not only their communities but of the whole nation for many years and by doing so history has been given the chance to be free of deception. By pushing for the truth journalism will continue to define what history is. As long as journalism is around the pen will continue to be mightier than the sword.

Before coming to U of I journalism was just an idea to me. I thought journalism was just about finding the truth but it is really about so much more. I have learned that it isn’t just about finding the truth it is about determining if that truth should be shared with the public. Is what you uncovered news worthy or just another piece of information the public could care less about?

What is interesting about journalism is that anyone can do it. Not everyone can do it well though. When journalists are seeking the truth to benefit the public that is when the news really shines. What I like about the news is how there is always something new to learn. There will always be a new story to tell it is like a never ending non-fiction book. Long form or short form there is a news source that works for everyone, should they choose to use it.

News and the content it is made of is powerful. Edward R. Murrow’s reporting on the Korean war is a great example of just how powerful the news can be. I think news is told in a way to induce emotions in its audience. Certain stories take angles because the journalist wants the audience to feel a certain way. That isn’t a bad thing though sometimes that can cause people to take notice of things and make people care more about what is going on around them. I like the way news is told and I hope it continues to be told the way it is.

Investigative journalism can bring attention to injustices that would not otherwise have been known about. Propublica and New York Daily News took a look at how the NYPD have been using an old law to force people out of their homes and businesses. The law was passed in the 1970s to combat the sex industry in Times Square but has been used more recently to target a broader spectrum of criminal activity. The problem is that many reports being filed are false and get dismissed. The NYPD was specifically targeting communities of color according to Propublica. Since Propublica and the New York Daily News decided to bring the problem to the attention of the city council and the mayor of New York City, bills have been voted on to help amend the unfair law. The city council passed the reforms in February. Without the investigative journalism that was done who knows when the law would have been changed so that it would not be misused.

Twitter has decided that it will not be bullied by the government. Back in march Twitter received a summons that said they must reveal the information of an anonymous user. Twitter said that the law stated to obtain the information was not relevant and violated the Stored Communications Act, the company is also suing the government. In the article written by Mike Issac, a reporter for The New York Times, it says that these anonymous accounts started popping up after the National Park Service incident. What Twitter is really fighting for is the safety of the first amendment. We can not allow the government to censor what we say online just because what is said may go against who holds office. Privacy is becoming a thing of the past because the government wants access to everything we use. I understand why they want access to things like people’s anonymous twitters but at what point should the line be drawn? I think Twitter has found that line and I hope other social media sites follow suit.

We live in a time where the internet has become a necessity and use of social media is a must. Has the internet become a tool that has more power over us than we do of it? Ross Douthat from the New York Times thinks it has. I once said to my friend that I did not want to use social media because I did not see the point to it, yet here I am just as tuned in as them to Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites. The problem is that many people (including myself) believe we need these things, like we cannot function without them. We have become dependent upon the instant gratification social media gives us and the vast amount of knowledge the internet allows us to seek. At what cost though?

Our youth, the next generation, is in danger. It seems like children who are using the internet are getting younger and younger. I do not know about you but when I was in elementary school we learned from a book not a tablet. The internet is being used to teach kids but not necessarily the right things. I have noticed that kids that are using the internet a lot are less socially aware and less aware of social norms. It is like children are being turned into proficient internet users but lackluster citizens at the same time.

The solution to the internet problem is no easy one. We must take a step away from the computer, put down our phones, and really talk about how necessary the internet really is. Is the internet a necessary tool or society’s slow downfall? It is time for us to choose and choose wisely we must.

Josh Gad has gone to great lengths to try and get even a snippet of info on Star Wars Episode 8. Josh Gad and Daisy Ridley are filming a movie together according to Julia Brucculieri from The Huffington Post. Josh being a huge Star Wars fan like many of us decided to ask Daisy questions about the upcoming Star Wars movie.

The first video Josh posted on Twitter showed how he approached her very calmly. He tried his best to get some info out of her by offering some info on Frozen 2 but Daisy was not having it. After that didn’t work he tried to trick her by saying the director of the movie their working on needed them to look over part of the script. In the note (that Josh wrote) he threw questions about Star Wars in there but Daisy did not let anything slip. Throughout that same day Josh’s schemes to get her to talk became more grand, he brought in Judi Dench to question her about Star Wars but to no avail. His last attempt at getting info from her resulted in his video going viral on Twitter. The video hilariously ended by having none other than J.J. Abrams ask “Does Luke finally get to say any lines in Episode 8?” I am pretty sure Daisy Ridley is contractually obligated to not talk about the plot of Episode 8 but it was still a good attempt by Josh Gad to get her to spill the beans.

I watched the NBC Nightly News broadcast from February 10^th. There was an exclusive about Edward Snowden being returned to the U.S. This story has a lot to do with conflict because it is unclear what Russia’s reasoning behind potentially returning Snowden would is. The next story was about the travel ban and how it’s causing problems for many citizens, this story is also about conflict but also about timeliness because the travel ban has not been in effect for that long. Another story covered the anger over trump policies which was also a story with conflict because it showed video of people protesting and speaking out. A later story in the broadcast showed how immigration crackdown is tearing families apart. In the immigration story they showed a little girl crying out of fear of losing her mom, people do not like to see sad children so it was definitely a story about human interests and impact. The last story was about a panda named Bao Bao leaving Washington’s National zoo. The panda story is a human interest story because people love pandas. It seems they like to focus on conflict and human interest at least based off this broadcast.

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