Blog Post #5 - EOTO: Cable News Network

 CNN's History, Good and Bad

When you think of Cable News Networks, you may think of things such as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and even some talk shows. You think of those channels and you think of the ideas that would come with them: economic knowledge, daily life of those in your area, weather, easy access to information, the knowledge we have gained based of the checks-and-balance system, and so many more. Sometimes you want that information at all times and CNN in particular can give you that. According to History.com, CNN was created on June 1, 1980 in Atlanta, GA. CNN originally became big on the scene once their piece about the attempted assassination of Vernon Jordan, a civil rights leader, says History.com. Robert Turner, also known as Ted Turner, was the main spokesman and father of the CNN brand. He adopted an Atlanta TV station that was doing poorly and wanted to transform it to broadcast into peoples houses all around the country. In its early years, CNN was made a joke and was quickly declining, but that did not stop Turner from investing and building, later buying Satellite News Channel, eliminating CNN's biggest competition, says History.com. CNN slowly grew to even higher fame. It became the first 24-hour all-news service according to Harold L. Erickson from Britannica. CNN began to not only broadcast news but also prime-time series and talk shows. 

Robert "Ted" Turner 

CNN was created in order to provide the country with accurate depictions as to what is going on in our daily life, business, technology, entertainment, sports, travel, weather, communications, and so much more. You would hope that there would be a system of broadcasting information to those in the country in order for us to stay update on the things goin on in our lives, and thankfully cable news networking platforms, like CNN, have made this possible for us. CNN's website gives you an idea about the types of issues, problems, facts, and information that they provide to the country. When looking at the "TRENDING" tag on the information bar at the top of the page, you are able to see the most popular events that are going on in the brains of fellow citizens. Having this kind of connection with the people in the country gives a better idea of what is the top priority tot hose near you. CNN also provides you with a "LIVE UPDATES" tab that gives you live updates about major events happening around the world and the coverage that the CNN team is able to provide. 

CNN and other cable news network are there to provide us with the necessary information that the world has to offer. Whether the news is severe or just a happy story, there will always be someone there to cover it. The world is full of information to learn and cable news has been one of the main ways that we have been able to learn those stories. Without the knowledge being provided, we live in the dark age once again. We should be moving forward, and things like this are the first step 

Cited Sources: 

“Breaking News, Latest News and Videos.” CNN, Cable News Network, 19 Feb. 2014, www.cnn.com/. 

“CNN Launches.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 24 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cnn-launches. 

Erickson , Harold L. “CNN.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/CNN. 

Blog Post #4 - Values of Free Expression

The Eight Values of Free Expression.

Sometimes it is hard to figure out what our "values of free expression" are, but maybe it is more important for us to take a look than we thought. The eight values are Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation, and Protect Dissent. The main idea of the eight values of free expression are the ultimately our rights that we should know as a country when it comes to expression of our beliefs and voices.

Personally, I believe that Individual Self-Fulfillment and Check on Governmental Power are two of the most important for us as a society. Individual Self-Fulfillment is ultimately our fundamental rights to expressing ourselves as individuals, which allows us to create our own personal identities. This causes us to differentiate each of our views from one another, but we all still have the rights to have our respective "human dignity, human agency, and autonomy." The differences between every person and their beliefs, morals, ethics, etc., are the reason as to why this country is the way that it is. Without our differences, there would not be as much diversity as there is today. Our differences is what brings us together. The government has a way of making all individuals think that the differences that we have are the reason for our issues in the country, when unreality, we should be focusing a little more on what they are doing, which is why we need the ability to check on them to be a right. There must be a reason it has to be protected ... right? Checking on Governmental Power is important for us during this time especially because it brings us the knowledge of what is going on in relation to us, the people. This allows us to be able to learn the ins and outs of our system and the possible, yet now clear, abuse of power. Both the country and the press are involved in the check-and-balance system. The check-and-balance system gives an equal amount of power to the three branches, Legislative, Executive, and Judicial, which guarantees a balance of power. The actions of the government effect each and ever citizen of the United States, and it is important for us to be able to learn what it going on. As a society, us being able to fully comprehend the things that our government is doing is highly important, and thankfully we have the freedom to be able to get that knowledge that we need. 

I believe that all of the values of free expression are necessary in order for us to have order, but I also believe that we need to pay closer attention to what is protected as a right. In some cases I think we should be aware that having our own thoughts and beliefs and being able to have knowledge of the government that is in power of our country should not have to be protected, but rather just a fundamental right. 

Blog Post #3 - SCOTUS History

 SCOTUS: The History

Being the highest federal court in the country, the Supreme Court has nine justices that make it up. SCOTUS originally assembled in February of 1790, which I personally never knew. This was made possible by Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. The SCOTUS's first case was West v. Barnes, case on a financial dispute. The job of the Supreme Court is to get an official look into the rules and regulations that have been presented from the executive and legislative branches of Congress. The SCOTUS was originally made up of Chief Justice John Jay and Associate Justices John Rutledge, William Cushing, John Blair, Robert Harrison, and James Wilson. 

Blog Post #2 - Privacy, Online & Off

The Ultimate Invasion: Privacy

Privacy is just that, private. When you post things or send things confidentially, you would assume they would stay that way, would you not? Ultimately nothing is really private and nothing really goes away. In Juan Enriquez's Ted Talk, he informs the viewer about how the things that you post, tweet, snapchat, upload, and send are there forever. They are ultimately your digital tattoos. He talks about how when a person has a tattoo it is seen a certain way, which he compares to when you post things, those are also seen in a certain light as well. Yes, you are voluntarily posting things, but should they really end up being used against you? I suppose it is really just up to you to watch what you post. In terms of things about you being used as ammunition, Darieth Chisolm's Ted Talk talks about something that borders on being illegal in so many ways, revenge porn. Chisolm tells the story of how explicit photos of her were exposed on a website for everyone to see by an abusive ex boyfriend. She had to endure months of trial and depression in order to get some form of justice. The internet is a place where those kinds of photos and posts you have made or even others have made of you, will linger. 

In Catherine Crump's Ted Talk, we are informed about how the police are tracking you via the Automatic License Plate Reader alone. They are on cop cars with the intention of being used for "future need" if necessary, even if you are an innocent civilian your entire life and have no record. I would say this is an invasion of privacy, no? Of course your license plate is not the only thing that can track or trace you of course. Christopher Soghoian's Ted Talk informs us that surveillance, in the forms of wiretap, camera, tracking, and more, is in everything, even your phones. Some companies have software to prevent those things, but some do not. 

These kinds of invasions raise an eyebrow or two, do they not? These issues can effect anyone and everyone, everyday. You could post a picture of yourself drinking one night, and everyone will somehow be able to see it. Or something as small as a stupid comment you made years ago resurfacing. It helps to not too controversial or bad things, yes, but even if you are just living your everyday life, someone out there could know what that consists of. There is of course the question of if the government could help us and if they can resolve this issue, but the other side of the question is whether or not the government is part of the issue. If we were to lean on the government in these times of need, privacy, we could be asking them to do what is protected in the constitution already. There is also the concern that whenever we do post things that is because we do have the freedom of speech protection, but could the government help us and stop the invasion in concern for things such as our license plate, surveillance, and those kinds of things, we would strongly hope so. 

Blog Post #1 - Five Top Sources for News and Information

My Top 5 Sources

I use multiple different types of news channels/sources, depending on the topic at hand of course. Different media outlets are able to tell so many different things is you look hard enough. There are outlets for cooking, arts, media, politics, schools, celebrities, movies, brands, and so much more, but finding the perfect ones for you is harder than it could appear. When finding the sources that I use everyday I had to go through trial and error to figure out what was best for me and what I needed knowledge on. I have found the best sources for which that capture the stories that I want to gather information on. 

When it comes to my personal favorite news source for art, I use ARTnews.com, which was established in 1902. This source has been a personal favorite for me to keep up with the most recent things that are happening in the art world. This website gives you details on the classic news, such as people who are representing their countries in major galleries, the market, which details the new up and coming firms and galleries, artists, collectors, and even recommendations. 

Another news source that I use in order to get news on art is Arts Journal. This news source is one of the ways that I primarily learn about all different types of art. This source goes into detail about media, music, people, theatre, dance, and virtually all different types and kinds of art. It also dives into the cultural aspects of art and the differences between people and how it has shaped different forms of art. 

When I want to look at a topic that is more political/everyday news I tend to use CNN.com. Being from Atlanta, GA, we have visited many times for both school trips and to just overall experience the little town inside the headquarters. CNN is able to give me news on the most critical topics of day to day life and things that are not necessarily know via being on social media apps. 

Another news source that I use when it comes to political/everyday news is Forbes. Forbes gives information on things such as the political, up and coming, and more. Forbes has given me information on celebrities and news that I know I otherwise would not have known. Forbes is also big on their ability to teach financial skills, as cited by the Forbes Advisor page.

I use The New York Times as well, in order to collect information. The New York Times, as said in an article by Paul Glader for Forbes Magazine, is a very "influential newspaper." Paul Glader has also said that The New York Times is a more left-leaning view, but they keep to their journalistic morals and keep information as standard as they can. The New York Times is a source that covers things such a politics, culture, economy, live coverage, arts, daily living, opinion columns, cooking, video, and so many other topics that someone is able to learn about and get clear knowledge of.