Post 1 - Sources of Sources

    For my first blogger post in Media Law and Literacy, I have been asked to discuss the sources I use to stay updated on news and information; I, however, am without a consistent source that I go to for news. I like to stay true to my generations identifier and that is being a social media junky. I stay up to date on the world through social media and more specifically, via twitter. I've been called silly many a time for using an app like twitter for my news, some saying it is unprofessional other saying it is unrepeatable but I challenge that idea by simply saying: Be smart about it. I love using twitter to learn about what's going on in the world because twitter tends to have a lot less sensorship than most American new outlets. Many American news outlets don't cover international news that doesn't have some sort of relevance or connection to America. Because of that, a lot of very important stories and voices slip through the cracks. Twitter however, is an international platform, I get to learn about things happening outside of the United States whether or not it impacts America. I have found that now more than ever media HIGHLY influences what goes on the news. What trends on twitter and the things the people make a stink about is what attracts attention and what eventually bigger more reputable new outlets report on. Despite my love for the app, one has to be smarter that to take every tweet as truth. Whats important once you read about something is to do your own research and to find evidence to back up made claims.

Another website I wouldn't say I particularly use a lot, but often keeps me updated on the big things happening in America and around the world is Buzzfeed. Buzzfeed is very much so a liberal news outlet which I like simply because there tends to be a broader breadth of information and news shared on more liberal news sites than there is on more conservative ones. Buzzfeed is mostly ran by people in my generation or the generation ahead of me, millennial, and because of that it is often information presented in a way that makes sense to me and bases itself in humanity before all else. 

I can't say I listen to the radio now as much as I did when I was younger and my commute to school was an hour long, but I definitely think the radio keeps me very updated with popular culture. What the radio stations I listen to offer as far as news is a very very narrow scope that includes celebrity gossip and more recently within the past five or so years, political news and updates, but none the less I at the very least know what all the buzz topic for a day will be after a brief car ride.

When I'm at home, the news is always on the living room TV until a sports game is going on later in the day. I mostly stick to watching whatever it is my parents watch (Most often fox 5 news despite their more left leaning ideals) so I will typically get news from watching it with my parents but most effectively when my parents are arguing with the TV and feel the need to break down each situation and frustration for me using what outside knowledge they already have and contesting it against whatever is being said on the news. 

Finally I'd have to say nightly news hosts such as Rachel Maddow and Trevor Noah and John Oliver are all source I quite enjoy watching on the regular when I'm at home. It is very accessible for me since my family records every episode, but also they all do a very great job of breaking things down so that the information they share is accessible for a wide audience while still maintaining its nuances complexity. John Oliver and Trevor Noah I especially like because they are nightly news comedians and while they are able to joke about the news, often about how outrageous it is that it's even a thing, they do not devalue or discredit the importance or the relevance of the information they share. As someone who just took a American American humor course and have gotten to study some of the inner workings and impact of comedy, they both utilize comedy as a tool to get across important information and impactful self-reflection. 

I like being able to access information and facts on my own so that I may form my own thoughts about them but I don't find it to be of too much consequence to view other peoples perspectives. It's often while viewing other peoples questioning on a topic that we learn new information that may or may not change our stance entirely. To have a flexible and open mind and critical thinking skills are some of the most important tools when it comes to analyzing world, national, or even local news.