Approaching the Mediasphere

When we listened to our classmates present after my group in class I was most interested in what was said about the media sphere.  This group talked a lot about how we get our news which is something that I never really think about.  We live in a time when we can flip on our phone or the TV and see the biggest, smallest, or local news headlines.  There are now so many different sources for news and ways in which sources receive their information and it is now more important to know where information comes from, because anyone out there can say whatever they want and put it on the internet, and it is pretty scary.

There are different types of medias or platforms in which we receive our news.  I learned the the news that we most likely view such as newspapers, internet newspapers, magazines, and radio and television stations like CNN and Fox.  These are accredited sources and their information can normally be trusted.  It is especially important to be careful in todays times because these sources are being criticized for situations pertaining to this years election for example as shown in this, Washington Times Article, where it says 9/10 republicans have lost trust in mainstream media, although that trust can be restored.

Citizen Journalism including social media, also are looked to as news sources which is more dangerous.  Anyone could say anything online which is whats scary.  And when people have an idea and then they hear other people with the same idea, they can begin to think that they are right.  Alternative media such as news sites, video, street art, print, and audio are another big news source.  These are sources that may pick up on new technology info or may even be considered blogs.  

It is important that we know how we can distinguish our media sources.

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Smith-Mundt Act?

Propaganda has played a large role in war and the development of this country.  When the US passed the Smith-Mundt Act, they made it legal to give agencies the ability to lie about other countries.  This has had major implications on our country since its inception.  It was conceived as way for us to use propaganda in other countries as weapon to change what people think.

It becomes an even bigger problem in 2012 when the bill is changed so that the United Stated can now use propaganda and lie to its own citizens.  Essentially the government gained more power while the people lost a big piece of our first amendment rights and steps on our checks and balances system.  An example of this could be if something goes bad oversees and some civilians are killed.  Our military could lie or withhold the information, with no opposition.





https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10402659808426214