Carson’s Blog: Journalism 347

Post #1: My digital self

I keep up to date with news on a regular basis from multiple different sources. The news I am most interested in is local news in Whitewater and also my hometown. There is not as much news going on in Whitewater compared to my hometown, so I don’t keep up with it as much. Here in town, I really only get news from different facebook groups I am in. I also keep up with the scanner, which I would consider a type of way of getting news. In my hometown I also get a lot of my news from Facebook, as I follow a lot of different news sources covering the area. Another way I frequently get news is by listening to local radio. I think that is a great way to get news because it is usually not biased and definitely has more authenticity behind it, compared to a social media post that someone made. Another way I consume news is on the television. I definitely don’t watch the news on TV as much as other sources, but I still do occasionally. One reason I don’t watch news on the television as much is because most of the stories don’t relate to Whitewater or my hometown. They are usually in a big city and most of the stories are from that city. On the other hand though, the television is a really good place to get nationwide news. I know a lot of the media is biased, so I like to keep an open mind and not just stick to one channel. The channels I keep up with not only on the TV, but social media as well are CBS, ABC, and FOX. It is a good way to keep up with what’s going on in the world, such as conflict overseas and also the current wildfires out in California.  I also keep up with sports news, which is my favorite type of news, because it’s generally not as negative as other news, and I am a pretty big sports fan. I keep up with sports news in multiple different ways as well. The biggest way probably being the television. If I am watching TV, 90% of the time I am watching something sports related. Obviously it doesn’t affect my daily life, like local news can, but sports is a big part of my life, so I like to keep myself informed. The other big ways I get sports news is social media, mostly instagram and X (twitter). Overall, I definitely feel like I stay informed with all the different kinds of news around me. Whether that be social media, the radio, or news on the TV. I think I keep up with it more than most people my age. It’s always better to be informed then not be. I would consider getting news, reading it, or watching it a part of my daily life. I don’t think I go a day without consuming information that is important in some way shape or form.

Post #2 Online Journalism Structures

In the past, what it meant to be a journalist was a lot different then what it means in today’s day and age. Mostly due to social media being as popular as ever. It used to strictly be a “professional” reporter, writer, anchor, etc. but now that definition has greatly changed. Now a journalist can be someone as informal as a social media influencer, or somebody who has their own blog just for fun in their free time. Social media not only plays a role in this factor, but other factors such as the 24/7 news cycle as well. With social media, journalists must be ready to constantly update and report breaking news, weather that be on a media platform such as twitter, or on their companies website. When it was just newspapers, there was no need to monitor news throughout the night, because the stories had to be published by a certain time in order to be released into the public. Almost all media today is convergence as well, meaning these outlets are preparing stories for several different audiences, like TV, radio, print, and online. A good example I think of when I think about modular content is Tiktok. News is able to get out to the public way faster and easier, with short clips. These clips also get out to many more people because they don’t have to visit the specific news outlets website or page to get this news. Twitter is also another example of this. News is able to be spread by a simple tweet, that does not require a full length article to be read. Overall, media is changing more than it ever has before, and with technology, social media, and AI always improving, it is only going to keep changing.

Post #3: Story #1

On Saturday February 15th, a very intense hockey game took place between rivals team USA and Canada at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Before the game even started, things got a little out of hand and controversial.

This is when boos rang out over the arena, during the national anthem of the United States. Ultimately many believe this is why tempers flared early on in the game, with 3 fights taking place in the first nine minutes. As for the reason why, well that is still unknown to many. Maybe it was as simple as the two teams being big rivals from close by countries, or maybe it was because they don’t agree one bit with American politics? The question has been raised if they took it too far by booing. The reasoning behind it probably was not enough to warrant this happening. As with every story, there are two sides to this. They are big rivals who don’t like each other so the natural thing to do is boo. The other side is that even if they hate each other on the ice, is it that serious to boo a countries’  “theme” song? It is definitely showing a lack of respect to not just the players, but the entire country. 

Immediately when I read this story I got to thinking which side has a better case and what others thought about this happening. I was able to catch up with Avery Craddick, a junior at Uw-Whitewater. She stated “I think it is disrespectful to boo a country’s national anthem even if you don’t agree with them because they take great pride in that anthem.” I then was curious if there was anybody that had a different opinion on this story. “I don’t think it’s a big deal, I think it just adds more to the intense rivalry the two teams have”, Harley Knight, also a junior at Uw-Whitewater, stated. I also wanted to get an opinion from somebody in a different age group to see if they had any thoughts. Sarah Bruhn stated that she didn’t think the booing was appropriate, and they can boo at any other time besides the national anthem. 

In conclusion, the incident of booing the U.S. national anthem at the hockey game between USA and Canada on February 15th shows how sports, national pride, and political tensions can meet. While some see the act as a normal thing in a rivalry, others view it as disrespectful, as it sabotages the significance of the country’s anthem and the pride its people take in it. Regardless of personal and political views, the event shows how sports rivalries can become intense with respect being thrown out. Whether you view this as disrespect or just simply being competitive, the debate will likely continue, reflecting differing opinions on respect, rivalry, and pride in sports.