News I am most drawn to is news concerning public safety. Public safety is one of the only topics that I believe will always concern everyone. More specifically, news regarding crime is what interests me most. I learn most from news that affects my safety and feel like popular news culture, for example, celebrities and showbiz, can be more drama than insightful. Any crime that takes place or precautionary news catches my attention immediately. I am interested in public safety on the international, national, and especially local level. I learn most from crime news because I feel reassured that I can avoid dangerous situations as best as I can. Each story about a kidnapping, theft, or car accident releases different details about the occurrence. I accumulate more knowledge about how I can best avoid these situations.

I am from West Bend, Wisconsin and I find local news from the Washington County Insider, West Bend’s Facebook, and even word-of-mouth. When I know what occurs around me, I feel safer and smarter going out in public. I visit Fox News and the Washington County Insider on a weekly basis. My favorite news website is Fox News because I enjoy the reporters and the news they cover. The website is very user-friendly and organized by category. If I am looking for anything specific, I am able to easily locate the story. Each story is labeled and if the cursor moves over it, a picture appears. If I am walking to class, exercising, or anything else on the go, I can easily access the same news on my phone. Additionally, Fox News has a podcast series which makes it easy for me to listen when I cannot look at the screen. For example, when I am

driving or cooking, I enjoy listening to Fox News podcasts. I almost always search my news through Google. I use a few mediums when accessing news: I enjoy the accessibility of text, convenience of podcasts, and the lasting effects of videos. I enjoy watching videos for news intake the most. I can watch a video if I want; being able to see the host and pan the setting of an event or occurrence gives me better insight. If I am busy, I can just listen to the video and still hear the story. I believe I can get a bit of both when watching a video. I have never interacted with international or nationwide news. I have posted comments on local news sites if it regards someone I know or is something I know more about. I believe I can contribute to my community by posting occasional comments on local news sites. I do not use Twitter as I believe it is filled with too much clutter that I have to sift to in order to find insightful information. I often view Twitter as a medium for feuding; many people fail to focus on the issue itself and rather attack others. The main podcasts I listen to are True Crime Podcasts (specifically “Crime Junkie”) and Fox News podcasts.

I believe news is real if some of the following aspects are involved: a police report, more than just a few witnesses, or more than one story about the same issue lines up. Statistics make a story more reliable and legitimate which gives the audience a sense of tangible evidence. A story is difficult to believe if there are more opinions than facts involved and if the reporter’s views are clearly skewed. I have discovered exaggerated stories when reading multiple stories on the same event or occurrence and they are all different from one another. To summarize, I like using different mediums and websites to be well-rounded in what takes place, especially around me. Stories are credible when they are supported with facts, witnesses, or reports. News about crime and safety interest me the most and help to warn the public. I enjoy discussing current events and issues with my peers, family, and friends as I feel I can positively contribute to society.