Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Who's Controlling My Internet Freedom!?
What an article! Not only did I not know about certain "messages" being covered up by certain companies but I also didn't realize how often this kind of censorship occurs. I would definitely be one of those people saying "no" if the company wanted to control what I receive and read. However, I am not surprised that again it all comes down to money. Who has the biggest dollar and biggest voice to call the shots. As we go further and further into the Internet age we should remember to keep a close eye on our personal media and carriers and make sure no one is in control of us but OURSELVES!
Legal & College Insurrection
I really like the format of both websites. The first thing I noticed on the "Legal" website was the fact that pretty much every post was accompanied by a photo or video. I think this really helps engage the reader so that the content doesn't seem dull and overwhelming. Although I don't have an interest for politics whatsoever I do find these sites both easy to use and interesting when it comes to involving the masses. Because of sites like these I am starting to see how business savy the blogosphere can become and how to properly utilize it. http://collegeinsurrection.com/
Thursday, October 25, 2012
1,000 True Fans
Making Lots of $$$ Blogging!?
I can't BELIEVE the amount of revenue that websites like Perez Hilton and icanhascheezburger make A MONTH! When I first went through the slideshow on Business Week I thought it was crazy enough that someone could devote their entire website to anything and everything. Imagine going to a job that includes all your favorite hobbies, pictures and celebrities and let's not forget it IS a job. Perez Hilton reportedly makes 111,000 a month based on ads and web traffic, icanhascheezburger makes 5,600/month...... and they say you have to love what you do. How can you not when your working from home and posting pictures with captions all day. To me I think it is great if you can find a site unique enough to attract readership but to call that your life's occupation doesn't seem real.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
George Seldes Leaves a Legacy of Courage
I hadn't heard much about George Seldes before, but after reading the legacy he left for journalists to follow, he really was a pioneer for the free flow of information. Perhaps one of his strongest stories has to be his reporting on the dangers of cigarette smoke and warning the people of the side effects. What I also learned about his work is that he wasn't afraid to be independent, especially when it came to reporting about the war and fascism. It's journalists like Seldes that show us to enforce courage, bravery and confidence, no matter what the topic is, how important it is to always seek and report the truth. http://www.jeffcohen.org/docs/mbeat19950712.html
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Voices of Revolution Part 2
Already about halfway into the book and to be expected it keeps getting better! This time around my favorite article was a tie between Ida B. Wells and her movement for anti-lynching and Margaret Sanger and her dedication to providing women with options, such as birth control.
Starting with Ida B. Wells and her commitment to Free Speech was truly the start of something positive to come. I can't help but to think how could people have thought the way they did back then and to act so cruel? Wells was far beyond her time and my favorite quote from her was, "there is only one thing left that we can do; leave a town which will neither protect our lives and property, nor give us a fair trial in the courts, but takes us out and murders us in cold blood." The quote describes to a tee what life was really like and as the reader I can feel that cold chill that was meant to strike a chord. The picture from Voices of Revolution on page 91 is particularly disturbing. As the public can stand there and watch in joy of what they have done to an innocent life.
Black Migration was also interesting when reading how eager activists were to get African Americans to move to North and become employed. I really enjoyed reading that after WWI, when the soldiers came back to claim their jobs they had already been taking by the African Americans from the South and they weren't ready to give them back.
I think that Margaret Sanger and birth control go hand in hand with the chapter on "Free Love." It takes a strong person to not only stand up for what is right but to do so when almost everyone is against you. Thankfully because of Sanger women can have the right to control their bodies in the way in which they want and know that they have options, which can ultimately help preserve their health in the long-run. When it comes to controlling your own body you should also be able to change romantic partners is you wish to do so and basically follow YOUR OWN feelings.
It amazes me that out of so many people that lived during this era only a few were willing to stand up for the rights of others and had the courage and mentality to do so. How could only so few people know what was morally right and do something about it? It's a shame what others had to suffer and go through at our expense but if it weren't for the brave few the absurdity and horrific acts would have gone on a lot longer. This book is a wonderful in-depth look at each courageous warrior of journalism that changed the world for the better.
Starting with Ida B. Wells and her commitment to Free Speech was truly the start of something positive to come. I can't help but to think how could people have thought the way they did back then and to act so cruel? Wells was far beyond her time and my favorite quote from her was, "there is only one thing left that we can do; leave a town which will neither protect our lives and property, nor give us a fair trial in the courts, but takes us out and murders us in cold blood." The quote describes to a tee what life was really like and as the reader I can feel that cold chill that was meant to strike a chord. The picture from Voices of Revolution on page 91 is particularly disturbing. As the public can stand there and watch in joy of what they have done to an innocent life.
Black Migration was also interesting when reading how eager activists were to get African Americans to move to North and become employed. I really enjoyed reading that after WWI, when the soldiers came back to claim their jobs they had already been taking by the African Americans from the South and they weren't ready to give them back.
I think that Margaret Sanger and birth control go hand in hand with the chapter on "Free Love." It takes a strong person to not only stand up for what is right but to do so when almost everyone is against you. Thankfully because of Sanger women can have the right to control their bodies in the way in which they want and know that they have options, which can ultimately help preserve their health in the long-run. When it comes to controlling your own body you should also be able to change romantic partners is you wish to do so and basically follow YOUR OWN feelings.
It amazes me that out of so many people that lived during this era only a few were willing to stand up for the rights of others and had the courage and mentality to do so. How could only so few people know what was morally right and do something about it? It's a shame what others had to suffer and go through at our expense but if it weren't for the brave few the absurdity and horrific acts would have gone on a lot longer. This book is a wonderful in-depth look at each courageous warrior of journalism that changed the world for the better.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Voices of Revolution: Part 1
When I first bought the book Voices of Revolution: The Dissident Press in America by Roger Streitmatter, I wasn't sure if it was going to be something I would enjoy and willing want to read. However, that feeling changed after I had finished the first reading on the American Labor Press and then the second and third being The Liberator and Women's Rights. The part that really struck me the most was the depth that each chapter covered. I had of course known about abolitionist movements and pamphlets, as well as women's rights, but the book really went farther into each topic than any history book I had ever read or touched upon in earlier education. What I found most important and striking from each chapter are as follows:
American Labor-- "A law that makes poverty a crime and a poor man a felon, after those very laws have made poverty inevitable, is not only cruel and oppressive, but absurd."-- William Heighton
If it was not for Heighton's Mechanic's Free Press, the push for shorter workdays, reduced child labor, state-supported schools and abolishing imprisonment for debt would not have been acknowledged or changed.
Slavery-- William Lloyd Garrisons' The Liberator, was one of my favorites to read about. I still cannot believe what African Americans had to endure back then and how society's mind actually functioned in such a discriminatory way and for what reason? If I could commend Garrison it would be for his journalistic approaches, particularly his idea to write about Lovejoy's murder and inform the people of their wrongdoing. Without the bravery and commitment of this dissident journalist's writings the Abolitionist Movement would have been severely delayed. If only slavery could have been abolished earlier with what we know now from what we thought we knew then.....if only.
Women's Rights-- Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a pioneer for women's rights along with the numerous others that stood up for what was right at The Seneca Fall Convention. The Revolution, was just that when it came to change for women. Whether it was in the workplace or the civil rights that they should be entitled to, it all stemmed from Stanton's journalistic form.
In my opinion, it it weren't for the dissident journalists and their personal characteristics, the most prominent being devotion, who knows what our history would have been and who knows what our present and future would be like now. I don't know if I could have been as bold and brave of a journalist as they were, each fighting for a great cause, but it is this kind of journalism that is something us newcomers can learn from especially when it comes to dedication on your subject or beat.
American Labor-- "A law that makes poverty a crime and a poor man a felon, after those very laws have made poverty inevitable, is not only cruel and oppressive, but absurd."-- William Heighton
If it was not for Heighton's Mechanic's Free Press, the push for shorter workdays, reduced child labor, state-supported schools and abolishing imprisonment for debt would not have been acknowledged or changed.
Slavery-- William Lloyd Garrisons' The Liberator, was one of my favorites to read about. I still cannot believe what African Americans had to endure back then and how society's mind actually functioned in such a discriminatory way and for what reason? If I could commend Garrison it would be for his journalistic approaches, particularly his idea to write about Lovejoy's murder and inform the people of their wrongdoing. Without the bravery and commitment of this dissident journalist's writings the Abolitionist Movement would have been severely delayed. If only slavery could have been abolished earlier with what we know now from what we thought we knew then.....if only.
Women's Rights-- Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a pioneer for women's rights along with the numerous others that stood up for what was right at The Seneca Fall Convention. The Revolution, was just that when it came to change for women. Whether it was in the workplace or the civil rights that they should be entitled to, it all stemmed from Stanton's journalistic form.
In my opinion, it it weren't for the dissident journalists and their personal characteristics, the most prominent being devotion, who knows what our history would have been and who knows what our present and future would be like now. I don't know if I could have been as bold and brave of a journalist as they were, each fighting for a great cause, but it is this kind of journalism that is something us newcomers can learn from especially when it comes to dedication on your subject or beat.
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