MCOM 4003 - Mackenzy Turner

Patience is a Virtue How much do we really know about our government? Well, if we are honest, we can know, however much we want. The Freedom of Information Act gives public the right to access federal documentation. In fact, " i t is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government ". However, how much freedom do we truly have? Today we will dive into this act and see how much tug we have on the leash and what may keep us  from   accessing  some of this information. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is defined as  a piece of legislation that grants public access to documents or other data in the possession of a government agency or public authority, unless the information falls into a category that is specifically excluded from the terms of the legislation . What this pretty much means is that almost everyone has  access to what is going on within the government. Since it was passed in 1966, officials must have nothing to hide o

Spreading the Freedom Living in the land of the free has always been normalcy for day to day Americans to the point where we don't even realize how good we have it. Even when it comes to the news we listen to, we have become accustomed to knowing everything as soon as it happens. However, for many countries, this is not the case,  information is hard to come by when looking at big topics, especially in countries where even the journalists have restrictions. As a believer that everyone deserves the freedoms for the press, Free Press Unlimited works to provide underdeveloped countries with the information they need and deserve. Free Press Unlimited strongly believes that " everyone has the right to independent, reliable and timely information ."  Journalists and news networks work extremely hard on a day to day basis to keep the public in the know, so imagine trying to do this with a restriction. In countries like China and Africa, many of these hard-working jou

Presidential Promises Every four years rolls around another election year. Many hopeful candidates take to the polls to share their spiel and ultimately tell the voters what they want to hear. These times often bring forth outrageous promises and claims made about opponents, but what is right. It almost seems as if the candidates themselves can't keep their facts straight, so how can we? Today we will take a look into how America fact checks the misinformation we receive during these elections. The New York Times is a prime example of a newspaper which isn't afraid to call someone out and set the record straight. Our current president, Donald Trump, has fact-checkers working extra hard with everything he throws to the people. Donald is infamous for speaking unscripted, which makes him make "silly mistakes," not so silly when you are speaking to the entire country. In the 2016 elections, Donald made claims to the people that made no sense and has seemed to fol

Feeding on Your Fears As the Coronavirus pandemic sweeps the world, citizens are bound to their homes by law, and many are kept there by fear. An aggressive virus that is spread by person to person contact is enough to keep anyone trapped in their homes and glued to the TV to catch the next breaking news. As fear floods the minds of many during these trying times, scammers are taking advantage. Criminals are exploiting the coronavirus pandemic for their own personal gain.  Telemarketers, virus emails, and scams are swarming the lives of thousands during these trying times. As this virus affects the respiratory system, underlying conditions can cause further complications. With these added worries, many are on the hunt for preventative measures as a cure, or vaccine has not been found. Scammers have taken advantage of this situation and have taken to the internet to sell "health supplements" that combat the Coronavirus.  For example, Vivify Holistic Clinic was marketing it

Do you Agree to the Terms and Conditions? You are scrolling through your social media pages, and fall in love with an image that your coworker posted, so you post it on your feed. What does this mean? Are you breaking any rules? An act such as this one dances on the line of copyright infringement, and today we will go into depths on what violates the rules and what stays in the green. Copyright is defined as  the exclusive legal right, given to an originator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material, and to authorize others to do the same  ( search ). This affects us as social media users every day. As active users of social media, many people find themselves mindlessly clicking away, sharing information that isn't theirs. The problem with this lies in the fact that once we download the app and create our profiles, we check yes on the box titled "do you agree to the terms and conditions." However,

Privilege Not Privacy Reporters write on topics they are passionate about, and to some extent, they are protected by reporters privilege. " The idea behind reporter's privilege is that journalists have a limited First Amendment right not to be forced to reveal information or confidential news sources in court" ( reporter-s-privilege ). Now, how truly limited is this right, you ask? Let us take a deep dive and find out. When it comes to journalists, they often rely on reporters' privilege to write freely and not worry about testifying and declassing evidence in court. A big question on my mind when it comes to this topic is how far will this protection reach? What information that they cover may they be required to testify on? Protection for an identity of a confidential source lies under these four guidelines found in the first amendment encyclopedia : First, the government must show that there is probable cause that the reporter possesses informati