Blog #4: EOTO Presentation

Podcasts are a recent communicative technology that not long ago took off as a major source of communication and entertainment. According to this report by Statista, 41% of Americans, which is about 116 million have listened to a podcast in the past month. Many big name tech companies have also jumped on the wave of Podcasts such as Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Audible, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio.

A podcast is defined as an episode based audio media that centers around a particular topic or theme. It combines the notion of a radio show and episodes to create a more user friendly audio media. To be considered a podcast, the media must be formatted as an RSS Feed which is a computer-readable format. Although audio blogging and radio shows were created before podcasts, the organization of episodes and user-friendly format is what sets it apart from prior archaic media. The compelling and gratifying quality of podcasts is that users are able to subscribe to a podcast series and listen to a new episode when it comes out. Much like a TV show where a new episode releases weekly, podcasts also offer that quality where viewers have something to look forward to. They also offer a variety of subjects ranging from politics, sports, crime documentary, or pop entertainment. With a diverse platform, these audio episodes offer inclusivity to any listeners wanting to learn something about any given subject. Podcasts are defined as long-form content which basically means that it is an in-depth source of information for that specific topic and targets many different scopes and aspects of the topic being discussed. The unique idea behind podcasts is that it has simple usability that allows people to listen and learn while doing mundane tasks like driving to work, walking to class, or cleaning the house. The problem that podcasts helped solve was that many people who are simply not great readers or don’t have the time to sit down somewhere to read a book are able to put free podcasts on as it offers audio based storytelling that people can listen to rather than reading or watching. While watching T.V. makes people use their sense of hearing and vision, podcasts just need you to listen to whoever’s narrating the podcast. For people who tend to not like reading, podcasts are the easiest solution to get whatever scope you’re in the mood for.

The evolution of podcasts was not an instant phenomenon like Instagram or Television shows. Although its true creation was started in the early 2000’s, it wasn't a major hit or form of information and entertainment. The takeoff of the audio storytelling platform would be landmarked by major Podcasts series that would later start a demand. According to this article by the Wire, some very early, popularized podcasts would include We’re Alive, which would be described as an audio-movie of a zombie/apocalyptic world. Welcome to Night Vale, was also a major broadcast of the news via audio in a podcast format. Investigative and crime podcasts also took off as it created an appetite for true crime, which is seen in early podcasts such as Serial and Black Tapes. The term podcast was a mix of iPod & broadcast. Though the true creators of podcasting have been credited to Adam Curry and Dave Winer in 2004 as they created one of the first podcasts known as The Daily Source Code which was about the news, music, and podcasting in general. 

Podcasts are said to reach a younger generation and just like any other media, it provides a mouthpiece that is able to reach a wider scope of people. Podcasts offer convenience, diverse subjects, and relatability to listeners. With a wide range of coverage, podcasts provide an easy way to hear discussions about social issues, justice issues, and environmental issues but also gives the audience the option to listen to less intense topics like recent entertainment gossip, crime series, scary stories, etc. 

An issue with podcasts is that it lacks a two way interaction between listeners and the podcast speakers. Unlike platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikToc that offer live and instant back & forth dialogue, podcasts offer no way for the audience to offer input. The accessibility for interaction between the storyteller and audience is important because it offers room for improvement as a creator and clarity from the listeners. People also tend to be more active on platforms where they can be vocal and their thoughts are able to be heard by the creator.

Blog #3: Eight Values of Free Expression

    Out of all eight values of free expression, the one that resonated with me the most was the fifth one known to check on governmental power, similarly to the way that checks and balances is set up to hold branches of government accountable. I feel that this truly connects with what’s going on in the country as there are many instances of suppression from the government when our freedoms should allow us to criticize government wrongdoings without persecution or cover up. Most of the public’s interaction with the government can be summed up with live broadcasts footage of public relations events and speeches from higher ups in the government, though for the most part, the public is hidden from errors & mistakes the government has made. Sometimes we hear news that seems inconceivable in the sense that it’s hard to believe that the information isn’t blasted on every news outlet. 

*Bombing taking place.

    This scenario happened to me recently as I came across a shocking article from the NY Times, detailing the war crime of the Baghuz Strike where about 80 lives were lost as a small town in Syria was bombed. The reasoning behind the murders was summed up by the government as the necessary action to kill Islamic State fighters. With inconclusive numbers, the inspector of the Defense Department deemed that 16 of the 80 killed were aggressive fighters, four were citizens, and the rest as an ambiguous mixture of armed and unarmed women and children. This atrocity occurred back in March of 2019. Why is this just surfacing to the public’s eye and where is the justice and consequences for the mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters left behind as their family members died under the guise embedded in the ideology of ‘fighting for our freedom’? What freedoms were protected as many were slaughtered ‘accidentally’ for the sake of capturing the lives of 16 fighters?

*Locals fleeing the city of Baghuz.

    As internal sources questioned the characteristics of a war crime, the only investigation completed after the massacre was spearheaded by the same division that performed the strike. They therefore deemed the strike as lawful under the purpose of targeting the small group of fighters and no punishment was further needed. Suppression of these wrongful transgressions is evident as Forbes detailed that, “Gene Tate, a former evaluator in the DoD [Department of Defense] inspector general’s office, told the Times that he was forced out of his job after he complained that the office was not adequately investigating the incident”. Although the connotations that people think of when they hear “free expression” are thought of as a range from the right to take a knee during the national anthem, rappers candidly spouting demeaning lyrics, or the simple freedom to state your opinion, criticism and free expression go hand & hand. Gene Tate’s subsequent consequence of disapproving of governmental relations was a blatant abuse of power as he was not fired off the merits to do with his quality of work but for coincidently speaking out against a war crime. The person who took the strike’s report to the Pentagon, Lieutenant Col Dean Korsak claimed that he would be, “putting [himself] at great risk of military retaliation” for sending the details of the strike according to The Guardian. 

*Destruction of the town after the strike.

    In the workplace, the sentiment of loyalty and representation of the company disallows employees from bad mouthing the business's image, though when the company associates as the government, the need for accountability needs to be upheld or our rights are increasingly weakened. Overall, the balance of checks and balances regarding free expression is an absolute necessity as suppression of wrongdoings supports governmental corruption and abuse.

*Visual of what's left among the debris.

Blog #2: The Supreme Court

    While reading about SCOTUS from this article, I learned about the process of bringing in a new court Justice as they are first nominated by the President and are either accepted or rejected by the U.S. Senate. The purpose of the Supreme Court is to interpret the Constitution which was created 200 years ago which specifies the rights of citizens. There is no set amount of time that they are allotted because that position is theirs until they die or want to retire. This means that the President who appoints a justice, has a lesser span of time in office then a Justice does. The average time as a Justice averages 16 years but it is also common to hold a position for 30 years. Another interesting fact is that SCOTUS isn’t just the determiner of court cases but also the judge of impeachment trials for Presidents.​​

    One of the most surprising aspects I learned was that the Supreme Court has a massive amount of power that can indicate the direction that social issues can steer, either right or left. I understand now why it is so monumental when a supreme court justice passes away because that means that the direction of SCOTUS can change with a new Supreme Court Justice thrown in the mix. Another surprising fact is that the justices shake hands before each case as a way to integrate unity and harmony into their dealings with each other. They also have a rule that everyone speaks once before they’re able to speak twice. I think this says a lot about their respect for one another and their willingness to hear all sides before debating over the issue.The most interesting take away I learned about SCOTUS, is that many of the civil rights that we find normal to have are actually precedents set by the Supreme Court. Examples are interraccial marriages, same sex marriages, provided legal representation and the right to an abortion. As we live in today’s generation, it’s hard to grasp that people in the past didn’t have the rights I have easily today. 

Blog #1: Top 5 News Sources

TMZ

    TMZ is an infamous news outlet that features breaking stories about celebrities and those in the entertainment field. It’s notorious for the scandalous nature of stories in which they provide an exclusive scoop that is individual to only them. I find myself gravitating to this news outlet because they always have the newest knowledge of a story and have access to many sources closest to celebrities. They were the first outlet to break the news of Kobe Bryaant’s death and first to have actual footage of Tristan Thompson cheating on Khloe Kardashian according to this source.

The Washington Post

    The Washington Post is one of the oldest news productions that is both available as a printed newspaper and on an online platform. It features current politics, national news, entertainment stories and more. I use this news outlet, when a major story has hit the news and I’m looking for a detailed article of the events that took place such as the Travis Scott concert where 8 people died according to this article.

Snapchat News Outlet (Worldstar & Hollywire)

    Snapchat has integrated news outlets in the social media app when you slide down to the bottom of the page. The small news outlets apart of Snapchat such as WorldStar and Hollywire are simulated as snapchat stories and not like a regular news outlet. They are usually entertainment and celebrity based and are often very short. They usually provide visuals and get straight to the gist of the story.

BBC

    BBC is a British news outlet that dates back to 1922. I find this platform to hold a fairly centered position as far as politically and is very useful for recent global news. It is available in print form as well as online forms such as video and audio. I usually listen to the BBC news station in the car and the premise around the stories gets to the point easily but also shares background information that helps build the scope to what it is.

NBC

    When I watch the news on T.V., I’m usually inclined to watch NBC News, a broadcasting outlet that covers both local and global stories. I enjoy watching and listening to Lester Holt, an anchor on the nightly news and host of Dateline. When I want to watch news that is especially riveting and interesting such as the L.A Riots from last year, NBC had the live footage and reporting of the events taking place in the streets. Overall, I appreciate the exclusive field reporting and media production that NBC provides for live newsworthy content.