The Role of Journalism

The media is a strong tool that shows me about what is going on in the world. Sadly, however, I do not check the news very often, except for what I see on T.V. while working out at the gym, what I hear from other people, or see on facebook. For a news source, I prefer the internet because it allows me to browse through quickly on what is going on locally as well as nationally and internationally. If I want to find out what is going on in the Middle East, for example, I can search "News in the Middle East" on Google Search, and it will take me directly to news sources featuring the Middle East. I enjoy listening to the radio and watching TV at times, but I prefer searching for news online.

Growing up, I remember my father frequently reading the newspaper during breakfast before work, and sometimes I would read it too. It made me happy or sad, depending on what kind of news it was. Having the newspaper physically there on the table made me read it and discover what was going on in the local community. I kind of miss having newspapers around to browse through while having some tea or coffee in the morning. While I do not get physical newspapers now, as a child and teen I enjoyed the physicality of flipping through pages, while sniffing that familiar newspaper smell. Sometimes my dad would talk about the articles, but most of the time I would peruse myself, especially sneaking off with the comic section on Sunday mornings. I think mostly my dad and I read the newspaper. I remember feeling immense joy in high school when I saw my article featured in the daily paper.

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading about the story about the Isla Vista shootings near UC Santa Barbara in California. I read many different articles on the story, some had the same evidence, while others revealed more and gave me a closer look on what happened with the student who decided to kill his roommates and some sorority girls as well as harm random strangers, before taking his own life. This story was of interest to me because I have friends I studied abroad with that were affected in some way by this incident. I was first alerted to this news through facebook, a friend posting about it as a status. I wondered what would drive a human being to do this. I watched videos of newscasters as well as interviews with friends and family members of the victims. The stories all seemed to add up to each other, not contradict each other. They basically had the same story line, but some news articles added more, while some had less information. How much information each article had also depended on how much time had elapsed since the incident.