The First Amendment Congress and the Future of America

I would just like to start off this post by announcing...

I PASSED THE COMPREHENSIVE EXAM!!!

Yes, after months of studying and reading and analyzing I have passed and (bar any further mishap) will be graduating in December!  Yay me!

Okay, so this week I attended the First Amendment Congress where I was priviledged to listen to the great Marvin Kalb speak about the death of the newspaper and the transformation of news.  It was eye opening to say the least!  He discussed the evolution of news from the newsroom of newspapers to the production of TV news to online news and blogs.  He explained how CBS's 60 Minutes program began the death of "news for the sake of news."  This was the first time that those in charge of television stations discovered that they could make a profit from news.  And so, news took on a new purpose and outlook... not to inform people about the goings on of the world but to turn a profit.  News stations used to be a watchdog of government.  Now they are concerned with ratings and statistics.  He explained that there used to be a developed trust between the government and the reporter, as well as the reporter and the viewer.  This trust was earned not given freely.  This trust no longer exists.

With today's ever-growing popularity of online news outlets as sources of information, the death of the newspaper grows more eminent.  People are relying on blogs for their information.  While this can be good due to first hand accounts, it can become a horrible trend.  Who are these bloggers that the public is placing there trust in?  What is their motivation?  Did they go and interview the active players at the center of the conflict they are reporting on?  Are they taking both sides into account?  Did they go there and collect information or are they gathering it from other news sources?  These are things few people consider from the sources they are relying on.

This concept was never more evident than on the Student Day of the First Amendment Congress.  The students were active in discussing their thoughts on their rights and where to go for information.  However, their lack of concern when it came to safety and reliability was disconcerting.  They relied heavily on blogs for information and did not question where the information was coming from, as well as how Google generated its top hits.  They had no concern for the information they were placing on the Internet about themselves.  Instead, they claimed they knew it all and they weren't stupid.  I know this is a strong belief among most teens and always has been.  This perceived invincibility only waivers when unnecessary tragedy strikes too close to home.   

Even with this perceived invincibility and lack of regard for reliable sources among most of the students, I saw a sort of hope among others.  A student debate on the reliability of web sources shed light on the possible future of America.  These kids have grown up only knowing the Internet and easy availability of information.  The students involved in the debate were intelligent and aware.  They were quick thinking and knowledgable.  Even some responses from the crowd were also intelligent and illustrated an awareness of the issues of today.  These responses gave me hope of what our future may look like if students like these are to run America.