How the Printing Press Shaped our World

     We often take for granted what we know will always be accessible. Although every time we read out of a textbook or step into Mr. Millers room, we are reminded of the gift of the printing press, it is ever so easy to forget. A world before it would be incredibly difficult to endure now that we are aware of the many benefits it created. These benefits shaped our world into what it is to this day.

      Thanks to the printing press, the amount of people that are literate has sky rocketed. Since people could read, they were able to form their own opinioms and beliefs about the bible, which caused religion to branch out. Also, citiznes were no longer willing to put up with injustice from tyrants and they began to speak out and protest, like Martin Luther did against the church. In my opinion, this is one of the most important benefits of the press because it created democracy, the form of government used in the United States. Without the Prining Press, the world would lack diversity, something that helps us to appreciate every culture, race, and religion.

    Another benefit of the Printing Press is our ability to share scientific and technological advances. This keeps one society from getting too far ahead of another society.The United States has made many advances of our own, but we would still be extremely far behind if we didn't know about the advances being made in other countries. This lack of communication would also inhibit trade, which is crucial in making our economy run smoothy.

    Most importantly, without The Printing Press, I would not be typing up this blog. I would not walk in to J1 every other day and I would not have even applied to this program. Why? Because this program would not exist. Neither would any program involoving journalism because journalism would have never been created. If people couldn't read and nothing could be printed, there could not be a newspaper or magazine. There would not be the technological advances to watch the news on your television. Now, when you step into Mr. Miller's classroom, take a second, like I recently have, to remember why you are sitting there and to thank the Printing Press for shaping our world.

Mass Communication

       The lesson on mass communication was my first time taking notes on a lecture during a class other then social studies. I was pleasantly surprised about the level of understanding it gave me, being such a visual learner. I was already aware that individual communication is one on one but the group and mass communication was new to me. The difference between the two is that you are able to receive immediate feedback through group communication but not through mass communication. Mass Communication travels through five steps, stimulus, encoding, transmission, decoding and internalization.

       Stimulus is coming up with the idea to write, or create your form of communication. Encoding is carrying out your idea and turning it into something people can read or watch. Transmission is the third step in which you get the media out to your audience. The last two steps are decoding, when your audience watches, reads, or listens to your form of communication, and internalization, processing or reacting to the information.

       Several things can get in the way during mass communication. This part of the lecture was confusing because several of the filters and impediments sound similar, like physcological and physical filters. The physcological filter is a mental barrier that keeps the person from getting the information. This could happen if they have something against one of the characters. The physical filter is just what it sounds like. A physical barrier, like if someone was blind or deaf, that makes it impossible for them to consume the media. An example of an impediment is environmental noise. This form of noise happens when something about the environment keeps you from decoding the information. For example, if the signal went out, you would be incapable of watching the news.

     For me, mass communication is both one of the most important and most confusing lessons we have learned so far. There is a lot to remember about the tedious, step by step process. Now that I have figured it out, I have a much better understanding of the process that anything a journalist produces goes through. I have really benefited from these lessons and I can tell this program is going to shape me into the writer, reporter, and college student that I hope to be in the future.

Response to Evan's blog

Click here to read Evan's blog: http://thecrimsoncarrier.blogspot.com/

     Evan's blog stood out to me because reading it actually helped me to better understand mass communication. This lecture had not been as clear to me as previous lectures and hearing the information in the format in which he delivered it helped me process it. His blog was very informational and he shared his opinions and included examples at just the right times.

     Mr. Miller has talked to us a lot about the difference between explanations, evidence, and definitions and his blog really showcased his understanding of them. Not only were they all included in his piece, but in the correct places to make the blog smooth and easy to read. I can tell that Evan was attentive during this lesson and has learned a lot about mass communication.

    Unlike a few other blogs that I've read, you can see that Evan took the time to include advanced vocabulary which makes his blog really flow. He goes into detail about each step and barrier, sharing his input along the way. I found Evan's blog to be factual, expansive, focused, and consistent, which are all characteristics of good journalism. Mass communication is an intimidating topic with lots of information to cover and I think he covered all the information without going on forever. Overall, this blog was one of the most descriptive blogs I have read and I can't wait to read more of his work in the future.

News / Media critique on WDRB

      On September 11, 2016 at 11:36 AM, WDRB posted a story about a Louisville women competing to be the worst baker in America.  http://www.wdrb.com/story/33067235/louisville-woman-competing-to-become-worst-baker-in-america              
     There were several reasons why this story struck me as an example of bad journalism. First of all, it didn't seem like something people would benefit from learning about in any way and was not top news story material. Sure, people may find it interesting to learn about how Samantha Brown burns her food when she bakes, but it is irrelevant and not important, two traits of bad journalism.

       Instead of making the important interesting, this story made the interesting seem important by using phrases like, "She never would've thought it'd earn her national honors" and "It's a once in a lifetime experience that she still has trouble believing happened ". This may be a big deal to her, but we are talking about national honors for being an awful baker, not winning the Olympics or becoming the president. I also felt that this article violates the Inclusive element because it blows the story out of proportion, as well as the yardstick of local relevance, because it doesn't really effect the audience. This article is not the slightest bit newsworthy and I found it a waste of the five minutes I spent reading it.

     Also, this story is not very well written. The only quotes in the article are from Samantha Brown, the contestant in Worst Bakers in America and I found the writing choppy and bland. Only a very niche audience would find this article entertaining and relative to their daily lives. With all of the controversy going on in our world today, especially on September 11, a day of remembrance for our country, I'm sure WDRB could've found a better article to occupy the top story section of the news.

Response to Ysa's blog

Click here to check out Ysa's blog: http://ysabellaleon.blogspot.com/?m=1

         While skimming through the blogs of my classmates, I found Ysa's blog on Mr. Miller's lecture about the Ten Elements of journalism. It was an immediate standout. Not only was it extremely well written, but she was the first I've seen so far to openly disagree with a point that Mr. Miller has made. This was very admirable and led me to believe that Ysa has a future in Journalism. One of the skills that Journalist's must develop is to be able to criticize and share their opinions. Ysa backed her opinions with very legitimate reasons, and by the end of her piece, I was also convinced that the Independent element did everything but give Journalists an opportunity to be independent.

      Whether you agree or disagree with the points she made, you can't argue with the fact that she knows how to write a blog. Her passion for journalism really shines through her writing and she goes the extra mile to explain all of her points thoroughly. Ysa recognizes the counter argument and gives us all a taste of journalism through her eyes. I've talked to several classmates that are afraid to give opinions that are different from what the majority is saying, but like Ysa says, Opinions belong in our world, and they belong in Journalism.

10 Elements of Journalism

           Before learning about the 10 elements, I thought I had journalism figured out. Now I know I was wrong. These elements introduced me to the complex, in depth, incredible world of journalism. There were several elements, like truth, that I was already familiar with. It seemed obvious to me that journalists should always be truthful because democracy is depending on them to inform the citizens. It’s a journalist's job to be loyal to the people and to put them before customers and employees because, as a journalist, you are their voice. The news must be reported to every group of people in an unbiased format, no matter their ethnicity, religion, race, or political beliefs. For this reason, the information that you put out must be verified, credited, and sourced. If there are not multiple witnesses and sources, people will begin to wonder if the information is even true. 

         In my opinion, the elements above require character and the guts to stand alone. Other elements, like Watchdog, are based on the duties of journalists and rules they must follow. Watchdog means keeping an eye on the powerful people like corporations and politicians. When something happens to a group with power, you will almost always find it in headlines on the news or in newspapers. A place for the public to share feedback, positive or negative, should always be provided and negative feedback should be encouraged. As citizens begin to want more and more entertainment news, Journalist’s have to work even harder to balance their wants with their needs. I know I always skip past boring, lengthy articles that don't jump out at me in any way, so I find it crucial that important articles are kept interesting. 

        Journalism is delivering news that people can count on. The news cannot be blown out of proportion or made seem less of an issue then it is. Journalists have the power to touch an incredibly mass audience, but so does anyone else who puts illogical news on the internet. The real journalists will sort through the rumors and find the truth. They will speak their mind and openly voice their opinions, and they won't be kept from exercising their conscience. I've learned so much through ten elements and can't wait to keep traveling through the world of journalism.

Conglomeration and Binary Models

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          In class, we have been studying Binary Models and Conglomeration over the past few days. The information was delivered to us through an engaging lecture given to us by Mr. Miller. I'm usually not big on lectures, but for the first time, I felt like I was really learning. Mr. Miller does an excellent job at making you feel like he's talking directly to you, and he pushes you to think beyond what you knew you were capable of. Through this lesson, I learned lot's of information that I am now able to explain myself.

              News sources today are separated into Binary Models that specify the type of media and the person delivering the media. Some forms, also known as hot medium, require your undivided attention. Reading a book falls under this category because you cannot understand it if you are doing something else while you read it. Cool mediums, like listening to music, do not require your full attention and are the preferred medium. I think this is because people today rarely pause to focus on one thing and are almost always distracted by the entertainment forms of media they find on cell phones, televisions, and computers. As growing technology and popular social media is constantly changing, the populists have to give the people what they want in order to keep up and continue making money. If people are given the choice, they will most often choose to be entertained instead of informed, although it may not be best for them. If you are given the choice between a cupcake and spinach, a cupcake is the obvious choice because it makes you happier at the moment.

        The last binary model we talked about was content and distribution. I was really surprised to learn that most companies used to be one or the other and now majority of companies, like Time Warner, are combining. This seems to be much more efficient and a lot faster. Another way companies are increasing efficiency is through conglomeration. This is when one corporation is in charge of many corporations. They can make money through advertising, subscriptions and circulation along with audience donations, government support and philanthropy. I believe that conglomeration is a much better option overall then individual companies. Through this system, not as many workers have to be paid, so more money can be spent increasing the quality and taking more profitable risks. On the contrary, corporations that use conglomeration are extremely less diverse. All of the content comes from the same place, so there are fewer opinions being exhibited. This is an issue because people want to be able to relate or agree with a certain side, and if they don't agree with the one opinion being portrayed, a psychological filter will cause them to dislike what they are watching or reading. I have found the topics of Binary Models and Conglomeration very interesting and crucial information for future journalists to have.