Occupy Wall Street: An Interview

It was a rainy Monday morning in late October and temperature was already starting to drop. Along with Professor Rosa our journalism class headed downtown to Zucotti Park with the mission of interviewing members of the “Occupy Wall Street” protest.

We arrived at around 9:30 AM, the small park which has become the camping area for the protesters was crowded with sleeping bags and camping tents which were all wet due to the previous night’s rain. By the time we arrived most of the protesters were still sleeping, so my classmates Joshua, Laura and me had to wonder a little bit around the park in order to find someone to interview. After a couple of minutes we ran across a middle aged woman who was conversing with a younger looking male while they were both sipping their morning cup of coffees. I asked them if they would mind answering a couple of questions to which the male rapidly refused; however, the woman gladly accepted our offer. The “occupier” was Rena Patty from Washington State. Patty had come to New York City exclusively for the protest. Rena had been protesting for a week already and she was actually not sleeping in the park; she was rather a “commuter protester”. Patty had assumed the role of peace maintainer due to her qualifications in “non-violent communication”. Aside from assisting in the community she also had some more personal reasons to be there: “I feel a sense of despair about the direction that our society is going. I’m also very concerned about our ecological well-being and the problem of violence in the world”.

The Decline of Good Journalism; A response to News Matters

How often do we come across stories that have such a strong impact in our lives like that of the Watergate scandal nowadays? Definitely not as often as we should. Good journalism like that one happens in such rare occasions that when it does happen it feels out of this world. Good journalism; however, should be part of our daily lives because it is through journalism that we are able to inform ourselves of events that affect our lives as citizens. Our expectations of good journalism have been hardly fulfilled these days; When we turn on our televisions it is very hard to find a station that provide us with the real timely information we need, as a result the average American citizen is full of misinformation and they are rarely aware of this fact. But who is responsible for this catastrophe? We could blame it on us, the common citizen, for not being able to discern between what is good journalism and what is not, for preferring to be entertained rather than fully inform. On the other hand, how easy is it to differentiate between what is good reporting and what is not? Therefore, in my opinion the corporations that provide us with the so called “news” are the ones to be blame. The owners of newspapers and news channel are more interested in profit as opposed to informing, hence they put journalists in a position where they often have to sugar coat the information in order to sell the product more easily which results in misleading and misinforming the public.

Occupy Wall Street

Sunrise On The Nile: A Response

There is always a tipping point for any oppressed society. It took Egypt thirty years to come out of the numbness. However, when they said this is it they really meant it.

Hosni Mubarak, who was pretty much the personification of George Orwell's Big Brother to say the least, had been ruling Egypt for three decades. Three decades in which Egyptian society had no voice, in which the meaning of the word freedom had been long forgotten.

At the beggining of this year Egyptians made a demostration of how important public opinion is. When Egyptian society decisively decided to turn against the regime and information started to flow through alternative newspapers, blogs and even facebook, the government lost complete control over the people and it was only a matter of time until the regime was overthrown.

What happened in Egypt is a prime example of how ethical journalism is obligatory for a democratic society to exist. When the truth reaches the masses and they are able to make a decision on whether to accept it or not is when justice and freedom truly become part of a society.

West Hollywood to Ban Sale of Fur Garments. Response

I completely support the idea of banning fur sale. Animal cruelty has been a very popular subject for decades in our society. However, if we stop to think about what we have really done in order to help soothe this issue we can hardly mention anything.

I believe that subjects like this one are often simply talked about or "supported" for the sake of ] trends. To finally come up with measures that will help to some extent solve this problem is fantastic. It is inhumane and superficial to be against this measure because of the impact it will have in our economy. Sure, some merchants will suffer the consequences. Nonetheless, if we compare the amount of harm that we put these innocent animals through with the financial impact the ban will generate it would never be enough to justify the cruelty.

On the other hand, Genevieve Morrill, president of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce did have a point when he said that the fur will not make a difference, due to the fact that it only prohibits the sale of fur clothing, but it exempts leather and the fur use for furniture.

What is Journalism for?

According to Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel "The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing."
Journalism is a tool that helps create common ground in a community, it helps build shared knowledge and define who is who and what the goals are. Lately journalists have been resisting the idea of giving journalism a standard definition, they feel that to define the profession is to limit it and that by doing so it violates the spirit of the First Amendment; “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech or the press.” (P. 13)
No matter what definition is given to journalism, there is one fact that stays indisputable. Journalism is intimately tight with democracy, to the point that societies that want to restrain freedom must, in order to do so, hold back the press. From the very beginning of the history of journalism, providing the public with the truth has been the main purpose of the profession. The amount of information that is provided to a society is directly proportional to the freedom this society possesses.
So, what is journalism for?
Journalism is for liberating societies; it is for fulfilling our awareness instincts and most importantly is it for providing the public with nothing but the truth.

9/11 remembered: For TV reporters on the scene, stress lingered long after the cameras stopped.

When we watch or read the news we pay most, if not all, of our attention to the message that is being conveyed. We focus on the story that is being narrated and how it may or not affect our lives. There are stories that touch us very deeply and that have an incredible impact in our lives. Without a doubt the news about 9/11 touched millions and millions of hearts around the world and radically changed the lives of a lot of people. However, not often we stop and think of the messengers that delivered the terrible news to us.
“It has changed me completely," Pitts says. "I'm a much more sober person, father, husband, and journalist than I was. I don't think I'm morbid at all. I've worked to value my family and friends more. We can't end a conversation without saying I love you” Said CBS correspondent Byron Pitts.
Getting the personal perspective from all reporters who were there when it all happened is very important; after all they are, as well, survivors. Just like the firefighters, reporters had the responsibility to put their lives in danger in order to deliver their community with the important service of information.