Then and Now

The line goes: Why do we learn about history? So we can keep from repeating it. After reading through a majority of Christopher Daly's Covering America, our Future of News class has learned the in-depth history of America's relationship with media. Throughout, it has become painstakingly obvious that many of the situations we face in media today have been encountered in the past. Here, I will compare past vs. present situations beginning with World War II in 1941, faced by journalists that are eerily similar, and attempt to offer my two-cents on what can be learned from history as we attempt to make sense of the quickly changing era of journalism.

Censorship during wartime

Censorship commonly occurs when the United States is facing a drastic international crisis and wants to ensure that morale will remain high on the homefront. Censorship during World War II was headed by the Office of War Information, which was established to "coordinate the dissemination of war information by all federal agencies and to formulate and carry out, by means of the press, radio, and motion pictures, programs designed to facilitate an understanding in the United States and abroad of the progress of the war effort and of the policies, activities, and aims of the Government," (260). They utilized propaganda and Hollywood to popularize acceptance of the war. 

In October 2001, the Patriot Act was passed in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks. The controversial document greatly expanded the rights of the government to investigate citizens and monitor their actions. While it was said to safeguard the country from future terrorist attacks, the Patriot Act took away privacy and freedoms from Americans. Although the Patriot Act did not directly target journalists, it led to self-censorship by promoting unity and patriotism in a time of crisis. 

Censorship in both of these cases took place on the home front.

An example of World War II propaganda that promoted censorship. 

Attacks on America and the resulting expectation of patriotism

On December 7, 1941, Japanese warplanes attacked an American fleet at Pearl Harbor, instigating American involvement in World War II. On September 11, 2001, two airplanes flew into the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City in a terrorist attack that started the War on Terror. Censorship of the press has taken place in both wars, mostly to boost morale of the American citizens. In both cases, the censorship is carried out at home. Following 9/11, the Bush Administration also imposed drastic measures to pressure the media to censor coverage by limiting the coverage of anybody who opposed or targeted the war effort. In World War II, this was seen as well. The government examined all material written in newspapers and magazines, according to Daly. Following 9/11, it was common for reporters to support the war effort because they wanted to maintain readership by telling their audience what they wanted to hear. There was a similar atmosphere in 1941. Daly writes, "The government would would appeal to feelings of patriotism among all those in the news media and urge them to shun certain topics in advance; if that failed and sensitive material got out, censors could reveal the names of violators and hope that public disapproval would force them back into line," (263). The point of this censorship was to ensure that positive messages surrounded the war effort.

Hiding Dead Bodies from the American Public

In both World War II and the War on Terror, the government has imposed censorship to prevent the media from displaying dead soldiers to the public. This is done because it was assumed that such images would be bad for civilian morale as well as morale among soldiers, according to Daly. During World War II, photos showing dead American soldiers or sailors were completely banned until 1943, when a famous photo of three dead soldiers on a beach in Papa New Guinea was published in Life magazine. In the Vietnam War, the press was given significant freedom in what they were allowed to publish, and this is notoriously blamed for America's failure in the war. The issue was discussed in a July 2008 New York Times article "4,000 U.S. Deaths, and a handful of photographs." Photographs of Iraq War have rarely been available to the public. The Bush Administration did not permit photos of flag-draped coffins to be published by the media. However, censorship also becomes a matter of safety when it comes to access for journalists and the possibility of accidentally revealing sensitive information. However, opponents of war continue to stipulate that these images are necessary for the public to understand the reality of war. Both then and now, the government has been able to conceal the reality of war in different ways.

Marines who were killed in a suicide bomb attack during a city council meeting in Garma, Iraq, in Anbar Province. This was one of the few photos made available of the Iraq war. Via nytimes.com.

The first photograph of dead American soldiers in World War II, printed in Life Magazine in 1943. 

Fear of the enemy emphasized by media

Following World War II, America entered a period of paranoia resulting from The Cold War and arms race taking place nationally. The fear of communism also ran deep in America, and the problem was exacerbated by senator Joe McCarthy. Daly writes, "That was the genesis of the period and the tragedy known as "McCarthyism," which lasted for almost five years...a little known freshman senator, stumbled across the power of the news media and rode it as long as he could," (296). McCarthy took advantage of the media by constantly commenting and offering his opinion or response to events so that he was in the news far more than others, filling their need for stories while they filled his need for attention. Because of this, the fear of communism spread even wider and came to define an era of panicked citizens.
Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, America experienced a similar fear of a newly invisible enemy: Muslim terrorists. Like the McCarthy era, this fear led to the marginalization of a largely innocent group of people in America. The Al-Queda attacks instigated this fear, but it was prolonged for years afterwards by discrimination. The media played into this fear by giving more attention to negative portrayals of muslims.

Kennedy in 1960 and Obama in 2008: Media Friendly Presidents

An undeniable link between two of the most notable leaders of this generation is their talent with embracing new media to spread their messages to Americans. TV began to spread widely into American homes in the 1950's and was a staple by the 1960 Presidential race between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Nixon opted to remain old-school. However, the rich, witty, good looking Kennedy saw how he could use TV to his advantage in the presidential debates. Daly writes, "It has often been said that Kennedy's performance in the televised debates, in which he could speak to (and be seen by) the voters directly, put him over the top," (316). Similarly, Obama has long been recognized for his ability to utilize the new media of the 21st century: social media. The President uses Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and other forms of media to reach voters. He was incredibly successful in utilizing these techniques to raise campaign funds, engage the youth voters and spread his message. Many credit Obama's use of social media with helping him win the election overall.

President John F. Kennedy broadcasting to the nation.

Mass Media utilized to aid Mass Movements

Mass movements such as the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's or the Gay Rights Movement of our generation could not take place without the help of the media. Daly writes, "Great social upheavals do not just break out. They occur when large numbers of people are ready individually to change the way they act. In order for that to happen, they must first change the way they think. Throughout the entire history of the United States, changes on that scale have depended on messages carried through mass media- newspapers, magazines, radio and television," (309). In the Civil Rights Movement, leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. formed these messages, but it was the media that carried them to the public. Specifically, the black press was pivotal in helping the movement gain its footing and successfully advance the status of African Americans in the United States.
Today, the biggest movement facing the country is the Gay Rights Movement. Advocates for gay marriage and acceptance of the GLBT community are seen leading marches, using campaigns and speaking out for their rights all the time. President Obama made history by mentioning the gay rights struggle in his 2013 inaugural address. The media carried this message to the nation by broadcasting it on TV, talking about it in newspapers, magazines and even discussing it on the radio. Campaigns such as the NO H8 campaign also aid the movement by garnering media attention through celebrity supporters who help broadcast the message. Without journalists to broadcast the message nationwide, the campaign would not have nearly as large of an impact as it boasts today.

A photograph from the NO H8 campaign, a campaign that uses celebrities to advocate for gay rights in America.

Should we care what is real?

David Carr's recent New York Times article addressed his journey tracing back to the source of a famous photograph posted anonymously online. The photograph, which went viral on websites like Reddit and Gawker, depicted exploding manhole covers in Omaha, Nebraska. Carr's article draws attention to the amazing things that are going on all around the world that are being captured by regular people. These regular people, however, become citizen journalists just by snapping photographs with their cell phones and posting them to sites like Twitter or Instagram. The great irony left from Carr's story is that he was forced to log off the web and enter into the real world in order to track down the photographer who captured the image that shocked the public online.

The photograph that David Carr tracked down, taken from an Omaha apartment building.

It was especially interesting to hear David Carr, who has become somewhat of an embodiment of mobile media through his constantly-updated Twitter feed and success in embracing the future of news, discuss the importance of breaking away from the Internet in life. As Carr writes, "Shoe leather never looked or smelled so good." Carr appreciates the importance of returning to "real" reporting that used to make up the industry of journalism.

Through his description of the trail he followed to track down the famous photograph, Carr establishes the point that much of the journalism and photography online today is unattributed or unclaimed by an author. The danger in this seems very apparent: people can post just about anything, real or fake, and pass it off to be believed by the masses. It is almost impossible to establish the legitimacy of something when we have no idea where it comes from. Carr seems to agree. He wrote, "But at a time when almost everyone is beyond caring what is real or fake onscreen, knowing that, in this case, someone who is paid to get to the bottom of things did just that is somewhat comforting."

-David Carr

While our class has spent a lot of time reading about and discussing the benefits of citizen journalism, we have spent much less time focusing on the dangers of individuals participating in creating news when they have absolutely no credibility, background, authority, or reason to tell the truth. Here I am again reverting back to the idea of earning your voice a la Kathleen Parker, but I believe that this is one of the cornerstones that must be defined in the changing industry of journalism. The fact that everybody has the accessibility to create news does not mean that everybody has the license to do so. I understand the effectiveness of citizen journalism in that it allows reporters to have eyes and ears in places where they are unable to personally report on a scene or event. However, in the end I agree with Carr that there is an irreplaceable importance that "real"reporting brings to America. Being able to trust the people who provide our news is a key factor in maintaining effective journalism in America. We must call for journalists to be held accountable for their words, and we can do so through establishing a criteria to define journalists as a specific group, not the entire public.

iPad Apps According to Meg

My goal of the week was to explore the app store and expand the list of apps I use. Basically, I wanted to force myself to take advantage of all the cool things my iPad can do, which I may as well use! Most of the things I tried out were journalism related, and the ones I particularly liked were apps that will help a lot with school and classes...

So without further ado, here are my reviews. The award for top app goes to....

1. HootSuite! This app makes it insanely easy to follow our Notre Dame #NDJED thread by allowing me to save the search and create a feed solely to follow tweets with our hashtag. By not having to specifically search for the #NDJED feed every time I open Twitter, I have found myself following the class feed more closely, and taking the time to read and comment on other people's tweets more often. This is, after all, why we have the feed. I'm glad we are taking full advantage of the #NDJED feed and happy that HootSuite will help me follow it as closely as I can. It could potentially allow me to follow Facebook in the same window, if I chose to hook mine up.

The app HootSuite is great for allowing me to follow our class #NDJED hashtag.

2. Evernote reminds me a little bit of Pinterest, but is useful in a more academic way. For me, it has been helpful to just have an outlet to record all of the thoughts going on inside my head, and to tag things that seem interesting so I do not forget them. The app allows me to keep track of cool things I come across on the Internet, keep track of reminders, post and save pictures, etc. While there are other apps on my iPad that can do these things, the most helpful part of Evernote is that you can save and export your account so that it can be shared with others (great if you are working on a group project of some sort). Also, it keeps all of your ideas in one place. This app is great.

3. Dropbox is an oldie-but-goodie that I discovered last semester. If you are a student working with multiple devices, such as an iPhone, iPad and laptop, Dropbox is a must. It is especially helpful to allow me to send photos back and forth between my devices, but I also use it to send readings/articles/papers from my laptop to read later on my iPad.

Dropbox is great for transferring academic documents among devices and transferring photos as well.

4. Photoshop Express is another app I worked with, and I would highly recommend it. It's free, which is awesome. Although I usually use photo-editing apps like Instagram or iPhoto, Photoshop Express has more effects and allows me to crop/enhance photos so that they look even better. I think this will be a really helpful app to use when putting photos up in my blog or in projects later in the semester.

5. Ustream has been used by many people in our class to broadcast all of the exciting things going on at Notre Dame. This app is awesome because it allows you to still take advantage of the many events that are happening without having to go to all of them in person. Especially at a school like Notre Dame where cool things are going on all the time, I forsee this app becoming really useful in our #NDJED class. If any student is attending an interesting lecture/speech/event on campus, they can Ustream it for everyone to see and then the rest of the class will be able to tune in. This weekend Fiona did so with the Meyo run and it was great to be able to watch that even though I didn't make it over to watch it in person.

Fiona's Ustream broadcast of the Notre Dame Meyo Run on Saturday, February 2.

6. Banjo has a great idea behind it: make an app where all of your social networks can work as one. The app is cool in that it allows you to input your current location and see what is going on across many social networking sites all around you. However, the app is somewhat hard to understand at first, not the most user-friendly. Also, some of the information seems irrevant because it is posted by people you may not know.

So, there's my thoughts. These apps were all free or cost only a few dollars, and they all helped to expand what I can use my iPad for greatly. They also just make life easier in many ways. Using them in conjunction with my all-time favorite apps like Feedly, Flipboard, PDF Notes, and Readability has allowed me to expand beyond just using my iPad to read the news and check email. These apps show how the iPad is getting better at bringing us future of news. The addition of these great apps to the device make it even more usable and helpful in daily life.

Manti Te'o: A Tough Lesson Learned

When I was first informed about the hoax surrounding star Notre Dame football player Manti Te'o and his deceased girlfriend, I immediately flashed back to the first time I heard about the tragedy. I remember sitting in South Dining Hall when a friend of mine received a cell phone notification: "Oh my God, the girlfriend and grandmother of Manti Te'o both died this week but he is still expected to play on Saturday." My instinctual reaction involved pure sympathy; questioning the truth of the story never even crossed my mind. 

Over the past week, our school has been at the eye of the storm that is the Te'o debacle, which seems to get stranger with every report. Although more questions have been raised than answered, one particular aspect of the story has particularly interested me as an undergraduate journalism student: how did this happen? Why didn't anybody catch the lie before now? 

If you've been paying attention to the coverage in the least, you most likely have read testimonials from many journalists, most notably Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated, who admitted failure in their reporting. Thamel acknowledged three red flags raised during his research following an interview with Te'o- a missing obituary for Lennay Kekua, the lack of record of Kekua attending Stanford University, and the non-existent record of her reported automobile accident during their relationship- that he neglected to pursue. Even reading through the transcript of their interview, it is hard to understand why Thamel did not press further in his investigation of Te'o's relationship with her, which Te'o was undeniably uncomfortable discussing. In total, it has been reported that 21 media organizations fell for the hoax (http://sbn.to/10dDfdW). This is a glaring error on the part of journalists in America. The situation clearly demonstrates the consequences that accompany the diminished amount of investigative journalism that is carried out today.

A partial transcript of Te'o's interview with SI writer Pete Thamel from Sept. 23, 2012

It seems to me another fault of journalists comes in their blind trust for the big-name news outlets. Once they reported the story, it seems other journalists trusted in the story and felt comfortable sharing it without doing the necessary research themselves. The "colossal embarrassment" will hopefully inspire a new wave of diligent research in the media (http://bo.st/VPP3iP).

As a journalist, falling for a hoax like this has many repercussions, not the least of which is losing the trust of your readers. Obviously, questioning the reality of Te'o's relationship with Kekua could be seen as awkward or insensitive. The situation is undeniably weird- who would ever expect someone to have a fake girlfriend? The missteps taken by journalists have been attributed to how unusual the situation is. However, the fact is that Americans expect journalists to have built in bullshit detectors that pick up on lies such as this. It is their job. 

As a journalism student, one of the main lessons drilled into us repeatedly is the importance of asking questions and following leads. In fact, the media has gained the epithet of the "fourth estate" because of the work they do keeping government and people in check. A vital part of their job comes in acting as a watchdog to pick up on scams such as the Te'o hoax and avoid misleading the public. 

This unfortunate incident is an awakening to journalists everywhere: we must ask questions, backup our reports, follow up on inconsistencies and be diligent in our work. The controversy following the hoax has focused on whether or not Te'o was involved with the hoax, if the situation affected Notre Dame's loss in the January 7 BCS Championship game, and the reasons the hoax was designed. These conversations simply distract from the true lesson learned by this event. Journalists today need to hold themselves to a higher standard to ensure that the quality of news provided to the public remains valuable and trustworthy.