Blog #4

When looking at what value is the most important/resonates with me the most, it was hard to choose. I feel like different people and cultures may prioritize these values in contrasting ways, depending on their history and the challenges they faced. For example, in a society with a history of government censorship, the value of protecting dissent is most likely going to be the most important. Or in a society that is struggling with a lot of tension and conflict, I feel like the value of promoting tolerance may be more fitting. In my opinion, they are all the most important for each people in their own individual ways.

A Value that we see in action today is the Market place of ideas. More specifically the internet has become an important tool when it comes to creating a virtual Marketplace of Ideas. It does this by allowing people from all over the world to engage in discussions and debates on various topics. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit a
llow people to share their views, opinions, and experiences on a wide range of issues and events.

The internet has also created new opportunities for citizen journalism. People can use social media to report news and events that are not covered by mainstream media, share their experiences of political repression, and organize social movements.

Nonetheless, the internet also presents some objections to the idea of the "Marketplace of Ideas." Social media algorithms have the ability to create online communities, social media feeds, or even real-life social circles, where people only see information that confirms their existing beliefs and or biases. This leads to the spread of misinformation. Also, online harassment, hate speech, and other forms of internet abuse can silence voices and discourage people from participating in open and honest dialogue. This makes it vital to create environments where people feel comfortable with expressing their opinions.

Next, this brings us to how the value “Check on Governmental Power” can help explain something in the real world. Social media has provided a platform for people and organizations to hold governments and public officials accountable. For example, in recent years, social media has played an important role in exposing forms of abuse of power by law enforcement agencies. Social media has allowed individuals to document incidents of police misconduct, share experiences, and organize movements to demand change.

Social media has also created the spread of information that is not covered by mainstream media, allowing people to learn about government policies and actions that may otherwise go unnoticed. For example, social media has played a crucial role in exposing government surveillance programs, corruption, and other abuses of power.

Yet, social media does present some challenges to the value of "Check on Governmental Power." Social media companies like Facebook have significant power over the flow of information and have faced controversy in the past for how they handled content that may be harmful or misleading. Furthermore, governments around the world such as China, have sought to control social media and limit the free expression of their citizens, presenting a big challenge to this value. So, it's important to recognize the role social media plays in promoting accountability, as well as to make sure it remains a space for free expression.

Citations:

Board, T. E. (2022, March 18). America has a free speech problem. The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/18/opinion/cancel-culture-free-speech-poll.html

Dunn, B. (2019, February 20). The illusion of a "marketplace of ideas" and the right to truth. American Affairs Journal. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2019/02/the-illusion-of-a-marketplace-of-ideas-and-the-right-to-truth/

Khosla, R., & McCoy, D. (2022, December). Dissent and the right to protest in context of Global Health. BMJ global health. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9805999/

Libraries, U. C. I. (n.d.). The War Within: Dissent during crisis in America. UCI Libraries - War Within: Dissent During Crisis in America. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://www.lib.uci.edu/sites/all/exhibits/warwithin/index.php

Weisberg, J. (2022, May 23). The autocracy app: Jacob Weisberg. The New York Review of Books. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/10/25/facebook-autocracy-app/

  

Blog Post #3

The History of the Supreme court is a very interesting one, And I honestly learned a lot about its workings and history. I didn't know the Chief Justice was not just responsible for overseeing the supreme court and setting Justice's agenda, but also for Trials of impeachment against the president. Alongside this, I had never heard about several of the supreme court cases that ended up being very impactful on the United States as a whole. Cases like Mapp v. Ohio, United States v. Windsor, and Texas V. Johnson had huge impacts on the nation and introduced me to cases I otherwise had unnoticed.

For me, the most important takeaway is the Supreme Court's major impact on the nation whether they were positive or negative. The article makes clear that SCOTUS is very important. Cases like U.S. v. Nixon and Texas v. Johnson had tons of positive outcomes. Yet there have been cases ruled with negative impacts like Dred Scott v. Stanford. The Supreme Court is a very important component of the nation, but we should be reminded that not every ruling is the right one.

The most surprising things I learned were all the facts provided describing notable Supreme Court Justices and their accomplishments. The most interesting for me was Earl Warrens's contributions. I never knew that he was responsible for decisions like Brown v. The Board of Education, and abolishing prohibitions to interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia. These decisions seriously protect our rights. In its 200-year history, SCOTUS has seriously helped protect rights and benefit the nation as a whole.

Citation:

Supreme Court - History. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/supreme-court-facts 

BLOG POST #2

These issues affect me, my friends, and my family in a very serious way. At any point, my phone calls could be wired, my car tacked by the police department, and various amounts of my information are being recorded and tracked by the government and other agencies. I don't want to live in an environment where all of this information can be easily accessed by almost anyone with the knowledge and know-how to do it. With companies like Face.com being acquired by Facebook in 2012, Any one of my family members and or loved ones could be tracked with a simple photo and have their personal information stolen.

I hope that the government would recognize this opinion of the people and respect that by making personal data privacy a standard, but sadly that most likely won't happen via their conflicting want to be able to track anyone, anywhere, anytime. I think all of this information is being abused and it's going to take some serious advocation and change to make the government listen to public opinion.

Some of the most prominent things for me are using products that have built-in security features, blocking any government, or other potential threats to you, from accessing your personal information like phone calls and text messages. We need to advocate for changes, like having this access to our personal deleted but saved for people who are genuine risks to the health and safety of the public people.

Citation:

Greenwald, G. (n.d.). Why privacy matters. Glenn Greenwald: Why privacy matters | TED Talk. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://www.ted.com/talks/glenn_greenwald_why_privacy_matters?language=en

Blog #1

 1.https://www.npr.org/

NPR is arguably one of my favorite news sources. Whether it's from the radio or viewing one of NPR's various news articles, they provide to-the-point and accurate news in an interesting manner. As far as I know, they are a very unbiased news source that doesn't directly side with any particular political party.

2.BBC.com

The BBC is my second favorite Source to find news. Although they are from England based they offer much more than just British news and media. Articles can range from President Joe Biden's classified document dilemma to world Tenis news. I find them to be very trustworthy and unbiased toward any party.

3.https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/

When it comes to politics, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism is my top go-to news source. They write very interesting articles and have little to no bias toward any political party. On top of this, they gather a staggering amount of research for each of their stories and have heavy pressure on fact-based reporting, making this a great site to find articles for papers.

4.https://www.economist.com/

The Economist is yet another great news source. They do have the tendency to lean towards the left, but regardless of this, they have very good quality reporting and aren't afraid to align themselves with the side that best reflects its ideals.

5. USA Today & The Wall Street Journal

Both USA Today and the Wallstreet Journal are great places to find news both Unbiased and fact worthy.