Blog Post #3

Think about the Six Clauses, or Six Freedoms, of the First Amendment and use the six freedoms as lenses as you read the news 

   So, the article that I read and included at the end of this blog post is talking about how the protest has helped to bring the issues of racial equality back to the forefront of people's minds. And that such a large push has made it impossible for politicians to ignore or attempt to brush under the rug. One of the Six Freedoms listed in the First Amendment is the right to peaceably assemble. When we talk about the protest, they were planned to be peaceful. The intention was and is to march and draw attention to the issues that are happening to people who call the United States home. 

    Another freedom, that is included in the First Amendment is the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. That is what the focus is on when the marches are happening. They are one of the best ways to bring the issues to the forefront of people's minds. The government needs to know that the people have a problem with what is going on and that the people care about having it be fixed.

  The First Amendment does not cover violent action or speech that can cause incitement to violence. So when we are talking about the protests, the marching is welcome and protected, but as soon as those fringe members moved over into destroying property, it was no longer protected. It had changed from a form of speech that is protected to action and a violent one at that. The First Amendment does not protect that at all.

https://www.democracynow.org/2021/1/27/biden_racial_equity_agenda_ash_lee

Blog Post #2

    

    I was surprised to hear that the average time for a Supreme Court Justice to serve was just 16 years. When you say things as they serve till death or retirement it is easy to imagine them serving for many years. They then go on to talk about how some of the justices go on to serve for at least twice that long. That can sometimes be decades after the president who appointed them to the chair in the Supreme Court has left office. That is so interesting to me because while they are supposed to be as impartial as possible when hearing and deciding cases, there can sometimes be slip-ups in that impartiality. So, even after the leadership has changed on some of the other branches, the Supreme Court could still be following the older guard when they are making their decisions.

    It was nice to hear them say that while presidents have always attempted to make the courts up in a way that they thought would benefit them, it hasn't always worked. Hearing that the justices went out of their way to assert their independence from the president who had nominated them goes a long way. The Supreme Court has power because it has respect for its interpretations of the Constitution. If there was fear that everything the court did was biased to who appointed them a lot of that respect would be lost. So, that acknowledgment of the power that they hold is important for the people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWRoXYRsaeo&feature=youtu.be

Blog Post #1 FIVE TOP SOURCES OF NEWS AND INFORMATION

FIVE TOP SOURCES OF NEWS AND INFORMATION

1. Fox- https://www.foxnews.com/

    One thing that I never want to be is stuck in an echo chamber. I think it is so dangerous for the growth of a person but also for someone involved in the world. If you are only seeing things that reaffirm what you already think, you aren't pushing yourself to be critical of the world around you. So, I try to read at least a little bit of news from both sides of the spectrum, to see what other people are saying about the same topics. See what they are saying and what I agree or disagree with. I think it helps me to have a better understanding of what is happening.

2. CNN- https://www.cnn.com/

    For the same reason I wrote about above I try to read CNN as well. They tend to be more left leaning and I feel like by reading the two of those, I get a better understanding of the real story and what is happening in the world. 

3. AP- https://apnews.com/

     I like reading the news put out by the AP because it is for the most part just the facts. They don't put a lot of spin on things and just report it as it happened. I feel like while it is the most boring way to read the news it helps to see where the news outlet put their own spin on things. If you can identify that, I think, reading the news gets a lot easier and more helpful as well.   

4. New York Times- https://www.nytimes.com/

    My dad was a journalist for the longest time and he always insisted that reading the paper was important. For as long as I can remember the New York Times has been delivered to our house and my dad used to insist that I read at least some part of it. As I got older I started reading more of it on my own and now I read it online because its the easiest way to read it.

5. BBC- https://www.bbc.com/news

    I think the BBC does a great job in covering foreign issues. I always go to them for what is happening around the world. I think it is well written and not super biased in the reporting, so there isn't as much of a hidden story like you can find with super biased reporting. When I was living abroad that was the best way for me to find out what was happening in my country I was living in, especially in my language.

About Mackenzie Martin

     Hi, I am Mackenzie Martin. I am a senior studying Strategic Communication with a minor in Event Management. I am from Brooklyn, New York and I plan to move back to either New York or another big city once I graduate. While my major is Strategic Communication, I have found that I am drawn toward the world of live events a lot more. For a long time I wanted to work in the entertainment world, that changed as I finished high school. So now I look forward to working alongside that world, a part of it but still separate.

     Last year before Covid sent us all home I was in the Radio Practicum and fell in love. So when we came back I reached out again with the intention of doing a freelance radio show with my roommate. When we were told that the radio station was now a podcast station, we quickly switched gears and created a podcast instead. We are really proud of it and even got our podcast on most streaming services. Now I am working to start a live podcast as well.

    One interesting thing about me is that I have a title and land in England. I am Lady Mackenzie Martin of Hougun Manor Cumbria England. So there are many sites on line and for Christmas this year, I bought me and my parents titles as a present. Now I'm working add my title to some of my documents and things.