Stephanie Pompei Exam 2 Michelle Obama Similar to Aeropagitica and On Liberty Michelle Obama gave a speech in China, where

she mentioned her drive to keep our freedoms and rights alive for the well being of our country. There are many documents in journalism history involving individuals who wanted the same rights for us, such as, John Stuart Mill and John Milton. Michelle Obama stated, Countries are stronger and more prosperous when the voices of and opinions of all of their citizens can be heard. John Mills ideas from On Liberty stated very similar ideas. He said, there needs protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling, against the tendency of society to imposeprevent the formation of any individuality not in harmony with its ways, and compel all characters to fashion themselves upon the model of its own. He recognized our need to be individuals and to speak up for what we believe is right. Michelle feels that our country will grow stronger if we speak individually because everyone can help each other. Also, they both realize that one government or ruler in total power will not be as effective as the country with freedom of expression. In her speech she also said, We respect the uniqueness of other cultures in societies, but when it comes to expressing yourself freelyhaving open access to information, we believethey are universal rights. They are the birth rights of every person on this planet. That means it is acceptable to be whom you want to be and that there shall be no restriction on accessing information because without that we become the voiceless. In contrast, John Milton stated in Aeropagitica, When God gave him reason, he gave him freedom to choose, for reason is but choosing; he had been else a mere artificial Adam, such an Adam as he is in the motions. He means that everyones opinion has the same value even if it goes against the majority. Each individual is different in their actions and thoughts. We were born with a sense of equality and that alone can help us unite as a country and get through situations sufficiently. Michelle encouraged freedom of thought and ideas publicly when she said, Its so important for Information and ideas to flow freely over the internet and through the media because thats how we discover the truth, thats how we learn whats really happening in our world and thats how we decide which values and ideas we think are best by questioning and debating them vigorously, by listening to all sides of an argument. It is necessary to listen to the ideas of others so that we can independently make appropriate choices. The importance of knowing what is going on around us helps us even if we have to debate and question the ideas to the bone. Everyone should have a say. In Aeropagitica, it states Yet when the light which we beg for shines in upon us, there be who envy and oppose, if it comes out not first in at their casements. He explained that one should always question opinions and beliefs because nothing is ever certain. It is understandable that its impossible to rely on the thoughts of others, but we benefit from this because we learn to express our own opinions and act upon them. The information and ideas that we read are what shapes the world and our minds. Abiding by the values we have and the decisions we make, is applied when we are being optimistic about the free flowing information out there today.

Unfair Game The Dallas news channel, WFAA went through many obstacles trying to prove that the Texas high school basketball coaches were recruiting kids from other towns and sometimes even other states. The news team contacted the parents of these teenagers, received the lease documents, attended basketball games, attended the University Interscholastic League meetings, and spoke to members of the UIL faculty and coaches. They acted as an independent monitor of power by using investigative reporting. Its a type of reporting that is a long process of doing whatever necessary to get the information needed to prove your theory or curiosity. The host, Brett Shipp, used social media, in person contact, and personal background information to figure out the outcome of this situation. The research done by the WFAA team was presented on the news numerous times over a period of time. The exposure of this issue helped reach spectators become aware of the secret game playing that went on behind the scenes. The resolution was a positive way to ensure that this issue will be prevented in the future. So far one coach was already fired, next year it is necessary to be certified as a regular teacher, and the district rules will be even stricter. What I found interesting was when the athletic director told the UIL rule compliance director, not to attend meetings. Its unusual seeing as during the entire investigation, the basketball coaches denied any actions that broke the district rules. However, it only made them seem extremely guilty. Another statement that was made by Fraisers mother was her tweet, This is a cut throat business. Im just saying. Basically if she was trying to cover up that she moved, it wouldnt help her case to imply that she broke the district rules and broke the lease of her home just to do so. It was said that the Kimball basketball coach let an AAU team use the gym even though it was prohibited. Allowing that to happen will help the coach see who the best AAU players were so that he could persuade them to move too. Every part of WFAAs job was hard, but a moment where it seemed especially difficult was when they tried to film Prime Prep Academy and the coach, who was a significantly large man and his team, basically forced the reporting crew off the field. The second hardship was when they repeatedly asked questions and the interviewee walks away or replies with no comment. It becomes stressful when individuals arent willing to participate. Representatives from UIL had obviously made deals with different coaches because they defended their actions every time they were questioned about an approval. Jeff Johnson stated, Our staff pays very close attention to UIL rules and properly follows the procedures provided by the UIL. Lastly, interviewing the moms was difficult because of course they were going to defend themselves to protect what they did instead of being honest. This series has taught me that a reporter really has to pry into peoples personal lives to discover what they need. Reporters go above and beyond, which puts a lot of stress on them. It also takes very good patience to deal with the same problem for months or even years at a time. It all depends on the resources that are found and the people that are interviewed. Investigative reporting is all about thinking outside the box. Another words, if one path fails, a reporter has to always be on their toes to quickly find a different approach to solve the problem.