“Take a day off classes, but not off learning.”



I have to admit, I mockingly said that phrase all day on Wednesday. You have to concede the slogan of Lindenwood’s first Sibley Day is a little corny, but the day itself actually turned out to be really well received. I might have even learned a thing or two.

The first thing I learned is that when Lindenwood gives you a “day off classes,” they find out exactly what your schedule is and make your four hour night class the exception. All bitterness aside though, I think it was a nice thing for the Lindenwood higher ups to do for the students and faculty.

Sibley Day had many opportunities for students with different interests to explore fields they may have never looked into before. I had many intentions of going to different lectures that interested me. I really wanted to check out the fashion, songwriting, and pilates sessions but unfortunately the beautiful weather, mixed with the happy attitude of the day kept me from attending.

Luckily for me, there was an exhibit going on outside. The art department built an arch outside of Roemer in the quad. When I arrived (with my piece of trash to donate), it was already almost complete, and a large crowd of workers and spectators filled the area. My friend Fernando was even there filming a spot for LUTV about the event.

The arch was constructed out of recycled materials and people’s old junk. It embodies social messages of environmentalism, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” and “if we build it they will come” (well maybe not that one so much, but it did get a pretty large crowd).

Being artistically challenged, I decided that I was best suited for the role of spectator. I watched as my friend Gary built a little man out of a bottle and cigarette pack, and my friend Sean screwed in pipes to the frame. I think they did a much better job than I ever could. The arch looks really cool and modern against the backdrop of the two-hundred year old brick buildings. I just wish I could have been there to see the cool guy whip out a condom and add it to the sculpture. I guess he thought it would get more use out there…

Well if Anderson Cooper says it's ok...

"I'd rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University." -Bill Buckley

Citizen journalism is an interesting and, at times, controversial concept. It's rather simple, by nature as it means citizens capturing and reporting news on their own. No frills, no expensive equipment, no editors. Just Joe Blow whipping out his iPhone when something newsworthy happens.

Citizen journalism really took off with the onset of "new media." With easily accessible recording devices and simple to use sites on the internet, capturing and sharing news became something everyone could do. Citizen journalists have sprung up all over the world and are quickly growing in numbers. They come in all shapes and sizes and report their news through a variety of outlets.

Where is Citizen Journalism?

Citizen journalists use many outlets to publish the news they find. Millions of people have blogs that they share news and opinions on. Others upload home videos of events or interviews onto sites like YouTube. Citizens can also upload reference material onto sites like Wikipedia and share information with the world.

One major outlet for citizen journalists is Twitter. With the ability to make news blurbs instantly Twitter has been seen recently as a place to find breaking news straight from the source. A recent example of this is the plane crash in the Hudson river. Before any news outlets heard about the story, it was already uploaded on Twitter by an onlooker and being spread around the internet.

Can I believe it?

Naturally many people, especially formal news outlets, find citizen journalism controversial. While some can say that citizens offer an unbiased, unfiltered opinion of the events and people around them, many would argue that news from untrained amateurs is unreliable and potentially not factual. I think that with any from of news we should always double check the facts and consider the source. Just like I would question MSNBC’s take on the Republican National Convention, I would be skeptical about my neighbor’s blog on the war in Iraq.

I think that for some things citizen journalism is appropriate. News photos shot from camera phones or an amateur poll about new movies coming out would be perfectly acceptable. If I want an explanation of the new stimulus package or the state of affairs in China, I would feel more comfortable hearing it from a venerable news outlet though. I think that citizen journalists lack the proper training to accurately portray a news story of great importance. Not to say that citizens can’t voice their opinion, but I certainly wouldn’t take someone’s blog as the “end all say all” on an issue.



Even though it’s important to fact check and consider the source of news, I still think the citizen journalism is pretty cool. The idea of ordinary citizens sharing news instantly with people all over the globe is truly remarkable. Moreover, Anderson Cooper gives citizen journalism the thumbs up, and nothing is cooler than what Anderson Cooper deems as alright.

Marshall McLuhan is known today for his quote, “the medium is the message” and the term he coined to describe the unification of the world through electronic media, “global village.” He was a prophet, a media analyst, a philosopher, and a challenger. His ideas from thirty and forty years ago have come to pass and exceeded what he might have thought possible. Did we get his message though?

Well since “the medium is the message” the answer is probably, no. McLuhan wanted everyone to see the danger in electronic media and how it affected our minds on an individual level but also society as a whole. He saw the media shift from journalism and printed media to electronic media with the spread of telephones, radio, and television. With this shift came changes in the basic way of life.

People went from individualistic free thinkers who interpreted the written word based on their judgment, to consumers of a media feed. This is why he says “medium is the message.” We interpret the message based on how we receive it. When television shows us an image, we tend to believe it without question. If we were to read a message, however, we would be free to think about it and interpret it how we see fit. The message therefore is exactly as the medium allows it to be.

Since this message that McLuhan speaks about is now able to be sent around the world in a fraction of a second, thanks to electronic media, it has led to the formation of a “global village.” McLuhan coined this term as an allusion to the way people interacted in tribal times. Before the printing press was invented, people spread “the message” through word of mouth or readings in groups. There was always some kind of interpersonal interaction going on.

With the invention of the printing press, information came on an individual level. Anyone could get news and take it with them to read by themselves. Since electronic media has emerged, this idea has shifted. People are now, once again all connected. With radio, television, and especially now the internet information can be sent around the world in seconds. We are back to the primal connectivity of tribal cultures, and that has its negatives and positives.

Awareness of global issues and communication with people across the world leads to diversity and hopefully unity through common understanding of one another. This can be seen as a good thing about the “global village.” As McLuhan points out though, it can be dangerous to be so connected. When one medium controls the message it is very easy to believe what we hear without question. If control of that medium falls in the wrong hands it would be very easy to control the minds of everyone who follows the medium.

“Satan is a great electric engineer.” McLuhan said this to make his point about electric media’s danger. If the message is in the wrong hands, we can very easily be tricked. It is our job to be vigilant consumers of media and investigate everything we hear. We must use our brains and judge for ourselves how to interpret the message.

Phelps has a Potty Mouth

According to baba booey’s post on perezhilton.com, “there aren’t any heroes in this world.” Baba is referencing the recent fall from grace experienced by Olympian Michael Phelps. He was snapped at a party smoking what appears to be marijuana out of a bong. Some people are very upset at Phelps’s behavior, while others encourage his actions citing that at twenty-three, he is allowed to have a little fun.

Some people that do care very much are his multi-million dollar sponsors. After the Olympics, brands competed for Phelps’s endorsement and entered into huge sponsorships and expensive deals. Most notable are his deals with Kellogg and Subway. Kellogg dropped Phelps from his endorsement of Frosted Flakes cereal, but Subway has decided to keep Phelps on.

According to the article on AdAge.com, the decision was made on Friday to keep Phelps’ deal, but Subway did decide to remove him from the SubwayFreshBuzz website and to hold off on his campaign that was supposed to launch early this year. A representative for Subway said, “Like most Americans, and like Michael Phelps himself, we were disappointed in his behavior. Also like most Americans, we accept his apology.”

This story caught my attention because I love Subway (I usually eat there at least two or three times a week) and I support their decision to keep Michael Phelps. I think from an advertising point of view, it fits right in with their company’s principles. An endorsement from Phelps says, “Ya, I screwed up, just like we all do. You eat junk food and I smoke pot. We’re all human. Maybe we can both redeem ourselves by eating a little Subway.”

If anything keeping him on makes Subway look like a forgiving, understanding place. Not to mention it’s free advertising with all the talk about Phelps’s contract in the media right now. I know after researching this article, I’m definitely craving a Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki sandwich. This demonstrates the old advertising slogan that “any publicity is good publicity.”

I think most of Gen Y doesn’t care if Michael Phelps smokes pot. Most likely a good portion of the millennials have done it themselves. This story brings up the issue of the future of spokespersons. Will we be more forgiving than past generations? Just how far can someone go before we deem them unsuitable for representation of a product? I think SNL’s Seth Meyers sums it up beautifully in his Weekend Update segment, “Really?!”

What do you think?

I love learning about other countries especially learning first hand from the international students here at Lindenwood. For this particular blog, I interviewed my friend Fernando from Panama. He had many interesting things to say about Panamanian media and his opinion on American media.

He said that the most prevalent forms of media in Panama are television and the internet. Most people in Panama have a television and a computer. I thought it was interesting to learn that television is actually cheaper there than in America. He said that a cable subscription including extra channels like HBO only cost about twenty dollars a month.

The television stations in Panama show mostly American shows with Spanish subtitles because most Panamanians can speak English. Fernando said his favorite American made show that they play in Panama is “Lost”. He got really, really excited to talk about it too 

Most of the Panamanian produced shows are news and some soap operas. Fernando’s favorite Panamanian television show is one called “La Cascara”. It means “the banana peel” in Spanish and is a comedy show making fun of people, politicians, and events that take place in Panama.



Panama can air these types of shows because, like America, they have a free press. Their media is not completely controlled by the government, but is censored to some degree. Fernando said that shows like “A Shot at Love: with Tila Tequila” do not air in Panama because they are distasteful.

This is a bit of a contradiction though because in music and music videos, Fernando says that much of it objectifies women. According to him, the music is “all just girls shaking their butts in bikinis”. The particular style of music he is referring to is a Latin American style called reggaeton. He says that the artists are not particularly talented; it’s just like Spanish rap. He does not enjoy that style. He says that they do play the same top 40 hits that we listen to in America, but they have Spanish stations too.



I asked him if they read the same magazines as we do in America since they watch the same television and listen to the same music. He said that they have similar magazines in Panama, but they are Spanish versions. An example he gave of a popular magazine is one from Spain called “A S”. He also listed a magazine called “Vanidades” (Spanish for “Vanity”) as popular in Panamanian culture.

The Internet is the same way. People in Panama visit the same websites we do like YouTube, Google, and yahoo, but some have Spanish versions that are popular. Fernando’s favorite is ESPNdeportes.com, a sports website. He said that one thing that is very different in Latin American culture is that everyone uses MSN messenger there. According to him, people all over Latin America use MSN messenger on a daily basis and it is an integral form of communication, whereas here in America only some people use it.

Fernando wanted to make sure that everyone understands that even though he is from another country, he is not ignorant about American culture. He says it really bothers him when someone asks him if he’s every heard of a TV show called “Friends”. Of course, he has! He says we’d be surprised just how much other countries know about American media, and after our interview, I can’t argue with him.

Freedom of Press is one of our rights according to the Universal declaration of Human Rights:

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers"

Freedom of the Press is a big deal. I’m sure that’s why our founding fathers ensured that freedom by putting it in the First Amendment. They knew the history and the great importance of being allowed to publish and announce your opinion to whoever will listen.

According to author, Peter McWilliams freedom of press has shaped history and defined many important events. He breaks down a timeline going from the Egyptians Book of the Dead to the reporters uncovering the Watergate scandal. One of the most important uses of freedom of press is the spread of the Bible. McWilliams points out that for a long time it was hard to get a copy of a Bible unless you were very rich, until Gutenberg invented the printing press and made the Bible easily available. This act alone is most responsible for the Reformation and the fact that over thirty percent of the world’s population now claims to be a subject of Christianity. If the Bible were banned (which in some countries is the case) that statistic most likely would be substantially smaller.

McWilliams also credits freedom of the press for the very formation of the United States. He marks the publication of Tom Paine’s Common Sense as the catalyst for stirring up a rebellion that eventually led to the Revolutionary War. Who knows where would we be if Paine were not allowed to publish his thoughts?

Is the Press really Free?

Even though freedom of press is a protected right according to the Constitution, many would argue that it is not free enough. In the United States most of the press we read, hear, or see is censored in some way or another. It is passed through certain regulators that judge if the criteria is deemed acceptable for the public.

Now for the most part I really don’t mind censorship. I would prefer not to listen to profanity or see vulgar images because somebody wants to project them at me. I like censorship for the purpose of keeping the media clean.



Where I believe censorship fails is when it causes the media to be biased. This is especially the case in news journalism. It bothers me when somebody goes through a news story and only pulls out the one side they want the audience to hear. I think censoring for purposes of pushing an agenda is a misuse of power and unfair to the media consumers.

Overall I think freedom of the press is a great thing. It has caused revolutions and shaped the history of the world. Without freedom of press we would be living in a very different environment. It’s a very important freedom, that we should never take for granted. Hopefully one day all countries of the world will get to enjoy this freedom like we do in America.

Am I a millennial? Yes and no. I am a graphic design major so I guess I am pretty technologically savvy. I do not think that means that I fall under all of the stereotypes that go with being a millennial. I use my cell phone an average of thirty minutes a day and send about ten or fifteen text messages per day. It annoys me when people my age are constantly talking on cell phones or texting people all the time. I think that when people are always on cell phones or plug their ears with iPods they miss out on everything going on around them. They become very self-involved and live in their own little universe. This makes everyone around them feel uncomfortable especially if they need to get their attention. Where I am most like a typical millennial is probably my use of social networking sites, especially facebook. I check it at least once a day and can spend way too much time “creeping” on my friends when I am bored.
I agree with some of the assumptions about millennials. Many of my friends exhibit the assumption that millennials are conditioned to believe that they are special and can excel at anything. I never played in any sports where “everyone wins” but I know plenty of people who were. I also know many people my age who still live at home with their parents and have never had a job in their life. This really bothers me. I know one person in particular who does not pay for anything on her own, has never worked a real job, and is not paying for school. She thinks that she is entitled to whatever she wants and she truly believes that she is going to be a huge movie star/ singer/ model. I just cannot relate to that at all. I have worked hard for everything I have in my life and I know that when I get out of college I will have to work hard to rise to the top of my field and everything won’t be handed to me. I definitely agree with the assumption that millennials put family and friends before work, and I think that is a good thing. Work may pay the bills but the real value in life is in the relationships you cultivate with people.
If older generations want to communicate with the millennials I think the first step is becoming familiar with the technology we use. Even though I think it’s weird when middle-aged adults with families and a lot of responsibilities send me “My Christmas Tree” requests on facebook, I still appreciate them trying to stay current. Our lives are centered around social networking and instant communication so adults must adapt. I think employers will have to adjust and become more like “team builders” and work around our schedules, but I hope they don’t change too much. Lazy, self-involved people get on my nerves and I do not think changing the job market to meet their needs will do anyone any good.