Assange and Snowden

I do not believe either Snowden or Assange to be journalists. I would classify both as activists though. I personally, like when people are able to let the public know of things that should be public knowledge, but that does not make either a journalist. This ties into the idea of whether a blogger is a journalist. There are ethical issues that stand in the way of either of these men being journalists. A journalist does not usually hack into secure information to get a story.
Assange hacked his information and then released it which actually could have landed in the hands of terrorists which is actually a great threat to us all. A journalist would have weighed the consequences of such behavior before moving forward. Also, a journalist would have found the information in a more ethical manner to begin with. Just because you start a website and name yourself the editor-in-chief of it does not actually make you a journalist.
Snowden would be classified more as a source than a journalist. He uncovered information at the NSA and then reached out to Glenn Greenwald to tell his story. He leaked sensitive information, but in no way is anything he did similar to the work journalists do. I would call him a whistleblower, if anything.

Reporters' Privilege

 Bloggers can be journalists. However, with the internet being a way for anybody to vent their opinions and frustrations, we will encounter many people who are just ranting their beliefs and opinions without any real fact. A journalist hears both sides of a story and reports facts. A blogger may just report what they want people to believe with a biased. Journalists may blog, but not all bloggers are journalists.

I think it is important to preserve "reporters' privilege" as it is the duty of a journalist to speak the truth and in some cases, protect their sources. This protects the free flow of information. Without this privilege, people may end up afraid to talk to a journalist for fear of being outed and that could be bad for the source. If they were speaking out about a bad work situation, they could lose their job, etc. 

Response

What I learned from this article is that the EPA made a horrible mistake that is affecting farmers. The truth of the matter is that this type of event has a ripple effect. If the farmers can't produce what they need, consumers can not purchase it and this creates a shortage. 

I like that we are able to hear from people who are experiencing it first hand. When I heard about the incident, I was alarmed. Contaminated water is never a good thing. Then, I didn't hear much for a couple days and thought it might have been overrated. Now, hearing the stories of those who are struggling because of it is heartbreaking, but necessary for all to know. 

I wish we could have heard from the other side, but they are keeping their lips sealed at this times, so what can you do? 

The Podcast was the same exact information as the story. The difference was, I was able to hear the voice of the man quoted in the article, so that was cool.

I do not see a problem with how this was presented. Maybe adding a video of the yellow river could have really added more to it. 

Back to school I go

I returned to school and work today after less than 2 weeks after WLS surgery. For those who do not know, WLS is weight loss surgery. I had a gastric sleeve down which removes part of the stomach. I have been obese for so many years, I don't quite remember what it was like to be a normal weight.

So, returning was not as bad as I thought it would be. I was a little disappointed that no one noticed I had lost any weight. As of now, I am 15 pounds lighter than 2 weeks ago. I guess the truth of the matter is that when you are obese, you have to lose like 50 pounds before people start noticing.

I am a bit sluggish, uninterested and all around exhausted. I graduate this semester and need to muster all my strength. I got this.