Fanning The Flames

  As the war in Ukraine continues, the death toll of Ukrainians continues to rise. NATO estimates that the death toll of Ukrainian soldiers is between 7,000 and 15,000. Unfortunately, in addition to the number of Ukrainian soldier deaths up until this point, nearly 4,000 Ukrainian civilians have also been killed.   Furthermore, President Biden has accused Putin of war crimes due to the number of Ukrainian civilians that have been killed. Furthermore, in addition to the number of civilian deaths, Putin is being accused of specifically targeting civilians during Russian attacks. Putin and Russians deny accusations of targeting civilians, however the incidents many attacks of civilians are portraying their motives and intentions as otherwise. A maternity ward and children’s’ in Mariupol were bombed, forcing pregnant women to suddenly evacuate. Many were injured and three were killed in those attacks. A theatre in Mariupol where civilians were hiding was also bombed, killing more ...

 Misinformation is such a prominent aspect of media nowadays, especially in regards to the relationship between media and politics. One important and recent example of misinformation in the media is the portrayal of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  Putin’s censorship and spread of disinformation of motives for invading Ukraine as well as threats to reporters attempting to publish what is occurring in Ukraine is becoming more and more prevalent as the invasion of Ukraine continues. In the Guardian Article published below, photographer Evgeniy Maloletka takes a photo of a very pregnant and injured women evacuating a bombed maternity ward in Ukraine. Furthermore, once this image circulated Russian media, Putin claimed that the pregnant Ukrainian woman was simply an “actor.” Putin claiming that injured Ukrainians are actors is not the only way in which he attempts to manipulate the Russian people and gain support of his actions. Allegations that the U.S and Ukraine are planning to s...

  After last week’s discussion of “managing the message” and strategic communication by political officials, I decided to also discuss strategic communication and some examples. When referring to strategic communication former President Trump is one of the most recent and relative examples when discussing “managing the message.” Although many thought Trump would never get enough votes during his campaign to become president, he managed to gain the support of enough followers to ultimately become president in 2016. This was done through Trump’s use of emotional evoking speeches and phrases. Trump also knew the way the middle class felt about many topics that were important to them during that particular time, such as immigration, taxes, etc., and made those topics key aspects of his campaign, as well as during his presidency. Trump’s use of the phrase, “Make America Great Again,” was used many times during his campaign and presidency, by him, and his supporters. The goal behind the ...

 Oftentimes when looking at the ways in which social media, and digital media as a whole has impacted politics and other aspects, the perceived impacts are oftentimes negative. However, there are positive aspects of social media, especially in relation to current events and social causes. Majority of individuals are aware that Russia invaded Ukraine, however social media has brought awareness to this crisis much faster than other means possible. Social media has brought so much attention to what the citizens of Ukraine are facing through videos and constant war coverage. Through social media many individuals have been able to quickly gain support to help the citizens of Ukraine through fundraising and charity. Ultimately, social media has its many negatives, however in a time where awareness and public support are needed, especially in this case of the invasion of Ukraine, social media proves successful and beneficial. Social media can be an extremely helpful tool in times of need....

  It feels as though every time I view any sort of social media or news apps or channels that the news is flooded with death, economic decline, corruption, political conflict, and many other negative and oftentimes saddening events. And in a time of pandemic that has impacted billions of individuals and has brought devastating effects to our country, consuming negative news can be especially triggering and harmful to mental health. Furthermore, the term, “negativity bias” has been increasingly common as negative events are reported on more frequently. Ultimately, I can assume that many other individuals also feel as though negative news oftentimes appear to be majority of what news outlets choose to focus on in terms of deciding what events are “newsworthy.” Therefore, I decided to take a look at increasing occurrence of negative news reporting and possible reasons as to why media outlets often choose to report on such negative, saddening, emotional evoking events. The article at...

 After our last module I thought it would be interesting and relevant to take a look at the role social media plays in politics and political trends. For this specific post I will take a look at Facebook, as there has been much conversation and controversy that last few years about Facebook involvement in politics. Facebook was created to connect millions of people worldwide as a major goal by Zuckerberg. Ultimately, Facebook has done exactly that. Facebook (and other social media platforms) have brought attention to certain global and social issues that many would not be aware of otherwise. Therefore, there are positive aspects of social media, but Facebook has the potential, and has led to political polarization and impacting political landscape, especially in the 2016 election. Through the "algorithmic solution" set up to only show individuals certain post based on what they like but also what the company wants to promote, and censorship and removal of videos and articles ...

  After reviewing the materials for this week's modules, particularly the Associated Press article from Steve Peoples in September 2020, I have decided to mention a theme that is relative to that particular article. "Loaded" words, also known as emotional language, emotive language, emotionally charged words, loaded language, and other terms is an important idea to discuss further, especially in relation to news and journalism. When looking at biases in media is important to understand what loaded words are, and how to spot them in news. According to the The Free Dictionary, a loaded word as one “that carries additional emotional weight or significance—whether positive or negative—beyond its literal meaning.” Loaded language is generally used in journalism as a means to elicit a particular emotional response among the intended audience. The emotional response can be anger, sadness, anxiety, and other emotional feeling and responses. In addition to motivating a specific re...