NY times comparison

In regards to the comparison of the NY times and the blog I have been reading, young entrepreneur, the similarities of interconnectedness are many. The press sphere is apparent in both news sources because both sites bring about a sense of connectedness to the world. Just by signing into the internet it seems like you could travel anywhere on the internet just by following different links and advertisements. I do agree with Jarvis when he speaks about how the press sphere has changed and I think these two sources are perfect examples of that evolution. The similarities between news stories covered in the two sources also help to prove this point. The narratives of the stories themselves are essentially identical in both sources but the bias of both sources adds different tones to the readings. The young entrepreneur blog is a bit more, as you would’ve guessed, economic focused. And so the stories tend to be a little more on the fiscally conservative side while the NY times tends to swing a little bit to the left. 

Blog to follow

The blog I have decided to follow is the young entrepreneur blog (youngentrepreneur.com/blog/). I chose this blog simply because it interests me. I enjoy reading about economics and small businesses and so I looked up what good blogs were out there for that general subject area. After browsing through a couple of sites I found this blog.

Jarvis

In his article “the press becomes the press sphere” Jarvis speaks of how our news, and our process of receiving news about the world around us, has drastically changed. He makes the argument that instead of receiving news only from the press we are now receiving it from sources all around us. These sources include peers, media, and search engines. Not everyone sits down and watches the news like they used too but virtually everyone does have a cell phone or computer. Because we are surrounded daily by these technologies we receive news at the touch of a button and so we are constantly trying to stay informed. I agree with Jarvis and how he has said our process of receiving news has changed. It is an astounding thing that humanities technology is at the point where it is and we ought to be more grateful for our daily luxuries and amenities. I too have found myself surrounded by technology and therefor information. As I sit here on Saturday morning I am watching TV next to my cell phone while on my computer. I have also visited facebook twice in the past five minutes while writing this. Now look around yourself and see what you can find. Jarvis’s argument is well articulated and well presented. There is, however, a slightly confusing diagram Jarvis presents of the “new news process” that sort of disrupts and confuses his logic. The diagram seems messy and odd but somehow leads into his next diagram decently well, covering the unorganized diagram. Overall though the logical design is there and Jarvis makes an extremely convincing argument.

The NY times

My experience reading the NY times has been a great one. In fact, I'd even say I look forward to it. Every morning I wake up an hour and a half before class and read the news. I find most of the stories intriguing, especially the ones about foreign policy. I find there is a small bias in the NY times occasionally but for the most part it is a very reliable news source. Recently I have been reading a lot about the problems in Syria and the middle east. The controversy around this region is incredible right now and with Russia and China petitioning the UN security councils call for peace Syrian blood is now on their hands. I am intrigued to see how the UN will respond to this. The middle east seems to be at a cultural turning point which is why I am so interested in the region. As far as my literacy habits are concerned I don't really feel as though they have changed that much but I read the NY times daily before the class as well. In general however I feel keeping up with current events greatly benefits ones literacy habits and their overall general knowledge of the world. You can read about anything in a newspaper and the wide range of topics covered allows for a very wide demographic. Recently I read a blog post from one of my peers from China regarding the cultural differences between China and the US and the difference in work ethic between the two countries. Hearing her perspective on the issue was a bit odd at first but overall enlightening. This event brought to light the reality of the stories I read about every day and the crucial nature of them all. Reading her post made me realize that these events aren’t just stories from a far-away land but that real people are going through these events. People in the Middle East are pouring their blood onto the streets while at home we are anxiously anticipating who will be the next leader of the free world. Her narrative truly brings into light the seemingly miniscule individual struggle s of these epic and awe inspiring events.

News sources

In general I have found my classmates all have at least 2 or 3 sources of news. Most of my peers read the NY times and also keep up with social networking sites (also a source for news). It is extremely interesting to me however that a great number of my peers list the daily show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert report as news sources when in reality they are intended to be more comedic  than anything. It is sad to see people using these shows as credible news sources. As I previously stated however my peers generally keep up with current events. The rapid rate of information transferal allows us to keep up in a globalizing world which is a blessing for humanity. This is a blessing because  it allows the truth to be uncovered and be uncovered quickly. Groups like Anonymous even pride themselves on the truth and the end of corruption in government. We read and write more than ever to keep up with the outside world and so the opinions of Carr and Hedges I feel are both pessimistic and obscene. It is hard for me to believe that technology is a burden to our society given all the benefits it has granted us. Everything has their positives and negatives but the positives, in this scenario, definitely outweigh the negatives.

News

My main news sources are Time, NY times, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX. I feel like I keep up with news a bit better than most college students but my major (public policy) sort of requires me too. I try to use as many news sources as I can in order to understand the truth of the story as well as analyze the bias in every news source. I also receive news from sources like facebook and twitter but this of course is more personal news. By keeping up with these sources I feel as though I keep up with the workings of society fairly well. I do watch the daily show with Jon Stewart but I do not consider that a relevant news source for that was never the shows intention, it is quite funny though. I do use the news sources I refrenced to read about different issues. Generally speaking I read Time to learn about new technological advances and medical breakthroughs. The NY times has become my go to for foreign policy and standard world news because of this class and information from CNN is relatively unbiased in the grand conglomeration of terrible news sources. This of course leads me to my next source which is Fox News. Now before I continue I do watch Fox to hear about GOP candidates and Democratic faults but to be honest I find it more entertaining than anything. To me it brings about a vague remembrance of some terribly dramatic reality show…need I say Jersey shore? Maybe this is why so many teenagers are swayed by its dramatic charm.