Journalism in War

Last week in class a fascinating guest speaker, Dodge Billingsley came and spoke in my class. The two hours he spoke were some of the most interesting two hours I have ever spent in college. He addressed war and explained some of the up-close and personal battles he's witnessed while covering the war. Billingsley told us, being embedded with a platoon has given him more frontline time then most journalists. I think he was initially asked to speak to our class on trauma in journalism, but spoke most of the time on different war tactics. I thought he would be traumatized from his experiences, but he said he really wasn't affected. He did say seeing women and children involved in the war disturbed him. I found this interesting. Why would he not be affected? Is he just past feeling toward the tragic events of war because he has been involved in it for so long? Is he just in denial?

Effects of 9/11

In class this week my fellow classmates and I watch the documentary 9/11.

If you are still searching for understanding on what happened I recommend watching the film. It was produced by French filmmakers & brothers Gedeon and Jules Naudet. These brothers happened to be filming a documentary about New York firefighters on the day of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. This documentary aired on CBS about 7 months after the attacks and had 39 million viewers. I was one of the viewers. I remember the first time I saw this video. I was shocked, confused, and disturbed. I just kept thinking, 'this really did happen.' Sure I watched countless hours of TV with every other American for weeks following the attacks. I saw the images of the planes crashing into the towers and the towers collapsing countless times. Yet it wasn't until I saw some of the gruesome real life events did the event seem real. I still don't consider myself an eyewitness, but I do now consider myself to be more aware of the happenings of that awful day. I have since seen the documentary two more times, and each time I see it I think I will not be as shocked since I have already seen it but each time I see it I am left in disbelief. What a terrible tragedy for our country. But, how thankful I am to be informed about it. Without good journalism, I would have little to no understanding on what took place or why it took place. Journalist deserve props for the way they humanized 9/11 to the American public.

After President Bush endorsed the idea of universal internet access, the Senate banned access tax on the internet until November 1, 2007. I believe this piece of legislation is paramount for two reasons. First, the Senate accepted the bill 93-3. This is notable because lately the government has been hammered for partisan politics. While I agree the government has illustrated extreme partisanism as of late, this is a great step in a more united government- working for the common good. Secondly, I feel this is a great step to help ensure all man have access to digitial technology. Internet service is the highway to information, and information is the road to education and success. I applaud the Senate for their agreement to eliminate tax, allowing for easier internet access to all. Does the government really need to swindle more tax money out of us anyway?

Hello World.

I have been assigned to create a blog for myself in BYU's 487 Communication class.