The Feather calls campus to participate in social awareness

In the United States, we have the luxury of voicing our opinion through the news. Even though we have this freedom many high schoolers do not take advantage of it. News Engagement Day aims to change this disconnect in students nationwide, Oct. 3.

News Engagement Day is a movement across the globe where high school students are encouraged to engage with news and understanding the principles and processes of journalism in a democratic society. Setting aside a day to focus on the news across the world gives AEJMC, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the chance to promote a culture where journalism is sought out. According to the News Engagement Day website, it is a national event for students across the country.

“Beginning on campuses with journalism and communication programs, News Engagement Day has grown into a worldwide event, where people of all ages across the globe are encouraged to read, watch, listen to and discuss news, and share News Engagement Day activities using #newsengagementday.”

To many, the news is a vital part of their life. Student leadership member Ronnie Peterson, ’19, encourages peers to engage in news and become informed about the world around them. Peterson uses The Feather and Fox News to stay informed.

“I think News Engagement Day is a great way for students to get involved with their communities and learn more about the world around them,” Peterson said. “As a student leader, it’s especially important for me to be in the know because I need to be an example to those and be a resource to uninformed students. I personally read The Feather Online for campus news and I watch Fox News for national news stories.”

The First Amendment gives us the power to follow any religion we choose, report on anything even if it is something bad, freedom to peacefully protest, freedom to petition and freedom of speech to let us say anything we want. Knowing these rights is important to function in society. Hunter Raynes, ‘21, explains what this freedom means to him.

“I like having all of this freedom,” Raynes said. “It helps me understand what is happening in this country. It protects us from being persecuted for saying something that other people do not agree with. It creates places where you can have a large variety of news outlets and backgrounds.”

The ability to practice any religion we want or no religion at all is a luxury that encouraged the start of America. One reason our founding fathers came to America for religious freedom. Our school would not exist if we did not have religious freedom. Jacob Provost, ‘18, elaborates on what religious freedom means to him.

“We can do whatever we want with our religion and believe in whatever,” Provost said. “Buddhists, Muslims and Christians can practice all over America. Practicing freely and not intervening in other people’s practices is what it comes down to.”–Jacob Provost

Freedom of speech enables any Americans to express any idea or opinion without censorship. In countries like China, freedom of speech is a privilege and not a right. This “Free Speech Elite” is a combination of senior government, Communist party leaders, some elite journalists and academic professionals. Keith Zhu, a Chinese international student detailed what freedom of speech means in China.

“The law specifically says Chinese cannot preach against the political party since China is a one-party system country,” Zhu says, “The majority of the territory of mainland China ban Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, in order to prevent anti-communism propaganda away from Chinese citizens. But it does not mean the Chinese have no right to speak about politics. There’re a lot of officers are replaced by the people’s power. So in my opinion, the freedom of speech in China exists but it bans the way of that anti-communism voice. The voice of people’s dissatisfied with the government exists just like the USA.”

Freedom of press enables journalists across the country to say anything they want about the government and follow any story across the globe. This gives the public the ability to hear both sides of the story and avoid government propaganda. Feather journalist Andrew Rieker, ’21, explains what freedom of the press means to him.

“I like having freedom of the press because you are allowed to say anything you want about anything not be persecuted,” Rieker said. “Also, the freedom of press lets you hear the full story and not just what the government wants you to say.”

In a time where there is a vast amount division in our country, peaceful protests play an important role. From professional athletes kneeling during the national anthem to the Global Women’s March, peaceful protests are a huge story in the news. Landon Bell, ‘21, explains what freedom of speech allows people to do.

“I think that the First Amendment is a good thing,” Bell said. “This freedom can be taken too far though. Like when people have disrespect for authority and say it is apart of this freedom is taking it too far.”

News Engagement Day is one of the biggest days for The Feather. In order to have people engage with our paper, we create videos and are constantly posting things on our social media. 

The Feather staff encourages you to comment on social media, continue to read and comment on articles and vote on the polls! If you have any ideas for The Feather contact an editor and consider writing a column or blog.

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For more articles on News Engagement Day, read COLUMN: Engage in the news, avoid apathy and COLUMN: Listen to those whose voice is silent. For last year’s News Engagement Day article, read News Engagement Day encourages students to stay informed.

This author can be reached via twitter @thejacobhyatt and via email: Jacob Hyatt.