Riley Manion: Never Stay Silent Blog

                      Benjamin Franklin's name is etched in the history book for a multitude of reasons. Generations of people, past, present and future will know the name Benjamin Franklin as he was a crucial part of not only American democracy, but American history. A large part of why this is connects back to the representation of Benjamin Franklin within the press both back then and now. As aforementioned, Benjamin Franklin contributed insurmountable efforts to American history and has changed the landscape of politics, culture, and journalism. The press has acknowledged these efforts as he is often referenced to be an American hero, whether it be from articles written during his time or articles written in present day.                                                             "Benjamin Franklin was, at the age of 70, the oldest man to sign the Declaration of Independence. He had done more than anyone else to keep America within the British Empire; and now he was to play

 Getting news that is beneficial to everybody can be slightly difficult nowadays. The real and full truth seems rare with big news outlets and bias is destined to be present. Many people including myself have fallen into this trap, and rely solely on news sources such as CNN or Fox. As mentioned, this is something that I admittedly have struggled with. Until really thinking about how bias certain news sources could be, I used the same exact websites to get information. I am still working on finding good, reliable sources that I like, so for this blog, I am going to explain my previous top 5 news sources before taking this class. 1. CNN As someone who shares similar beliefs with CNN reporters, I feel that this source is an easy way to get information that I am interested in, especially when it focuses on issues that are relevant to me or what I believe in. It is much easier to read an article to agree with and can relate to, hence the reason I would always get information from CNN. 2. E

Survivors ready? Survivor fans all across the world have been itching to hear Jeff Probst say those words for months now. The hit reality show used to premiere twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. However, fans have been having withdrawals as the last season to air premiered over a year ago today (March 4th, 2021).  Many people are asking the same question though. Why? Why can't they be filming? Gathering a cast and crew and flying to a private island does seem slightly difficult in the midst of a global pandemic. However, Survivor 40: Winners at War was able to do it, so why not do it again? Although this season was filmed at the very beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the producers were able to work around the unknown and put on arguably one of the greatest survivor seasons ever.  This proves that putting on this show during a pandemic is possible. Is it easy? No. Is it ideal? No. However, Survivor is one of the most popular shows on Television, so putting on a

  Photo from nbcnews.com An American Hero. When someone hears the name Benjamin Franklin, they think of the changes he made to better American politics. These accomplishments should not go unacknowledged, however there is much more to Mr. Franklin that just signing the Declaration of Independence. Franklin was a printer. Franklin was a writer. Franklin was a journalist. Benjamin Franklin was only educated in school for two years. At the age of 10, he no longer went to school and therefore had to teach himself. This didn't stop his love for reading. Franklin was always reading and even used his books to teach himself to write, Franklin would write what his books would say, teaching him the basics of writing. He would continuously practice and write using his books and his memory. This all paid off and started his initial love for writing and journalism. But his path to writing was not easy and was definitely not handed to him.  Following in his father's footsteps, Franklin star

 As our class analyzed the different journalists throughout history who have made an impact on reporting, there were certain people and events that stood out to me as not only interesting but also impactful. I enjoyed learning about all of these people, as they each contributed a lot to the world of journalism, however as mentioned, some stuck with me more than others.  First, I was very intrigued by Nellie Bly. I thought it was extremely interesting that Nellie Bly was able to fake symptoms in order to get into a mental hospital. From there she exposes the horrors within the mental hospital and brought the abuse of the patients to light. This was not only a huge door that was opened for women, but it also sparked the idea of investigative journalism. Investigative journalism is so prevalent in today's society, and without Nellie Bly's courage, it arguably may not be as prominent as it is.  Additionally, Mary Margaret McBride was another woman who I was impressed by. Considered