DEATH OF THE "MODERN" DAY NEWS FORMAT

During the next seven weeks, my blog will cover a variety of current events and people's perceptions and opinions via online news and social networking sites (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, AOL etc). The topics will range from a wide spectrum; politics, entertainment, sports, technology, relationships, health... You name it; it will be covered depending on the level of interest and response.

As a society that is more and more technologically dependent, the original news format or news papers and/or the evening news and news shows are dying a slow death. Well known newspapers are struggling for readership, quite a few have had to close. Lives are moving at an even more rapid pace. The idea of sitting down for an hour and watching the news everyday is also slowly fading. Wireless laptops, smart phones and other various forms of instant media keep us connected and "plugged in". These various mediums allow the user to form an anonymous persona and speak their opinions in ways that would be frowned upon in everyday face-to-face communication.

I am fascinated by the opinions that are stated and sometimes spewed and if because we are such an instantly connected society are we ignoring the major news stories of our time and giving credence to what 10 and 15 years ago would never have crossed a news desk. I have no idea what the end result will be, my hope is that at the end of this course we will all walk away a bit more enlightened and cautious about what we as a society deem news.

Introduction

This is the assignment I dread. Missing the first night of class is never fun. Introducing myself over a blog to my professor and classmates makes my stomach just want to sink with a thud. Writing about myself in a way that does not come across as a. I don't care, b. pompous, c. "holier than thou", d. incoherent or e. "all over the map" has literally been on my mind the last few days. Its not that I can't write an introduction about myself; I'm actually quite adept at it in person.

So who am I? I'm a professional working mom of a 2 year old little boy who works very long hours as an executive assistant for a government contractor in the IT field. Originally from the Miami, Fl area, I have been living in the DC Metro Area for the last 18 years, the last 12 in Virginia. If you ask my core circle of friends, they would say I am extremely outgoing and very direct (to a fault sometimes).

The older I get I have learned to become observant of not only my surroundings but the people I interact and those around me. I have learned that you can tell alot about people just by being observant. I'm actually fascinated by it at times. My focus is in alot of areas, family, work, church and social obligations but second to my son is finishing this degree that I have put off for so many years.