Although Walter Cronkite was considered to be the "most trusted man in America", for journalists today it is a whole different story. While tuning into Anderson Cooper I was hoping to understand the health care reform a little better, however; you pretty much just get unanswered questions and the republicans and democrats defending their parties. Anderson Cooper is not biased and although he remains neutral throughout the show, when asking questions he is straight forward and tries to get the best possible answer out of the person, however; this doesn't always seem to work. Some of the guests on the show included Dana Bash, Senior Congressional Correspondant, also Mark Shutleff who is the Utah Attorney General. No arguements ever broke out but if you were looking for facts, you weren't going to find them. I am ashamed to admit that I wasn't really sure what was going on, and trying to get answers to my confusion was a joke. Everyone was giving there opinions and of course no one will just come out with an honest answer. The same was with Nancy Grace, however; unlike Cooper she did give her opinion and wasn't shy to come out with harsh questions. But like the other guests on Coopers show, I never felt completley satisfied with what someone had to say. I learned that you can't always trust what you hear and nowadays it is better to do the research for yourself, then listen to someone else's opinion.

The following is a link to a blog on the healthcare reform on the Anderson Cooper website:
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/22/evening-buzz-health-care-fight-not-over/

Get Real!

Starting back in 1992, the Real World took the stage and set the pace for many reality shows on television today. The goal was to see people in real situations and how they truly deal with everything. No scripts, or people telling them what to do, just hidden cameras and a house filled with people that never met. You throw out the norms and you are faced with different paradigms on gays/lesbians, race and religion. People watching the show have seen many episodes and situations on the show that they can relate to such as relationships, being in a different place and I think that is what attracts them to it. I like how you can see the vulnerability behind the person and sometimes I can sympathize or I’m just like what were they thinking. I believe this show affects many people by just seeing others on television like themselves. They see someone being comfortable and open about their sexuality and it therefore makes them realize, “well if they can do this and be ok with it, then so can I”. Mainly young people watching the show are influenced by it. It’s mostly young adults in their twenty’s on the show and each season presents something new. One of the most controversial episodes talked about when it first started was episode 3. A young man named Pedro was on the show and had AIDS. This wasn’t talked about much and by him being on the show it shed a different light on the subject and made people look at it differently and not just turn their heads.
Although I am a big fan of MTV and have watched the Real World, the Hills, and many others they bring about so many other issues. The Hills, Heidi Montag is one person that went from being normal looking to having a major addiction to plastic surgery. What does this do to young kids? They see this person changing everything about them and the true identity is lost.
There are also many people, thanks to reality shows, whom you are seeing more and more of. In some cases it is a good thing and people are given chances that they may not have had by being on a show. However, seeing Snookie on an award show doesn't make sense to me.

Dundalk Eagle

The Dundalk Eagle has been around for many years and is a communtiy newspaper. Although it is considered a small newspaper it is definitely outlasting some of the "Big" names, including the Baltimore Sun. Like everything else, the newspapers are changing with the times and are trying to keep up with this fast-paced society. The internet is taking over and with everything being at your finger-tips, more and more papers are found online. Stories are being put up as soon as they happen and updates are a constant. Since the Eagle is a local newspaper I predict it will never stop running. There is less competition, unlike other newspapers that put out almost the same exact information. The Eagle attracts the community and informs the people about events locally. It is easy to understand and get the information you want quickly. If you missed the high school game you can always see the scores in the paper and never be out of the loop about local projects and things that may take an affect in the community. It costs about 50 cents and is found at the local gas stations and convenient stores in the community. The paper not only attracts an older crowd but kids as well. They like to get there hands on it and see there names in the paper and read about their school. It becomes more personal and makes the reader feel like you are talking to them. The newspaper is also online but no matter what people will continue to purchase the paper to see familiar faces and names and know the next thing in there community.