Lester Holt: A Brief Summary

Menacing spy craft... unmanned aerial vehicles... and missile laden predators. These are the images that come to mind when the word "drone" is spoken. Taken to new heights during the Global War on Terror, military drones have struck fear into the hearts of America's enemies. Now the U.S. government is starting to look inward toward its next target: the American people. Already starting along the US/Mexico border, big brother is indiscriminately watching whole neighborhoods via high tech zoom and heat imaging technology. There is even a debate in congress as to whether it is lawful for an American citizen to be killed by a missile firing drone. These actions and debates have caused legitimate concerns for the American people in regards to

In the article Drone On, Gretchen West addresses the possibilities for drones and her issues with FAA and the slow pace their taking to establish rules for drone operating. She begins with the history of drones. She discusses that drones were primarily use for the military and other government sectors like Homeland Security, until private companies started developing an interest in drones. Instead of helping in wars and watching our boarders, drones were now being used for farming and bridge inspection. Now drones are an international and multibillion dollar industry. Drones, are as a faster and safer way to do things like helping farmers with their crops or help filmmakers shoot amazing footage; drones will benefit everyone. Commercial drones

The rabbi gave three sermons during the Yom Kippur services. In all three sermons, he stayed away from talking about politics. However, he did encourage everybody to go to the polls and vote. The main sermon that he addressed to the congregation focused on the essence of talking. When someone should talk and when not to talk. In his sermon, he quoted Eli Weisel, who states, "We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." He used the example of Lester Holt and the fact that he was criticized for not speaking up enough in the first presidential debate. He said it is a sin to remain silent and not speak up for what we believe in; that there is a fine medium for speaking

Still, drones are a form of invasion of privacy but used in moral awareness will keep fellow citizens safe. I think that law enforcement should use drones to overlook people who have previously broken the law or invaded someone’s privacy. Drones can help America protect its privacy by looking out for potential threats while not invading the innocent American lives. I think congress should consider that drones keep a tab on certain criminals who have committed dangerous crimes, to a certain degree.The Supreme Court cases shown in “Right to Privacy” cases were about personal decisions that invaded an individual’s privacy. Cases such as Kelley v Johnson, Roe v Wade and Griswold v Connecticut presented how the government was being controlling of an individual’s personal decision. For example, in the Griswold v Connecticut, a Connecticut law criminalized the encouragement or use of birth control. The 1879 law said if "any person who uses any drug, medicinal article or instrument for the purposes of preventing conception shall be fined not less than forty dollars or imprisoned not less than sixty days." This case was not brought to the U.S.

When the topic of drones is brought up, some may think they are not among us and are objects of the future, while others may have one that they’ve built themselves and put to use already. Drones are being talked about more and more but not necessarily all for good reasons. The reading titled “From the Eyes of a Drone” by Tomas van Houtryve touches upon how drones affect surveillance, photography, and use for weapons. In a BBC article, “Drones: What Are They and How Do They Work?” the author goes into specific detail on how the United States is planning to use drones for the military. If regular drone use becomes a normality in society, it is true that amazing photography will be a positive outcome but what about privacy? Drones can aid the military as well, but if they are released for the general public to use on the daily things may get out of control. While drones can impact several aspects of life positively, they can create even more harm than one may think.

Network News stations like Fox and MSNBC have distorted news information so much so that viewers now turn to comedy central to keep current with the news. Turning to comedians for news is not a horrible idea as long as viewers understand that comedians must also distort news in order to entertain. Now that is not to say that comedians give out fake news; a comedian must first understand the whole of the topic before running it through a comedic process, in which they then begin distorting the information to attain laughter. Jon Stewart has an enormous impact in the media. Many young viewers turn to Stewart for his take on the news. According to Cox of Wonkette.com in an article by Kurtz Howard, The Campaign of a Comedian; Jon Stewart’s Fake Journalism Enjoys Real Political Impact, says “It’s not that young people don’t like politics. The way politics is talked about in the media is alienating. They’re seeing Jon Stewart as a kind of hero who will lead us out of the darkness.” Stewart allows his viewers to keep current with the news by giving sound bites, which they then could verify or explore. While many news reporters believe Stewart to be highly controversial, the majority of young adults will watch Jon Stewart’s comedic take on the news because it is unbiased and attempts to only entertain.

The FAA requires Drone owners to register each drone weighing over .55 LBS (FAA, registration). The FAA also has enabled laws protecting the public from potential drone attacks by requiring drone owners not to fly their aircraft near airports, large masses of people, or stadiums.

In today’s world, the media seems to shape the mindset of society and its people. Whether the media is a news anchor, a newspaper, or even a website- it unintentionally makes the people think a certain way towards the world. The news is supposed to be unbiased. However, Jon Stewart turned this whole news gig into a whole new meaning. Jon was very bias in most situations, but he also was a comedian. With that being said, he used his humor on The Daily Show to get the news out to the public, and he gained viewers by being funny. After watching, “Jon Stewart's Story: How the Fake Newsman Won Over America” argued many points, showed both real and fake news, and what Stewart’s goals actually were.

In this you can already see that drones do cause some concern towards the FAA and safety for all the pilots in the sky. It's difficult to say how long it'll take the FAA to make rules so that not a single person can be killed by drones if they follow the rules given to them. The Rules consist of restrictions such as Drones over the weight of 250 g and below 55 kg must register under the FAA and Drones can only fly below 400 feet which is around the length of a football field. For now these rules are thought out enough to keep drone pilots safe on each flight and keep the people around them

Adding any kind of tracking tag big enough to constantly send data multiple miles away to a collection point, would take an average drone out of the price range of all but the most dedicated amateur pilots. Another alternative tagging method to prove ownership and verify licensure to fly a drone would be microchips inserted into the outer fuselage. The tag can have registration information electronically imprinted onto it, for law enforcement to read with a small handheld microchip reader (Microchipping, 2013). Both GPS tags sending information to a VHF array, and microchipping are possible solutions for tracking drones a combination of the two might provide enough incentives for lawmakers to regulate drones instead of banning them

With the advent of the 24-hour cable news cycle in the early 1980's, I thought we would actually get some variety in the types of news programming that would be available. Instead,

Drones have taken the interest of militaries and private companies across the world. The “global market for unmanned aerial vehicles is now $6 billion a year” and that “more than fifty countries moving to acquire drones” Charleston Gazette journalists wrote (Pg1). Most of these are military drones, for private companies and the military to use. Many would argue that offensive and defensive drone use should have many safeguards in place that are backed up by international law. This would be to keep militaries and private users from violating human rights agreements, and to help prevent breaches of privacy. While drone strikes eliminate american casualties, they “also help distance the public from what is going on” as journalist Juan Cole iterated (Pg1) .

Subsequently, in the research, ABC news and Univision displayed a further difference in coverage by how their quality of writing was ranked regarding factual detail, hoopla, and fluff. Throughout the six-week research study, ABC news’ political stories were mainly factual detail and hoopla because it both exaggerated its findings and stated simply facts in its political stories. Factual detail appeared evident when it covered stories about how Trump’s travel ban was blocked, Trump declared an opioid crisis, and the President is not visiting the DMZ. Hoopla occurred when it covered stories about other politicians calling Trump “bizarre,” politicians criticizing another over Twitter, and Trump’s endless statements about engaging in conflict with other politicians. Additionally, Univision produces hoopla in its top political stories, where it overemphasizes Trump’s mistakes and his administrations’ mistakes as well as how his efforts are negatively impacting people. After completing research on the two news sources, ABC news and Univision, there appeared several significant findings from it.

News programs have been changing and always will be changing. 60 minutes once a news program with minimal drama and lots of information has now turned into a beast hungry for drama with minimal information. This change in society has turned news anchors into television celebrity’s, and they’re loving the attention. The television show 60 minutes is the oldest and most watched news entertainment program. They get the ‘real story’ on Americas most horrific issues. 60 minutes’ topics include, politics, pop culture, health, science and business. The show itself airs on CBS news, each episode is an hour long and contains lots entertainment although at one point strived for mostly informative news. The news program was originally created by Don Hewitt, and was ranked one of the best news series of all time. There have been many news anchors throughout the years including, Steve Kroft, Lara Logan, Scott Pelley, Morley Safer, Lesley Stahl, and the most current anchor Bill Whitaker. Although the show might seem like a very informative, well rounded news station, people don’t realize what they are really tuning into. 60 minutes has turned into a news magazine who strives for stories that overwhelm the audiences with distracting graphics, lots of emotional issues and pointless stories that shouldn’t be covered as informative or important, but should only be used as entertainment purposes.

Drone technology is advancing rapidly and it is changing the way in which things are being done. Drones are widely used by many people as a hobby or for career purposes, as well as for military purposes by the United States. Drones provide the U.S military with many benefits, which helps the military to operate efficiently and in a safe manner. Businesses are utilizing this technology as well in order to make their companies run more efficiently, as well as to improve their customer service. Drone technology will positively impact our society; drastically change our culture and political system and definitely advance our economy as well as help enhance our environment.