Participation In Self Government

 

Out of the eight values of free expression, the one that resonates with me the most is participation in self-government. The reason why this sticks with me the most is because we have seen how crazy the United States election can be, and there have been so many false claims made that it has ruined the election process. In this article by ap, we see how Trump made false claims about the capital, and he uses these tactics and gets away with it sometimes. Some people take these campaigns very seriously and believe everything these candidates say, so for them to do that, they need to speak like they are under oath at all times. 

I think that this problem has been going on for way too long, and citizens do not know who to vote for anymore because of all the misinformation and even propaganda. In this article by washingtonpost, we see how Donald Trump has made 30,573 false or misleading claims in over four years. This is a problem that the American people see, and there is no punishment he will receive, and that is what is wrong with this value of expression. If we can't trust what our own president is saying, then how can we possibly make a judgment call on who the better fit is for the president of our country? We see how, in the last election, Biden could not even speak, and it was one of the most embarrassing things as a country that we had to view knowing that he was the leader of the country. This is when this right has to come into play, and the people of this country need to do something about it.

I watched a youtube video of Joe Biden not being able to talk, and it was honestly shocking to me. Joe Biden cannot string together sentences, and he is supposed to be giving us advice to vote for him? This is the problem with politics, and it has gone to a place that cannot be recovered. These candidates say whatever they think people will like, and it could be such a false claim, but they never seem to get penalized for it. This is the problem with participation in self-government because we are getting these false claims thrown at us and do not know what to believe is real or not. Meanwhile, these candidates are getting no punishment other than getting ridiculed by the news channels, and that's it. These news channels are also in the wrong in this case because they push out false claims on whatever side they lean. It is a disgrace to the American people and an embarrassment to other countries when they look at our politics. 

The United States of America needs to come up with a system where these false claims need to be made 100 percent illegal in the process of running for a position in the government. It is now impossible to trust a candidate unless you do your own research, and even that, at times, can be swayed one way and give you misguided information. We, the common people, must stand up for what we believe in and put an end to these false claims that are happening all over politics.

The Founding Era

 

I have not learned much about United States history, and this is something that every United States citizen needs to know before learning anything else. I know the basics of the Supreme Court and that they look over the laws passed and any decision that is made by the President. This is pretty basic knowledge that we have learned in school from a young age. What I learned about the Supreme Court is that they have the final say in any legal case in the United States. I thought that other houses would have input, but they have the final decision because they are supposed to uphold the Constitution and not sway one way, no matter what it is. 

I watched this short video as well on YouTube, and it shows how they make their decision and what the judges and courts do to have a final say. The most important takeaway that I had in the Supreme Court was the judicial review. This is the Supreme Court having the final say and not allowing something to pass if they find it unconstitutional. This is an extremely powerful tool and, if used wrongly, could hurt millions of people. We see how everyone in the Supreme Court is the best of the best, but if even one person says something unconstitutional, then it can cause many problems. The main takeaway from this video is how powerful these people are, and one decision could impact someone's life forever. If they make a law now that hurts many, imagine how many people it could hurt in the future. This is why these people are hand-selected and are supposed to be the best of the best in the United States and even the world.

Top 5 News Outlets For Staying In The Loop

 Top 5 Sources of News and Information 

Instagram 

Instagram is one of my top places to go when looking for news. There are many credible sources on the platform, and being easy to navigate, you find brand-new stories in seconds. Accounts like NBC, CNN, and the New York Times are just a few that give you real-time updates of what is happening worldwide. Some other social media pages often have people on the app that report news that is not true. I feel as if Instagram does a fantastic job of showing you which accounts are verified and credible versus accounts that are misleading and reporting fake news.

TikTok is my second most useful way to get news fast, but the news you get on your feed is not always accurate. Like Instagram, there are many credible sources on TikTok, but there are many more pages than Instagram that report news that is misleading or not credible. A lot of times, some sources report true news but then show news that is not true, but if you believe this account is credible, you tend to believe it. I feel like this happens a lot to teens and misguides them on what is right or wrong. It is important that you always check the source and online to see if these sites have credibility from major companies and credible people.

X which was previously known as Twitter, is my third option when I am looking for news. X is, in my opinion, the fastest updated app that gives you real-time news quickly and efficiently. When I am looking for major stories, I most of the time do not end up looking at X, but if there is a story or game that is trending, X is the best place to look because of the credible sites also chiming in and seeing the opinions of people around the globe. For example, when the presidential election was going on, X was blowing up with people's thoughts and opinions. It is a great app to express yourself, but many people have gotten censored, which has caused lots of problems with people's trust and rights to freely express their thoughts online.

NYTimes is the fourth news source that I use the most. I use this website because I feel the information is always correct and always covers the top stories in our world. A lot of times, I find myself scrolling on social media and come across a news story that is covered by the Times and go to their website to read the article and see what is going on. I never really go straight to the website daily, but if something catches my eye, then I will go there and find more in-depth writing on the story. It is a great place to go if you want real, accurate news that is always credible.

ESPN is the fifth source that I go to for credible information in the sports world. ESPN gives you real-time updates about what is going on in the sports world and stories that can be very useful for fans of sports. Some people work for ESPN and write stories about trading players, team updates, and anything else you need to know in the sports world. The reason I trust and would recommend ESPN is because the news is always trustworthy, and the site brings the news to you in an exciting fashion.