The Supreme Court

I've always been interested in history and politics. I was an officer in my high school's history club and took an AP government course my senior year, so I've always understood the gist of the supreme court and how they function. This video covered mostly general information but there were a few small things I did not know. I wasn't aware that anyone unhappy with a court ruling could petition their case to the court, even prisoners. I was shocked to learn that the supreme court didn't always have high respect, and it wasn't until Marbury V. Madison with the help of John Marshall that they became respected. I was also shocked to find out that they receive around 7,000 potential cases each year, and that court decisions were released almost immediately to the press.

My most important takeaway from the video was when one justice said that interpreting the Constitution never gets easier or more clear on how to do so. It makes sense because the Constitution is such an old, intricate, important document and the judges know they must cross reference every aspect of a case to see if it really is constitutional. They decide on cases with the thought of the American people always in mind and I imagine it is very hard to do so despite how long you've been serving on the court.

The most surprising thing I learned was that when it is announced or reported that the court upheld a decision or ordered for something it doesn't mean they've taken any true action. Upholding something could mean not agreeing to take a case based on a prior one-- simply turning a case down the terminology is "upholding". The video did not change much of what I already thought of the Supreme Court. I have always believed it is one of the most honorable positions in our government and I respect their rulings despite backlash from the country. I believe they act with the best interest of the American people. After all, they are American citizens themselves; they do hold high status, but they are equal to me.

Media Sources: Who I Like

In today's time it's difficult to find a reliable news source that gets to the point. Biases are nearly impossible to ignore but allowing yourself an array of options paired with what you deem as fair judgement will leave you informed. Your pursuit of knowledge must be everlasting to stay fully informed. Obviously you can utilize sources you don't deem as reliable 100% of the time, just do personal fact checking to find that same information without the author or outlet's personal opinion. Some sources I use that fall into that category are Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. I also want to highlight One America News and Project Veritas.

Instagram is one of my most frequently used apps. Obviously I use it to post cute pictures of my friends and I, but I way more of the time I'm scrolling through my feed or explore page. One thing about Instagram is that it shows you what you want to see based on what you've showed them you like. More often I go to my explore page to be amused, not to be informed. I enjoy the cooking videos, memes, outfit ideas, and pet friendships. I see some news on there, but not much since I use my explore page to be entertained. Where I do find news is in my feed. Most of my feed is political. I follow accounts of senators, candidates, news stations, as well as ordinary people just sharing their opinions. This is all obviously through a particular lens-- my affiliations, because why would I want to scroll through a bunch of people I disagree with. When tabloids or headlines of news stories pop up, I don't click on them and rather go to my search engine. There I have a wide variety of sources to tell me what happened. I love Instagram as a media source because I can get information quick and share it easily with my friends.

Snapchat is fun for talking to friends, posting events on your story, and videoing what you do in a day for your friends. However, they also have a news section with both private snapchat news segments like Now This, as well as well-known public media like the BBC. They have interesting video segments too, but I mostly look at the ones with actual news. These are fun and interactive, as they play music and affects, and click to each new slide for you.

TikTok is another mostly fun app where news media is still available. TikTok puts Instagram's explore page to shame as the entire app is specialized for you through the use of your data on there and other apps. They personalize ads, videos, and "sounds" that they think you like based on how long or how much you interacted with other videos of that nature. I use TikTok for entertainment but if there is a topic I want to know more about, or a situation everyone is talking about, I can search it up and get hundreds of thousands of hits. There's not much traditional news on TikTok with reporters giving current events-- it's mostly regular people like you and I posting their own media, tutorials, thoughts, or research. I use TikTok mostly for tutorials or explanations of things I don't quite get the first time around. 

One America News is a news network that can be downloaded on the Apple App Store or Google Play for live broadcasting. The easiest way to access their stories is to go to their website, where they have stories and segments on a wide variety of topics with no opinion placed into any of the reporting. OAN was founded because its creators were sick of listening to news with bias from the journalist or their company. While some commentators featured in their stories may display their own personal opinions, the network itself does not. I like them because of this concept, and since it's hard to find news without opinions today.



Lastly, Project Veritas. Many have criticized the reporting method of PV, but I'm a fan. If the truth is hidden, then hide a camera and go find it. They are referred to as a "conservative activist group" by mainstream media who don't support them. Project Veritas is currently only available via their website, or on Telegram through a free subscription to them. They've been banned on virtually all social media platforms, yet what they're doing has led to real change in places they expose wrongdoing. Not being allowed on social media hasn't set them back because people who are subscribed to them share the videos and traction grows. I really like the founder James O'Keefe and the values he has built the network on. They are often challenged in court, and have been raided by the FBI multiple times. This only pushes them further to contuse what they do because they do it for the American people, and don't try to please other media sources or the government.