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A graphic of a local newspaper, showing what once was a popular delivery of local media. Source: Medium By Amanda Brown  JRN 100 Staff Reporter      EASTON—For former journalist Susan Pawlak-Seaman, the disappearance of independent local new sources is alarming.   “You’re losing that basic line defense,” said Pawlak-Seaman, a retired journalist who worked for The Standard-Times in New Bedford, Mass. for 45 years.    During Pawlak-Seaman’s time as a journalist, she’s seen local newsrooms shrink, becoming more regional news, with local news being so important to communities.   She is not alone in her concern. A recent study found that in the last 15 years, one in five newspapers have folded or become more regional, leaving communities without news. This situation is otherwise called a news desert.    “The Expanding News Deserts,”  a study published by the University of North Carolina Center for Innovation and Sustainability ...

                                               President Biden bows his head to pray at a Catholic Mass By Michael Finneran JRN100 Staff Writer Nearly 70 percent of American Catholics said President Biden should be allowed to receive Communion, but a majority of Republican Catholics said he should be denied this rite, according to a 2021 study. According to the Pew Research Center, among U.S. Catholic adults overall, 67% say Biden should be allowed to receive Communion during Mass, while 29% say the country’s second Catholic President should not be allowed to do this. When Democrats were polled exclusively, 87% said he should be allowed Communion. When Republicans were polled exclusively 55% said he should not be allowed to receive Communion. Americans were also polled on whether Catholic politicians should receive communion if they are in s...

  Depression & Social Media By Jay Ghiorse JRN100 Staff Reporter In May 2015, Shawna Lynch noticed that her son James’s mood had changed, and he seemed to be frustrated and tense all the time. She tried to talk to James, but the 15-year-old spent all his time in his room and refused to talk to anybody. Later that month, James made an attempt on his own life. According to a recent study by Child Mind Institute , 66% of teenagers who spend a large amount of time on social media say they suffer from depression. Thirteen percent of teenagers who do not use social media say they suffer from depression. It turned out he was being harassed on social media and was suffering from a deep depression. After his failed suicide attempt, he reached out for help. With the loving support of his family and the advice of his therapist, he recovered. James is one of an increasing number of teenagers who are finding that social media is causing harm to their mental health. According t...

                 Media and Politics, a Concerning Trend By Evan Amelchenko Source: Pew Research Center. JRN-100 Staff Writer According to a study by Pew Research Center Americans are increasingly divided in terms of trust in media, and political party membership.   According to a study done by the Pew Research Center done in 2021, 83% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 70% of Republicans trusted national news organizations in 2016. That trust dropped by 2021 with 78% of Democrats, 58% of Independents, and 35% of Republicans saying they trust national news organizations.   The survey  conducted asked 10,606 American adults a series of three questions where they had to answer if they trusted, or distrusted the national news media, local news media, and social media, and to what extent. In 2016 information for social media was gathered by looking at internet-using adults . Compared to national news media, local media i...

Trauma in Journalism   By Aidan McDowell   JRN100 Staff Writer     For years, trauma has been widely ignored in the field of journalism, but   Professor Ola Ogunyemi and his colleagues are working to change that. They have formed the Journalism Education and Trauma Research Group , a group dedicated to raising awareness about trauma in journalism. Alongside other journalists, psychologists, and educators, they are working to understand the problem a nd prov ide programs a nd assista nce .   “A lot of research has been done in the past 20 years about trauma, PTSD, and mental health. The problem, however, lies in that journalists and journalism educators have been widely excluded from this research,” said Ogunyemi , the 60-year-old head of the European based branch of the Journalism Education and Trauma Research Group.   Ogunyemi said he became aware of trauma in journalism two decades ago when he was interviewing journalists in the field . He ...