The news brings important stories to us each and every day. Sometimes these stories are simply entertaining and sometimes they affect every aspect of the world in which we live. On the Frostburg State University we have several outlets from which we can receive our news: newspapers, television, blogs, and much more. So that brings us to one crucial question about our campus… What news stories most interest FSU students?
When five students were asked, “What current or recent news story most interests you and why?” there were drastically different responses. Kristin Bayha, a sophomore Psychology major from Carroll County, Maryland, said “Definitely gay marriage passing in the Senate. It is such a big step towards equality!” On the opposite end of the news spectrum, Eddie Janeski, a freshman with an undecided major from Annapolis, Maryland answered, “Peyton Manning becoming a free agent is really interesting to me. Well, because I’m a football player.” as he stood proudly wearing his FSU football sweatshirt. Alex Peters, a sophomore English major from Lusby, Maryland finds her most important news at the local level. She said, “The influenza scare in Calvert County is really important to me right now because that is where I live.” However, Shayna Kramer, a junior communication studies major from Bowie, Maryland takes a worldwide approach to the crucial issues. She stated, “The story about Joseph Kony is interesting to me because I hate what is going on in Uganda. It is important that we try to do something to stop it.” Finally, Jessie Baker, a senior professional writing major from Frederick, Maryland gave the most common initial answer to the question, “Pretty much whatever I see on Facebook.”
After being asked what is most interesting to them, these five students were also asked, “What under-reported news story do you think deserves more attention?” Three out of five of the students interviewed had basically the same response. Peters, Janeski, and Kramer all said that they were unable to answer the question because they don’t really pay attention to the news, besides the well-publicized stories, which they see on Facebook. However, the two other students provided very fascinating responses. Bayha tied her answer in with her statement about gay marriage being passed in the Senate. She expressed, “I don’t necessarily think that the story of it being passed in the Senate needs more attention. I just think that both sides need to get more attention and that [gay marriage] needs to be more widely accepted.” Also, Baker provided a reply following what he said about getting all of his news off of Facebook. He declared, “All that shit that is going on with Koby or Kony or whatever in Uganda. One moment it’s real and we all need to pay attention. The next moment he’s a fraud and we hate him. What is going on?”
All in all, there are several important conclusions that we may find ourselves at after analyzing these student responses. First of all, has this generation cut themselves off from the news going on all around us every day? Can Facebook really be counted as a reliable primary source for what is going on in the world? These questions could be of great concern to us as students and as a generation. The important thing to focus on here is the diversity of subjects which FSU students find impacting and interesting. Everything from sports to civil rights were covered by the five interviewees. With such an assorted student body, the variety of issues and concerns is always an enlightening experience.
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