Hot Spots in Public Broadcasting

• The End of Culturally Diverse Public Broadcasting- With the Trump Administration’s federal budget cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the National Endowment for the Arts, several public broadcasting stations like radio stations could lose their major source of funding. One of the groups affected by these budget cuts are Native American communities; if these communities no longer receive the funding necessary to operate their public broadcasting systems, they would be unable to provide diverse cultural programming, including broadcast tribal meetings. (“Native American Public Broadcasting Will Not Survivewithout Federal Funding” )

• A New Beginning for Politically Diverse Broadcasting- Public broadcasting systems are no longer federally required to air contrasting political views since the end of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, which stated that all federally funded broadcasting stations must balance their viewpoints. The blame for the demise of this law is focused on “anti-regulation republicans” who dominate the airwaves. Others argue that dominant viewpoints in broadcast media depend on the current dominant political party in the United States. (“Broadcasters Should Be Required to Air a Variety of Opposing Views”)

• Parental Regulation vs. Federal Regulation- Unlike the previous two viewpoints, this shifts the power of broadcasting to those who receive it. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a report on violent television programs and its effects on children. It was concluded that children should limit the amount of violent programming they receive. Partisans of the FCC suggested that government mandates should be in place to regulate violent media, but others strongly encouraged that regulation shouldn’t come from the government but was the responsibility of the parents with small children and their access to violent media. (“Parents Should Regulate Their Children’s Exposure to Violence on Television” )

The BYU Broadcasting Building in Provo, Utah

I have worked at BYU Broadcasting as a Broadcast Technician in the Network Operations Center (known among other BYUB people as "Master Control" or "The TV People") for a year and half. It has given me a greater appreciation for the intricacies of broadcasting. However, BYU Broadcasting is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is funded by private donors; it receives no federal funding and therefore is not "public" broadcasting. So when the government cuts federal funding for public broadcasting, i.e. media that only exists through government financial aid, several important outlets are affected negatively, such as minority groups like Native Americans who use their public broadcasting systems for much more than entertainment. I can't imagine being at the will of the government to handle such important cultural aspects of public broadcasting and I would like to explore this issue further. 

Image Credit:  BYUTV.org 

Social Contract of the New World

The writings of Locke were highly influential in the creation of the current government that exists in the United States today. The social contract is a concept that had been breached by degrees in the past, however, it was usually only under extreme pressure that power or liberty is ceded to another.

One of the earliest examples that I find is the Magna Carta. in 1215 King John was forced to sign a document giving certain rights to some of his rebellious nobles. In the past, kings were all-powerful within their realm. Because of abuses, the rich barons rose up and overpowered the king, forcing him to sign over certain rights to religion, freedom, and power that had not existed in the past.

A more modern example is the social contract that exists within most governments today. The declaration of Independence used by the United States to formally secede from the British Commonwealth was written by Thomas Jefferson. This document was strongly influenced by writers such as John Locke.

At the time the Declaration was written, the "United Colonies" were in no position to bargain with the British. However, the Declaration and later the Constitution combined would eventually make up a document that is not too different in content from the Magna Carta. It would define specific liberties that the government or "king" could never take away. In exchange for these rights, the common people promise to follow the law, pay taxes, etc. otherwise these liberties would be revoked. This was the contract between the government and the governed that would directly affect how we interact with governmental institutions today.

Image credit: by WikiImages: Declaration of Independence, Pixaby licensed under CC by 2.0

Everybody Wants to Rule the World

It's 1453 CE; the Portuguese have already discovered several islands and are exploring routes along the African coast when the Ottoman Empire gains control of Constantinople. Soon after, the major European trade routes are blocked, causing the trade via North Africa and the Red Sea to diminish significantly. In desperation, Europe looks outward. Instead of focusing on land-based trade routes, they start to explore other options to carry out their trade. This exploration was one of the main factors that started the Age of Discovery.

The Age of Discovery

Over the following two centuries, Europe expanded its influence around the world. What started out as a search for new trade routes soon became a search for new worlds. They discovered that the earth was much larger that what they had previously believed, and the discovery of new places and people caused them to send more and more ships out across the oceans. Jonas Bush observes in, "Exploring Our Lives," that "they [the explorers] had a burning drive to discover new things and bring themselves glory, wealth, and success."

Previously, exploration by ship generally took place near coastlines, never venturing into the unknown. But this changed when Christopher Columbus set out to find a western route to India, leading him to discover the Bahamas instead.

After it was revealed that there were new worlds, more rulers began to send voyagers to discover and claim these lands for themselves. Portugal claimed Brazil; Spain conquered Mexico, Chile, and Argentina; and England eventually established a colony in the United States.

America

Now while all these voyages and discoveries had good and bad about them, it was crucial that they happen for us to be able to live in these countries today. Discovering new worlds opened up countless doors that have led the way to new developments and discoveries over the centuries. And while all the worlds that were discovered were important, I think that the discovery of the United States was an irreplaceable event.