 Are you ready, Travis? I am ready. Yeah. All right, you are up in five, four, three, two. Hello, everyone, and welcome. Today, I'm here with the town meeting TV interns. My name's Travis Washington, and we're going to be talking about the impact that news has, especially in this fast-driven social age that we have, and the impact it has on the youth here in our city, and also, hopefully, in society at large. So my first question, I just kind of want to do some check-ins with y'all to see how you're doing and how has the news impacted you so far recently in your lives? Let's start with you. Yeah. So for me, recently, news has kind of been, like, depressing, really, for lack of a better term. A lot of, like, the politics going on in Washington, DC, and just all over the country with all the mass shootings have kind of been had, like, a negative impact on me. So lately, like, for my mental health and for other reasons, also just, like, time, I've been kind of trying to stay away from it a little bit more, but still, like, stay informed at the same time. Yeah, I would say kind of scary. I mean, kind of scared not just for, like, students or just, like, for kind of, like, everybody. It seems to be happening everywhere. That's what I would say. Yeah, I'm feeling pretty desensitized. For me, it's just seeing the same things over and over and just the fact that I'm expecting dread and the news is really sad. But as I've gained experience at media outlets here in Vermont, just knowing where to find my news and making sure that I gather information from a variety of sources has been a really big piece of this to me. How do you often, how do you often find your news? Like, Ashley, like, how do you often see, like, where do you most encounter, like, new news or even, like, opinion pieces? Like, how do you find that? Like, how do you find something that you wanna read and are interested in? So for a long time, it was a lot of TV news, but then over time, I started realizing that I didn't really see myself reflected in those stories. And so as I've gained experience in digital publications, kind of just realizing that there are a lot of written stories out there and opinion pieces that can really shape my perspective on the world. So I do a lot of reading. I will watch things from time to time, but I've definitely shifted from short news pieces that are admitted in 30 seconds that can't really tell the whole story to more longer form pieces of storytelling. So if you were going, you were finding a story that you were interested in, would you go, like, how would you hear about that story? Would it be from TV news? Would it be on social media? Would it be word of mouth? Like, how do you often just hear about new stories that you see or do you go out searching for it? Sometimes I'll go out searching for it, but a lot of it is word of mouth and social media. If I see something, I don't immediately trust it from social media. I definitely do my dirty work to find out if it's true or not, but I don't really watch TV news as regularly as I used to. Awesome. Jeremy? I would say social media for sure. I don't watch TV news at all, but when I find something that somebody may be reposting or something, then I'll go on to a website and kind of dig deep into that. And you? Yeah, I've had a pretty similar experience. Usually social media is the first way I find out about something, but then I also really like journalism and paper and news publications. So if I want to kind of dive deeper into a topic and learn more about it, that's usually a good outlet for me is to read online about it. So when you see really big news stories that have a wide impact on a whole bunch of different aspects of our society, how do you normally handle that? And also how does that make you, like what is your initial feeling when you first see that headline or read that news piece or hear it from a friend? What is your initial feeling? And then like how do you normally go to resolve that feeling or what are your steps after you hear that? Jeremy? I would say it's depending on whatever the headline is. Like if it's something completely messed up, I would kind of be depressing a little bit. And you just, and so when you see something like that, you go on to see what other people have to say about it and try to figure out like sort of like who's right, who's wrong, stuff like that. That's usually what I do and kind of just like based on what I'm feeling on that. Do you normally find that there's a right and wrong side to most of the things or do you normally find that it gets a lot more complicated? It definitely gets more complicated for sure, for sure. I don't know, everybody got their thing, so like I can't say who's like right or wrong, but like everybody is just, I'm not gonna show honestly. Ashley? I guess for me it's first finding out the hard facts, so who, what, when, where, why and how. And I've always trained myself to ask who am I going to hear from in a story, making sure that we get that range of perspectives, whether it be with gender identity, sexual identity, race, ethnicity, et cetera, because I think it's really important that as media consumers that we hear from perspectives that are different from ourselves. And as someone who's written a lot of stories over time, it's really been my mission to make sure that we hear from those perspectives because sometimes stories will appear differently. If you're hearing from only one demographic of people versus a story that has that array of perspectives, they're two different stories. They may have those same hard facts, but the story in essence is different. And as someone who hasn't really seen myself reflected in media, often times, I'd say that's a big priority for me. Yeah, just piggybacking off of that. One of the things I pay attention to when I'm consuming media is the point of view. So maybe if somebody has an agenda based off, yeah, like the things you mentioned, gender, sexuality, but then there's also the socioeconomic status and if they are trying to benefit from a story or change a piece of legislation because of what they're saying, I'm very in tune with that and in tune with what that person is trying to say and why. How do you normally go about discovering that kind of info about an article? What is your process on, or a new source? Like what is your process? If you could break that down, I know. Yeah, well, it can be a lot of different things, but one of the most important is just learning who the author is because from that you can kind of tell their background and the experiences they've had and you can try to decide how their experiences and their background impact their view on the story. And then from a larger media source, think about where their funding comes from, if they're supported by any of the big organizations they're reporting on, that can be helpful. Awesome. Would any of you ever say that reading a headline or hearing about something that happened has ever had an impact on your day-to-day life? If so, how? If not, why do you think that? Let's start back with Dio. I mean, yeah, definitely. Like I mentioned previously, can have kind of like a negative mental health impact on me. So one of the things I try to do when I'm just like looking at news, looking at media, consuming it is have that kind of distance between what I'm looking at but then also like my personal life. So being able to put down my phone or turn off the TV so I can kind of enjoy time with my family. Actually. I guess the headline that resonated with me, honestly, a lot of them were headlines that I have written. Sometimes I just develop really close connections with my stories, which isn't always a great thing when you're reporting on a lot of sad events but one of them was actually for my college publication when a professor dropped a racial slur in class. It happened twice. One of them was in one of the classes that I had taken. And just having to write that headline, it definitely made me pretty sad the fact that we're still experiencing that to this day. And I definitely took a lot of heat from that story, unfortunately, but that is to be expected when you write about things of this topic. That's just the reality for us. Jeremy? Like I said before, for me it sort of depends on what I'm reading. Like if it's something like usually things that happen like locally near where I live and like maybe there's like a death or something that would like kind of get me scared or depressed or something like that. Do you ever feel as if media and specifically news media drives that panic in your lives? Or do you feel like you are aware of it happening and you're just taking it in and trying to understand where to move next? Or do you think news media consistently puts those headlines in front of you so that you can or so that you all constantly have something to care about and something to worry about? Let's start with Jeremy. I would, I think drive because most of the things that happen, like I don't really know about them and to like I see them online and I'm like, holy shit, this happened. Like I know that place and stuff. Yeah. It goes from there, yeah. Ashley? Yeah, I guess for me in the past it's definitely driven a lot of fear but as I've gained experience in the media industry kind of can differentiate what's a tabloid headline versus what's the real story and just knowing what goes on behind the scenes. Even though storytelling is hard there are a lot of bad things in the world. Definitely just gaining experience in the field has helped me to steer away from a lot of that fear. Yeah, I think at times with all the negativity in the news it can be a little bit overwhelming. So just trying to balance like learning about the things that I personally care about and staying informed while not letting it have like too much of a negative impact for me is important. And one thing I've noticed especially working here this summer at CCTV is that a lot of the local news can actually make me feel better because you can see the changes that you wanna see in your community and you can see how your city or your town or your county is trying to improve the lives of their citizens. And so that's a good reminder that there are like good people out there working to make a change for the better. Would you all say that you consume more national, international, local news? And if so, which one has like the biggest impact on how you're feeling or like how you approach situations in your life? Let's start with Ashley. So definitely national news but I love to explore how that affects people on a local level. So if we're talking about Roe v. Wade for example it's a really big topic nationwide but how is that affecting people locally? For example, we did the rally in Burlington recently and I just really prioritize localizing news and that's something that has always been drilled into my mind when I was at BT Digger even at the college publication. It's why should people in your community care about this topic? What's going to differentiate your storytelling versus the NBC News, CBS, ABC News, et cetera. And also, how can people in your community relate to that? Why should they relate to that? Yeah. Yeah, for me I definitely focus on news that more of a national scale because I feel like that just has the most impact on the people I care about. So if it's a national story, if the new legislation or policy was passed in DC I know that's gonna have an impact on like all my family members and all my friends around the country. Do you wanna add anything else to your name? No. Alrighty. So when you do look at local news, do you ever feel like you, like Theo was mentioning that they feel a little bit better after looking at local news because they see the impact that at a local level how they're trying to change their community and address situations in their community. Do you ever feel when you look at local news that that specifically or something, the opposite as in like it makes you feel like even more worried about your community than before or so on and so forth? Share me? Yeah, I mean, like they said, mass shooting that happened in Texas a while ago. Like when I saw that I was like, yeah, that would never happen to Vermont. Or like anything like that would never happen, like sort of like near where I live. So I wasn't too worried about that. But then like, not too long ago, I saw some headline like, not like on a school shooting level, but like something that happened locally was like some sort of shooting then that kind of gets you, you know, like, like that happened in Texas. Like that would never be here. But like then that sort of stuff still happening here. And I was like, it gets you more worried and stuff. Let's ask that to Pierre. Yeah, I'd say like I mentioned earlier, local news has more of a positive impact on me. And one example that comes to mind is the new pedestrian bridge they're trying to build over I-89. And they have a $15 million of funding for that. And even though like the route they want to take was kind of unpopular with some of the citizens of Burlington and South Burlington, it's cool to see that kind of funding being used for a project that is going to have a really positive impact on people and help make the city of Burlington more walkable and bikeable. Actually. I guess for me, and this is the case for many people, consuming national news can cause us to have a sense of detachment from what's happening. Just like what you were saying with mass shootings, it's the mentality of, oh, well, that was in Texas. That's not going to happen over here. Which is why it always stressed the importance of localizing your news. Because sometimes we have a tendency to think, oh, that was far away. That's not going to happen to us. But sometimes it is happening in your areas. I think about everything with BLM and the uprisings. And last summer, I wrote a story about someone locally who was racially discriminated by the police. And sometimes when we're reading the big headlines, especially in 2020, we're thinking, oh, well, that happened far away. But no, in reality, it is happening in our communities. And people really need to see that. So what are the top three biggest topics you often see when you're consuming news media? And do you also think those three topics that you're endated with all the time, do you think that also corresponds with the three topics that you care most about or causes or news topics that you care most about personally in your life? If so, if not, let me know. Let's start with Theo. Yeah, I don't know if I have a list of three big events. But the two that come to my mind are just kind of like whatever the new Supreme Court rulings are, obviously with the 6-3 majority, conservative majority. And then recently, maybe over the last 10 years, there's been mass shootings. And for me, I do care deeply about both of those topics. But they haven't maybe had a personal effect on me. So I feel like change does need to come from that news reporting. But another thing with mass shootings is kind of balancing how the news media should cover them. So one thing that they've seen is that when there's more media coverage of the mass shooters instead of the victims, it kind of inspires the next person to do the same thing. And that can be pretty dangerous. Ashley. I guess my top three topics, I love features and profiles. I think those are just such important local stories. And unfortunately, people don't always prioritize them because they want the big headline, oh, this really bad thing happened. This needs to be our cover story. But what about the local farmer who just did this really awesome thing, or this new person who joined the community, or this new business that just opened? People don't really value those stories, but I do. So I definitely make an effort to seek those stories. And then obviously, hard news. So XYZ just happened over here. There was mass shooting here. Supreme Court ruled XYZ. My hard news got to stay informed with the who, what, when, where. And news analysis, too, I think could be pretty interesting. Do you ever feel that news media isn't focusing enough attention on other topics you care about, besides just feature stories? Or do you also just feel like this is just also so important that it is important that we focus on it for now? But I would like to get back to something, or I would like to see something else that isn't surrounded around mass shootings, Supreme Court rulings, et cetera, et cetera. I guess the celebration of culture is one thing for me. I was speaking to someone in the media field recently, and he was talking about how whenever topics of race are covered in the media, it's often negative. But you don't see a lot of those profile stories, those features, those celebrations of different identities. And it can definitely skew the way that people view us. So that is something that I wish I could see more in the media, definitely covering the realities of what happens in our community, not sugarcoating it. But there are also some really great things that people are overlooking. Jermaine, do you feel that the topics that the media tends to cover align with the topics that you most care about? I feel like what the big media covers is sort of like what? Everybody should be reading. It sort of affects everybody like each day or whatever. So that gets the big attention, but obviously things that happen locally, not many people are going to read about it, because it's just the people around that area. So I guess it is what it is, sort of. If you were to do a local news feature story on a topic, any topic, how would you approach this subject? And what would it be on? Let's start with Ashley. I guess this is the perfect timing for you to ask this, because I'm already in the process of planning a studio interview. So a few months ago, I worked on a short documentary about representation in Vermont newsrooms, because often, as journalists, we're behind the screens, behind the cameras, but we're not really in front of it sharing our own stories, but we'll share other people's stories. So I gave a platform to journalists of color, including myself. I was in the story just talking about our experiences. And looking back on it, the conversation will never be over, but there's definitely an opportunity to just have more thought-provoking conversations as a group. So that is something that is in the works. And I think it's important that people hear from journalists, period, because sometimes we'll detach ourselves from the stories. But in reality, just how stories are affecting media consumers, we are also media consumers, too. But it's also affecting the people who are writing the stories. So I definitely want to have some conversations about that. Share, May? You want to say that again? If you were to create a feature story, how would you approach the topic, and what would you cover in the topic, or in the story? I haven't really thought about that, so I'm not sure. But no, I'm not really sure about that. No topics interest you, or? Some local topics, some cool things have been around in the area, so that would be cool. Like, yeah, you recently did a piece on Juneteenth and that kind of stuff, and would you want to see more of that in these media? Like, Ashley was saying, like, celebrations and stuff. For sure, yeah. That would be great. Some local things, just Juneteenth and stuff like that. That would be great. I'd love to do that, yeah. Deal? OK, if I could do one piece, I would do it about what the city, and the stage, more generally, is doing to improve cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. Because I feel like one big problem with American cities is that they're very car-centric, which makes the lives of their citizens a lot worse. So if you can't afford a car, it's pretty much impossible to get around. And then also, being dependent on a car is unhealthy, because it doesn't give you that ability or access to go on walks. So I would want to talk to as many city counselors and, like, Vermont state legislative members about what they're doing to advance this topic, and then also try to get a sense from community members in Burlington about what their thoughts on this are, and if they would like to see a change in that direction. That's awesome. So oftentimes, when you see a topic that is, that doesn't impact you, but it impacts people that you're close with, I guess what I'm saying is how do you often share the news media that you have consumed? Like, do you break it down gently, or do you just link people what you're saying? Like, how do you normally create that social bubble around the news? D'ya? Yeah, for me, just kind of talking with friends and family has been helpful to process events in the news and talking with, like, adults that I look up to and that have, like, more knowledge and expertise in the field of area I'm reading about has been nice. Yeah, asking people that know about the topic, for sure. Like, if there's something in the news that you don't quite understand, I usually would ask somebody that might understand that better and be like, hey, did you see this? What's up with that and stuff? What's your, like, what's your template for going through and seeing, like, finding people who to ask about that? Do you normally just go, you too, Theo, do you normally just go and find someone who you know is knowledgeable on the topic, or do you ask around to find someone who's knowledgeable on the topic, or you start the conversation there? Somebody who's usually knowledgeable on the topic. So, like, if it would be a topic about school and I would ask somebody around in my school, you know, or like a teacher or something. And if it's something about something else, I would ask somebody that, I think, knows most about that topic, depending on where they are. Ashley. I guess it could be tempting to just link share, especially to avoid that discomfort, especially if a story affects a close friend or someone and you may not directly identify with. It might be easy to just link share, but I think conversation is really, really important. And just having that dialogue. And yeah, so I'll read a story, maybe break it down to a friend. Like, oh, yeah, I read in The New York Times about XYZ and kind of break it down and just have some constructive dialogue about it. All right, anything else any of you want to add before we wrap up is kind of what your thoughts are to encapsulate them. Conclude for us. Yeah, I'd say just like for me, social media is a really important part of how I consume media, because it's usually that first way I found out about a topic. And I think that's like a lot different from other generations because they didn't have that like instant exposure to events going on. Like, if there's a mass shooting, probably like we would know about it like 15 minutes later. And that can be tough on us. Jeremy. That's something that we agreed on earlier, that social media is like it's sort of what we're all on. It's kind of common, you know. And that's where we go on to like really on the news and stuff. So yeah. I guess it's understanding that features and profiles are not throwaway stories. For a while, it's been drilled into my mind that, oh, that feature is a throwaway story. It's not a big headline. But there is value and meaning behind it, because there are people behind that story. So definitely just keeping that as a constant reminder has been really important for me. All righty. Thank you all. And thanks for watching. This has been a show with the interns just to get their perspectives on media. Thank you. Oh, what a whore. Sweet. Thank you, y'all.