Instruction
PAPER TOPIC
Since President Trump has taken office, he has been critical of mainstream media, calling it "fake news" and more recently dubbing it the "enemy of the people." This has prompted media outlets and other groups to call the criticism an attack on democracy.
For you paper, argue in support of or against the following topic:
Do you think mainstream media in the United States today supports or undermines American democracy?
As part of your response, you'll want to accomplish the following:
1. Define democracy
2. Examine the role of the free press in a democracy
3. Analyze how effectively the American press (print and broadcast) is fulfilling that role or not in practice rather than theory. This should be the main focus of your paper. Your arguments should be supported by evidence and statistics.
4. If you agree with President Trump, explain what the shortcoming of the free press are and what could be done to help enhance their effectiveness in advancing democracy in America.
If you disagree with President Trump, what is the free press in the U.S. doing right and what should be done to better support the media in advancing democracy in America.
Regardless of your position, you paper should explore counterclaims or the arguments of the other side and provide a justification as to why you think the other sides arguments are not well founded.
FORMATTING
Type your 3-5 page essay using a normal 11- or 12-point font, single spaced. The essay should be saved as a Word document or PDF file.
SUBMISSION
The essay should be submitted via Canvas by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. It should be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or PDF file. The instructor will not be able to open and evaluate files submitted using other formats. Any papers submitted in any other format such as .pages will receive an automatic 0.
Plan ahead for possible computer problems. Kinkos has computers. Starbucks has free wireless.