The Freedom of Information Act was created in 1966 and signed by Lyndon B. Johnson. It is a "law that gives you the right to access information on federal government. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government". A lot of people and companies would like to keep their documents hidden from view and will fight to keep them from the public eye. ExxonMobile is currently dealing with people trying to view their documents.
"ExxonMobile is fighting a subpoena seeking its internal documents on climate change, arguing that the order violates the company's constitutional rights". Claude Walker, a U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General, set this investigation in motion. He believes that ExxonMobile may have ill informed or mislead the public on climate change and climate science. The "subpoena accusses Exxon of defrauding the government and consumers, and 'misrepresenting its knowlege of the likelihood that its products and activities have contributed and are contributing to climate change'". ExxonMobile is saying that Walker trying to view their documents is something purely politically motivated and that his attempt is a violation of their rights.
The Freedom of Information Act is put in place so that the citizens of the U.S. can be informed, especially when it comes to things regarding their pwn safety. The fact that ExxonMobile is fighting to withhold information they have regarding climate change is a little concerning. This begs the question of how accurate is the information big companies and the government is telling us? We should be concerned, we should seek answers, we should be informed.
Articles Cited:
(http://www.foia.gov/)
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/exxon-first-amendment_us_571662c6e4b0060ccda46d63)
College seems to be another world in its own. "For college students, a university creates a bubble-like environment we believe to be unique". However unique each university is, they share a lot of the same problems, one being the current state of college media. "College media outlets are in turmoil". They have lost much of their revenue and are falling behind in this new technological era. With the current college generation being quick to address problems, something is being done to bring college media back.
"College media innovators gathered for a national Future of Student Media Summit in Schoonover Center at Ohio University". This event was even funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, "the worlds premier funder of of journalism initiatives". The "aim of the first-of-its-kind event is simple - brainstorm practical solutions to revenue and audience engagement challenges for college media". The Post, who attended this convention, believes that them coming together with the college media community will "address collective challenges and better position [their] organizations for success".
Since cell phones are a "predominant news source for college students, college media is poised to lead the way in developing new ways to connect with [their] audience". Times are changing. Technology is seeming to rule our lives. Having students that have grown up with the advancement of technology and have first hand experience on how dependent the college aged generation is, it leaves reason to see promise in them finding new innovative ways to bring back popularity and revenue to college media outlets. In the future, we may see college media being done in ways never seen or done before.
Articles Cited:
(http://www.thepostathens.com/opinion/future-of-student-media-summit-aims-to-identify-and-fix/article_bd4e9712-fb67-11e5-9c45-036330423faa.html)
Non-Profit investigative journalism sites are at risk. " Journalism ethicist Edward Wasserman notably commented several years ago that asking for money every now and then to keep afloat isn't a 'real business model'". With the current financial state of the non-profit investigative journalism site, there was a panel put together to discuss how to keep these non-profit sites running and why it is important that they find a way to do so.
"Is philanthropy the answer to paying for non-profit investigative journalism"? This is a question that the panel was asking. "ProPublica's general manager, Richard Tofel, recently stated that 'philanthropy is how these non-profits are sustained'". ProPublica is also the first non-profit to win a Pulitzer Prize, giving their general manager much more credibility. The big discussion about non-profit journalism's ability to sustain themselves was "brought up at a workshop at the Reva and David Logan Investigative Reporting Symposium". There was a panel that included representatives from the Center for Investigative Reporting, Frontline, and the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, along with others. The panel discussed how to fund non-profit investigative journalism. "The oldest non-profit investigative news organization", the Center for Investigative Reporting, explained how the center is "charging for... content to help cover their expenses". Another non-profit that spoke within the panel was ProPublica. They described how they use a "combination of fundraising, sponsorship's, and other ways" to stay in business. Some organizations even give money to these non-profit groups, such as the Ford Foundation. The Ford Foundation is noted for giving "significant grants to journalism ventures" that have "big influence and impact". Non-profit investigative journalism is struggling, but they are finding ways to make it work.
Investigative journalism can be powerful, but for non-profits, keeping afloat is proving to be a struggle. Whether you have companies like the Ford Foundation to donate money or have multiple fundraisers and sponsorship's, money is tight in the non-profit community and something more needs to be done. While they are in the clear for now, it is possible that non-profit investigative journalism could be a thing of the past, and that would truly be a tragedy.
Articles Cited:
(http://www.imediaethics.org/panel-discusses-how-to-keep-nonprofit-investigative-journalism-sites-in-business/)
The Freedom of Information Act was created in 1966 and signed by Lyndon B. Johnson. It is a "law that gives you the right to access information on federal government. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government". A lot of people and companies would like to keep their documents hidden from view and will fight to keep them from the public eye. ExxonMobile is currently dealing with people trying to view their documents. 
