IA Events January/February

Event 1:

For my first event in the month of January/February for International Affairs Scholars, I attended the meeting called “U.S. International media in the Era of Disinformation”.  In this event, we had three main guest speakers that went in depth on the differences in media amongst different nations in the world, as well as current events analysis from the media standpoint.  Beginning the conversation talking about what the media in the United States provides and does not provide, Jeffrey Trimble mentioned that the media isn’t necessarily obligated by a contract to gives us the most accurate, unbiased source of information.  Instead, it is supposed to bring people together to spread the knowledge of democracy to the consumers of said news.  Trimble also pointed to the fact that Russia is pushing the narrative that the United States is descending into Civil War as we speak, and obviously the United States has not been the best over the past couple of weeks, but we are not going that far.  From this event, I was able to gain insight into different aspects of the national media, how the government uses discretionary money to invest in the media.  I also learned that the media is so controversial nowadays because of the numerous skews present in our daily news.

 

Event 2:

For my second event for the month of January/February, I attended “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: Continuing the Legacy”, an intriguing seminar that provided a new but welcomed perspective on the life of Dr. King, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.  First, we learned about what the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is and its role at The Ohio State University.  The Office of Diversity and Inclusion specifically helps anyone that may not be universally accepted in today’s society: LGBTQ community, minorities, and other underrepresented groups in today’s society.  The Office of Diversity and Inclusion originated from the systemic racism that is prevalent in today’s society, and this office wanted to allow for a safe space at predominantly white institutions, making these ostracized groups feel at home.  In addition, Doctor James Luther Moore provided a phenomenal quote that stood out to me during the webinar, a quote from a student of color at Ohio State in 1970.  The quote referenced that this person was more surprised that there was a black president at Ohio State than he was when President Obama was elected.  This program was one that I enjoyed, mainly because the speakers were really engaging and likeable people.

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