Roundtable Wrap-Up: RT 14-Tuesday Part 2

Tuesday afternoon’s speakers provided an excellent foundation for our second roundtable discussion. Donald began this session by examining Dr. Zeynep Tufekci’s statement that the era of the autocrat is on its way out. The immediate response of the group was how the statement relates to Kim Jong Il’s dictatorship in North Korea. After deliberating the internet and media’s involvement in North Korea, the discussion turned towards international news as a whole. The group began to mull over an idea brought up by Anna, from Furman University, that our interest in foreign news is ignited by a sensational spark. Anna’s point directly relates to the uprising in Tunisia that has had a domino effect in the Arab World.

Further into the roundtable session, The question of what drives news outlets into foreign countries was brought up and the table concluded that the media understands their role in foreign policy. What the media covers is what the politicians must respond to, which in turn directly effects what policy is implemented and changed. The roundtable session concluded with the delegates agreeing that as consumers of the “fourth estate”, we can not become complacent if the news that is being reported in way that we do not see fit. Tomorrow morning’s discussion will center around the effects of social media on our generation.