EOTO Reaction 2

False information is a very prominent issue in today's society, and there is a multitude of ways to spread it and to receive it. Whether it is propaganda, disinformation, or fake news, people are expose to false information every day. 

This is done through a lot of ways. One of the presenters talked about the idea of an echo chamber. But what
is an echo chamber? According to GCFGlobal, an echo chamber is "an environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own". A majority of people are involved in an echo chamber, whether they are aware or not.

Getting news through just CNN or just Fox News, is an echo chamber within itself. It is only exposing you to biased, one sided information, blocking the opinions of those who disagree with you. The presenter talked about how echo chambers can affect one's way of getting information and this is a very valid statement. If you are only following a certain dynamic of news, you may be left in the dark from some aspects of the truth.

Another presentation that I found interesting was the idea of muckraking. Throughout the different communication classes that I have taken this year, I have learned a lot about muckraking and how it affects the news and the truth. The google search definition of a muckraker is someone who performs "the action of searching out and publicizing scandalous information about famous people in an underhanded way". 

There are so many popular muckrakers who have changed the landscape of American government. Government officials fear muckrakers, as their top secret information could be revealed. The presented did a great job at discussing how muckrakers effect the way that we get out information, but they pay a different role than things such as echo chambers.

Rather than limiting the information we get, muckrakers try to give the truth, no matter the political party or
affiliation. Muckrakers tried to avoid bias, whereas echo chambers promote it. There are so many different outlets to receiving the truth, but it is up to the person looking whether they will fall into the trap of things such as echo chambers.