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As a journalism major, it is a strange time to be entering into the media world. The public has grown less and less trustful of the media. If you listen to current president, Donald Trump and his supporters you would think that the media is evil and his enemy. So, what has actually happened to the media and why is the public trust in media at an all time low? According to Gallup polling, “only 32 % has a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media. This is down eight percent from last year.” A major factor in the rapid decline of the trust in media is due to the prior presidential election. Trump and his supporters completely turned on the media as they believed that he was unfairly treated by the media. The fact that Donald Trump coined the term “fake news” and publicly spoke out against the media only hurt the media’s reputation. The trust in media amongst Republicans has significantly decreased thanks to president Trump and his campaign. With all that being said, what can journalists do to earn back the trust of the public? I think that journalists have to go back to the basics. You’re seeing a lot of articles and posts out there quickly after an event, but a lot of times there is information missing or it is completely inaccurate. Journalists should focus on getting all the information correct and posting that, instead of being the first one to report a story with missing details. For example: Kobe Bryant’s death, it was first reported that all his daughters were on the helicopter with him and then there was a lot of confusion until it was finally reported that it was Just Kobe and his daughter Gianna. If the media could just get the stories right rather than jumping to report a story without all the information, then maybe the public will begin to gain the media’s trust back.

On Monday, Bill Carey came to Hofstra and spoke to my digital storytelling class. Bill Carey spoke to my class about his personal experiences. Carey gave us a lot of advice and tips to use now and in the future. The first thing that he stressed is writing. Carey said that “Writing is very important. Always work on your writing.” He also told us that “Good writing comes from strong verbs. Do not just throw out adverbs and adjectives for the sake of it.” He even showed us an example of good vs. bad writing in the show, “The West Wing.” In the example that we saw, Scott Take wrote very unique and used the word live twice. Sam comes in and tells a much better story. After watching that clip, Carey emphasized being a storyteller. Later on, he talked about our interests and future professions. Carey suggests that you “ always think about what you are going to study whether it’s music, tv, or sports, even when you are home.” 1)Know your material. 2) Emotion/ connect. 3) Storytelling fundamentals (color, geometric shape, and motion design) All of this is so helpful to me as a freshman college student and an aspiring journalist. I will definitely start using these tips in the future. I have always enjoyed writing and am willing to do whatever it takes to get better. Being able to talk to someone who has had a successful career inspired me. With a lot of hard work and dedication, anyone can make it in this field. I appreciate Bill Carey for taking time out of his day to speak to my class. This was a great experience and one that I will never forget!