From self-doubt to self-confidence

At the beginning, I chose the course because I wanted to get a deeper insight in the news media. However, I did not know what exactly would be ahead and what the course was going to include. So being in class for the first time, it gave me shivers when I heard that we were supposed to write blog entries and publish these! Not the kind of publishing we were used to… On a platform were only people from your course had access to… No, we were about to publish everything on the internet on this site and everyone could see it! This “responsibility” seemed to be a lot to take in at first. But then I started to think critically about media and the news that I consumed. And I grew with the course. The theoretical basics that we were provided with made me realize how the media works and how it is construed to reach the consumers. So through a process of thinking about news referring to theory, my urge to talk about my perception grew and I started to enjoy blogging! I started to write what I think and how I think, without worrying about quotations or expressions. I just wrote down what struck me at that point of time. And it was revealing!

Another aspect I want to mention is that I can’t stand the Tagesschau anymore! Since our discussion and my analysis on the Tagesschau, I have only seen Maps zooming in and out and people who try compulsively to seem “super-formal” and informative. The other extreme is the case with the Bild. I can’t stand it anymore because it only wants to attract the emotions of their readers. Fortunately, there are many other channels, papers and websites I can look at! This course formed my way of thinking and actually had an influence on me and my habits.

Thank you, Geoffrey!