Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Exploration Four: News sources, Research and the Power of Images (Collin Blevins)

Part One: The most important thing that needs to be known about the Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989, was that it was triggered by the death of Communist Party General Secretary, Hu Yaobang. He was killed after losing a set of power struggles to change the direction of political and economic reforms within China. Another thing that needs to be taken in consideration is the fact that the Chinese government very harshly suppressed the unarmed protestors by open-firing at them with assault weapons, and tanks. At least 300 or perhaps thousands of civilians were killed as a result.

Part Two:


This image is from the Honk Kong Protests going on right now, and I feel that this image is powerful because it lets us know what the population of Hong Kong is feeling during these rough times. (It gives you insight on their true feelings)

This picture is from the Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989, and I think it's very effective because it shows the hardship that the unarmed civilians had to go through while being brutally punished by the Chinese Military.


Part Three

The story that has been grabbing my attention most recently is the fight against ISIS. It has been all over the news, and it's hard to ignore the pain and the suffering that the U.S. and other countries (Allies) have had to endure because of this groups various acts of terror. The article that I have been looking into is about the many airstrikes on the Turkish border that have been taking place to halt the ISIS threat. 

In CNN's report of the airstrikes near Kobani, Syria, they talk about the number of airstrikes total between Iraq, and elsewhere within Syria besides Kobani. They also voice the goal of ISIS in that the group wants to push forth an effort to extend its terrain. CNN reports that the airstrikes near Kobani, Syria are a major blow to ISIS because Kobani is near the Turkish border. The Turkish border is key to ISIS and its operations because it is key to expanding their overall terrain. One local fighter says, "Finally, they are hitting the right places." 


In The New York Times' report of the same airstrikes, they talk more about what type of equipment was used during the airstrikes, and how this proves to be a major turning point in President Obama's war against the Islamic state. They also specified that the ISIS group is composed of Sunni militants, which is something that the CNN report failed to do. But unlike the CNN report, this report did not specify a death toll or statistic as to how many people have been hurt or killed as a result of the ISIS threat. This report is more in depth, but it still lacks the statistics that CNN provided in the same report. 

Both of these sources also used pictures of ISIS militants in action while standing next to their symbolic flag (CNN), and chilling out in a tank while cruising through a parade (New York Times). Both sources also provided a detailed map as to where all the airstrikes took place! (This proved to be very helpful)


2 comments:

  1. Your first picture about the Hong Kong protest, I think is how all the protesters feel in a nutshell. Its funny in a serious way, and shows that these protesters really do mean business.

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  2. I love how in part one you gave more history that the cause of the protests was because of the death of Communist Party General Secretary, Hu Yaobang. Most people found that the death and violence the government caused was the only important part of the protests, but the cause of the protests are always important. Great job!

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