Category: Class

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Dean Walker on Journalism and Free Speech

It is difficult to discuss free speech without addressing freedom of the press. My Intro to Media professor, Dean Yynette Walker, gave me her insight into the role the press plays in freedom of speech.

Journalism, she explained, is rooted in free speech.

“The whole reason that we do our work is because we believe in the right to free speech and our right to exercise that right.”

Journalists create awareness about community or national events. This allows people to speak up about the issues that affect them.

“We try to give information that people need to know to keep them informed to make better choices.”

If citizens want to actively engage in free speech, their words will be much more effective if they are well informed. 

“Read the news,” Dean Walker advised. She told me that most of the facts journalists uncover are open records to the public, but the average person probably does not know how to get to such records. This is where journalists come in. They help make this information easily accessible to everyone.

“Read it from a variety of sources,” she advised. “Then you will be armed with enough information to…use your voice and that free speech.”

Journalists also hold our elected officials accountable. 

“We have the right to ask them questions.”

Sure, politicians do not have to answer everything, but they generally understand the importance of being transparent with their constituents. Journalists play a vital role in this. 

“[There is a] relationship between reporters and leaders,” Dean Walker said.

Journalists keep up the conversation between the people and their leaders. In this way, they serve as watchdogs.

Today, the role journalists play in free speech is often downplayed, especially when words like “fake news” get thrown around.

“Fake news as a term used to be about satire and jokes,” Dean Walker shared with me. “Over time, leaders corrupted that term and began to accuse reporters of lying and creating stories that are not true.”

Sure, this happens, but these stories are not produced by credible journalists.

“Leaders use that term knowing full well that it’s not applied to credible journalists, but they use that term to basically dispute what a journalist is saying because they don’t like what they said…even though they know it is true.”

This poses a threat to free speech because it stands in the way of journalists doing their jobs.

“That is a big challenge, but it’s been a challenge throughout all of time for reports to develop relationships with their communities,” Dean Walker assured me.

To establish trust, journalists must build this relationship with their audiences.

 “I actually do care about this community and I want to get this information to help you.”

These are the responsibilities, challenges, and rewards that come with the field of journalism. On a final note, Dean Walker shared with me the thing she believes is most important for people to understand about free speech.

“That they have it, that it’s important to use it, and that they should research credible sources to inform their free speech.”

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Free Speech Across the Board

Free speech is significant across many different areas of our lives. Some of these connections are more obvious than others, but Free Speech Week allows us to stop and consider all different aspects of this freedom. I talked to several of my professors this week to find out more. 

Dr. Lindsay Marshall is my instructor for gateway to belonging. This required freshman class seeks to help freshmen find their place at OU and foster a sense of community and belonging here on campus. Dr. Marshall shared with me the role free speech plays in creating spaces of belonging.

Being able to speak our minds without restriction from the government is important.

“That’s crucial to us being able to find belonging to each other,” Dr. Marshall explained. “When institutions of power determine how we engage with each other, it ensures that we can’t be our authentic selves.”

This authentic self is something we discuss in class quite frequently. However, Dr. Marshall expanded on this: there is a level of responsibility that comes with free speech if it is going to be truly capable of extending belonging to all. 

“Freedom to speak is not the freedom from consequence.”

Being reckless with our speech is just as dangerous as an institution controlling our speech. Luckily, if we respect the value of free speech, we can learn to wield it responsibly. 

On a more personal note, Dr. Marshall explained what free speech means to her.

“It’s important to me because I think decent is one of the most crucial tools that we have for seeking a more just society.”

Next, I spoke to my environmental studies professor. Dr. Rebecca Sherry gave me some examples of the role free speech plays in environmental issues. Once again, this topic lined up very well with what we had already been discussing in class. 

“I have a few examples within this lecture,” she told me after class. “Some substance was banned or regulated, but in most of these cases, initially the press was heavily involved. A journalist made people aware of issues with particular chemicals or substances.”

This is generally true for all types of environmental issues. 

“Getting information out there that can sway public opinion has been important to a lot of environmental regulation.”

The right to free speech allows people to raise awareness whenever something is not right in our society. 

When I asked Dr. Sherry what free speech means to her, she acknowledged that she had never thought much about it.

“Since I never felt I didn’t have it, it’s hard to say.”

Upon further consideration, though, she had an answer for me.

“Any improvement always starts with talking about what’s wrong, so the ability to criticize our government…it’s absolutely necessary to improving life.”

I found this really insightful. Free speech is something we often take for granted. This is why Free Speech Week is important. It causes people to slow down and appreciate what we have.

With this in mind, the last professor I talked to was Christina Audas. She has lived in many countries around the world. I wanted to find out if she had experienced life in places where freedom of expression is more restricted than it is in the United States. 

In some of the places she has been, Professor Audas was aware of a difference in expression.

“I’d say there’s more fear of oppression to speak freely…I don’t think folks feel as emboldened…I don’t know if that’s because there’s actual lived experience of violence happening, or if it’s just part of the culture.”

American culture puts a lot more emphasis on free speech than some other parts of the world. It’s up to us what we do with this. Professor Audas uses this to encourage understanding across cultures. Respect is an important part of utilizing free speech.

“If I hear someone say something in class…I try to use those opportunities,” she explained. “We need to create spaces of humanity.”

As you go through the rest of your week, take time to think about the many areas of your life that are affected by free speech!

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Public Relations Interview!

As I have spent more time in Gaylord College, my interest in studying public relations has increased. As the time for enrollment for spring classes approaches, I have sought out opportunities to talk to different people about majors and career paths. This week I got to talk to Lori Stevens, an OU public relations alumni. 

When Lori was in Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, it did not look the same way it does now. She was at OU a few years before the current College of Journalism building, Gaylord Hall, was completed. You had to know your way around to find the newsroom or the yearbook room. Today, all the studio spaces and workrooms for Gaylord are together in Gaylord Hall with study spots and classrooms mixed in. However, Lori still remembers the “family feel” Gaylord college had, even without the brand new, fancy building. This family feel is something that has already stood out to me in my short time at Gaylord. As this was a very positive thing Lori remembers, I am glad this tradition has continued within the college. 

Lori was not always a Gaylord major. She started as a pre-med major, and switched to public relations her senior year. 

“[It was] a little bit of a crisis moment,” Lori recalled. “I was going to do orthopedic surgery…this is what I said I was going to do since third.”

She told me a little bit about her process of choosing PR.

“I really had some friends that were in journalism. I knew that I had always done well with writing.”

Though she could not see herself as a journalist, she came to realize that her strengths and interests lined up with public relations. 

“I think I did really appreciate the writing opportunities I had in PR.”

Additionally, many of the classes she had enjoyed over the years were related to social sciences. This interest turned out to be very useful for understanding, predicting, and changing human behavior, skills that come in handy for PR.

Many people have told me about the great connections and networking opportunities Gaylord college provided them with. Lori’s stories echoed this sentiment. One of her favorite Gaylord electives was a class about public relations in sports.

“Mick Cornett taught it.” Lori told me. “He was mayor of Oklahoma City for a while, but before that he was a sports reporter.” 

Through this class, Lori was connected to other public relations professionals. For one assignment, she got to interview someone who worked for the Miami Dolphins.

These connections also led Lori to an internship.

“Someone from the NOAA Weather Center came and spoke about their PR experience or opportunities there, so I chatted with her after the meeting and ended up doing a small internship.”

Today, Lori’s career has taken her beyond the realm of public relations, but she still uses the skills she learned from the major. 

“I speak a lot with the work I do. I’m either teaching or instructing or giving presentations.”

The writing and speaking skills she honed can be used anywhere. She also gained graphic design experience through another elective. This has allowed her to create designs or brochures.

“That’s been helpful and cost saving, and fun for me to have that sort of creative outlet.”

Lori even learned about research.

“Different types of research methods that would work in a qualitative setting,” she explained.

Overall, Lori is a great example of the wide variety of opportunities that come with a major in public relations. As my college career continues, I cannot wait to discover more!

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¡La Música es Medicina!

My Beginning Spanish class would not be the same without music. When I arrive in class, I expect to be welcomed by an upbeat tune sung in Spanish. On Fridays, we learn dance moves from other countries and translate lyrics.

Christina Audas, my professor, eagerly shares her love of music with us. However, I did not realize how big of a role music played in her life until I sat down to ask her about it. She told me all about Bolivian music, instruments, and culture; her performance experiences; and the power music has to transcend borders.

With a Bolivian mother and an American father, Profesora Audas grew up with a wide variety of musical influences. She lived in Michigan for the first ten years of her life but was surrounded by Bolivian culture.

“We spent a lot of summers with our Bolivian family. We’d have Bolivian friends come over. I heard a lot of Bolivian music.”

Profesora Audas recounted fond memories of dinners with family and friends that turned into dance parties that lasted late into the night. 

In addition to playing the guitar and singing, Profesora Audas plays several Bolivian instruments. The charango is a tiny ten-string guitar. She also plays a Bolivian flute called a siku.

“Such a Bolivian sound. A home feeling,” she said when describing the music.

Bolivian music is not the only kind she grew up with, though. 

“We heard a lot of bluegrass,” she told me. “My father is from Kentucky. Pop music, R&B, classical. We really had a lot of variety of music at home.”

Profesora Audas has had many opportunities to share this music throughout her life. 

“I’ve been performing since I was sixteen…at points professionally, at others semi-professionally. I performed a lot in California in the Bay area when I graduated. Everything from private parties to festivals to restaurants. We did it for the love of the music.”

She has also heard live music around the world. She lived in Guadalajara and Oaxaca, Mexico where she saw live music performed in Spanish. During her time living in Japan, she even got to see a weekend-long bluegrass festival of all Japanese musicians. 

Now, in Oklahoma, she continues to perform. She is part of the Oklahoma Arts Council, where she plays with other musicians and does educational performances for libraries. 

“We want them to understand the amazing diversity of Latin America,” she said as she told me about these outreach programs. “Music transcends borders.”

However, choosing a favorite type of music was too difficult a task.

“I really don’t have a favorite.”

One thing ties it all together, though.

“If it has soul in it, you can feel that,” she explained. “If you can just tell someone’s heart and soul is in it, that is everything.”

This “everything” that crosses all boundaries, languages, and cultures is exactly what Profesora Audas shares with her students. 

Photo credit: Rocio Salvatierra