The Information Cycle

The Information Cycle

Descriptionin your own words, a recent major news event as it moved or is currently moving through the Information Cycle. You should choose examples from events within the last 18 years, 2001-2018. I would prefer that you choose an event in which affected you in some way, or which you personally remember.

Some Examples are listed below:

2008, 2012 Presidential Election

Michael Brown shooting/Ferguson unrest

2008 Recession: bank bailouts, home foreclosures, auto industry, unemployment, recession….

In composing your essay, you must include the following:

A brief (one paragraph at most) description of the event itself. (In other words, the event summary should not take up most or all of your essay)

A description of how your event moved through (and continues to move through) the Information Cycle. In particular, please provide any examples you personally encountered: news reports, articles, TV programs, podcasts, etc. that alerted you to or informed you about this event.

At which point in the Information Cycle did you encounter your initial information?

Did social media play a role in how the event was reported & described?

How will knowledge of the Information Cycle affect your choices as an information user?

In particular, address the following questions: If you were seeking an eyewitness account of an event, where in the Cycle might you look? Could you find it in more than one place in the Cycle? By contrast, where and in what format would you look for a more comprehensive, thoroughly considered account of the event?

Compare and contrast the characteristics of an eyewitness account with the more comprehensive account: for example, what does one possess that the other lacks? How might they complement each other?

NOTE: The bulk of your essay should NOT consist of relating the event. Rather, the bulk of your essay should be about how information regarding the event was relayed, and how that information evolved over time. Please email me EARLY if you have questions concerning your choice.