“We’ll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgment of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song
I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around me….”

Media Sophisticate

By Pam Lutrell “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson echoed the need for journalism to be a major component of a thriving republic.“The diffusion of information and the arraignment of all abuses at the bar of public reason, I deem (one of) the essential principles of our government, and consequently (one of) those which ought to shape its administration.” If newspaper publishers would like to save their product, all they have to do is listen to the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson. He made the statements above in the 1800’s and echoed the need for an informed public, therefore, confirming the need for journalism to be a major component of a thriving republic.

By PAM LUTRELL

My children will be embarrassed about the focus of this column. My students, former and current, will call me lame and out of touch. Even some adult colleagues will encourage me to just try it and I’ll like it. But, no matter what is said to me, I will stand firm that FACEBOOK and other forms of technology are shutting down the potential of our younger generation.