After reviewing the segment once again, my thoughts were reinforced by what I heard from the producers. They cited several things regarding the case and they touched upon some key facts why the case played out the way it did. The Fives’ vulnerability, their race, their inexperience with crimes (they had never been in trouble before), no attorneys being present, and a huge amount of pressure were contributing factors to their downfall. Hearing Raymond Santana’s side of things also was important because it highlighted the transition problem that released prisoners face when returning to society.
I was happy that the professor used radio to help us learn. Specifically, the AM dial and the talk radio sub-genre has been important in the history of our country. With the rise of the Internet, radio has taken a backseat. From a very young age, I was taught the importance of AM radio and how it spread news/information so quickly. Most people don’t know that when the atmospheric conditions are just right, we can hear AM radio stations from all over the world. Just turn on the radio and explore it for yourself. Here upstate, there is an historic, highly-powered AM station that has been at the forefront of news distribution since the beginning of radio. The station is 810 WGY and it gave me my first lesson because I learned that if I listened to the facts, listened to news reports, then I would be well-informed. I knew this when I was 5 years old. I shared this story because I see talk radio/AM radio as an important cog in our social fabric.
Hi Keith,
thanks for sharing AM radio. Instead of AM radio, I spend more time on certain subscribed Podcasts, twitter updates. It offers more perceptions to see the news, but I do enjoy the radio talk, which brought a deeper understanding about the social issues.