February 19th, 2020 
Since President Trump has taken office, he has been critical of mainstream media, calling it “fake news” and more recently dubbing it the “enemy of the people.” This has prompted media outlets and other groups to call the criticism an attack on democracy.
For you paper, argue in support of or against the following topic:
Do you think mainstream media in the United States today supports or undermines American democracy?
As part of your response, you’ll want to accomplish the following:
1. Define democracy
2. Examine the role of the free press in a democracy
3. Analyze how effectively the American press (print and broadcast) is fulfilling that role or not in practice rather than theory. This should be the main focus of your paper. Your arguments should be supported by evidence and statistics.
4. If you agree with President Trump, explain what the shortcoming of the free press are and what could be done to help enhance their effectiveness in advancing democracy in America.
If you disagree with President Trump, what is the free press in the U.S. doing right and what should be done to better support the media in advancing democracy in America.
Regardless of your position, you paper should explore counterclaims or the arguments of the other side and provide a justification as to why you think the other sides arguments are not well founded.
FORMATTING
Type your 3-5 page essay using a normal 11- or 12-point font, single spaced. The essay should be saved as a Word document or PDF file.
SUBMISSION
The essay should be submitted via Canvas by 11:59 pm on MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2020. It should be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or PDF file. The instructor will not be able to open and evaluate files submitted using other formats. Any papers submitted in any other format such as .pages will receive an automatic 0.
Plan ahead for possible computer problems. Kinkos has computers. Starbucks has free wireless.
Grading Criteria
I will assign grades based on the following standards and according to the Grading Rubric which can be found here. I will deduct twenty points for each day that the paper is late. No later papers will be accepted after APRIL 17, 2020.
Writing should be free of grammar and word usage errors. Expression should be clear, concise, precise and easy to understand.
Ideas should be organized logically. Essay should be structured with a clear introduction, body and conclusion. Paragraphs should be used appropriately.
The assigned question must be fully answered. Important terms and concepts should be clearly defined. The essay should demonstrate accurate understanding of conceptual issues introduced in class and the ability to apply them appropriately in answering the question.
Minimum of 3 scholarly sources required and cited (MLA or APA). Do not cite Wikipedia or any Blog posts. These are not allowed as sources.Your course book can serve as one of your sources if cited correctly.
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