Kobe Bryant was one of the most influential and inspirational people in the history of the sports world. This past Sunday, Bryant was involved in a helicopter crash. The helicopter ride quickly took a turn for the worse when it crashed into a foggy mountain near Calabasas. The "high energy impact crash" killed Bryant and eight other people.
Retrieved from: New York Times

It was later discovered that Kobe Bryant's thirteen-year-old daughter was also killed from the crash. January 26th will always be known as a tragic day in America. Athletes all over the world lost their role model and, even worse, his daughter on that day.

 Picture retrieved from TMZ.com 

https://www.tmz.com/2020/01/26/kobe-bryant-killed-dead-helicopter-crash-in-calabasas/

People around the world are sending their prayers and condolences to Vanessa Bryant (Kobe's wife) to get her through this time, after losing her husband and daughter. TMZ, a news company, actually released an article with the news of Kobe Bryant's death before the family could even be informed. The identities of those who also passed away were not yet confirmed when TMZ released an article, notifying people of the basketball legend's death. “It would be extremely disrespectful to understand that your loved one … perished and you learn about it from TMZ,” Villanueva, a LA County Sheriff, said. “That is just wholly inappropriate.”

News is news. People want to know what's going on in the world; sometimes they even need to. However, TMZ should have had the respect to wait until their family could at least be notified about the death of their child, sibling or parent. The article that TMZ posted spread like wildfire on the internet, instantly. Within minutes, thousands of people were reading this article, heartbroken over the accident. Although I don't know exactly how Vanessa Bryant (Kobe's wife) felt when she read the article, I can imagine how terrible it would be to find out that way. The other families involved who found out from this article must have felt so confused and shocked.

Picture retrieved from Twitter.com.

In my opinion, what TMZ did was not only disrespectful, but it was incredibly selfish. They wanted to be the first place people read the news from, which is exactly what happened. They sensationalized the fact that these families are now without mothers, fathers, children and siblings. This was all for selfish reasons. With intentions to gain publicity for their own company, they minimized the emotions that not only their families were about to feel, but the rest of the world as well. 

Information: WGNTV

Freedom of Speech is something that Americans pride themselves in. It seems nice from the outside and compared to other countries, being able to speak your mind. Facebook for example, is a major social media platform for people of all ages. They preach Freedom of Speech, but no one talks about the Fourth Amendment: “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures”.

It is almost impossible for us to be able to speak our minds when we know that nothing is private. The government has access to everything we say and every action we take on the internet. Although it is easy to talk about Freedom of Speech and how amazing it is, we must take a look at what our own government is doing. If the people do not have the privacy they want, they will not feel free to speak their mind. Something will always be held back. In my opinion, the only circumstance in which the government should have access to our private information is if there is reason of suspicion.

The erosion of privacy completely defeats the purpose of Freedom of Speech, which is all about allowing people to feel safe to say what they want to say. This feeling of safety is stripped from these same people. What is the point of having Freedom of Speech if the people using social media platforms do not feel comfortable enough to utilize that freedom? A majority of the people using social media censor what they say. Censoring what you say is justifiable in some cases. However, social media is a means to express one's self and their values and beliefs. The idea that the government has access to everything said or done online is in total contradiction to our First Amendment.

Resource: Wikipedia

 https://thenextweb.com/podium/2020/01/18/facebook-and-zuckerberg-keep-getting-freedom-of-expression-wrong/

My name is Sam Gerhart. I'm from Lebanon, Pennsylvania and grew up with two sisters and two amazing parents. I graduated from high school a semester early and came to HPU in the Spring of 2019 to major in Media Production and Entrepreneurship. After college I hope to make commercials for a company related to sports (Nike, Under Armour, etc.). The goal is to one day have a job which I am passionate about and to be happy. Outside of school, I am on the women's soccer team. I have always been very passionate about soccer. During the 2019 season, I was named Freshman of the Week twice and was later named Freshman of the Year. However, every other girl in my class deserved it just as much as I did. It was the support from my teammates and coaches that pushed me to better myself in all aspects of life. Soccer has played a huge role in my life, has taught me many things about life and contributes to who I am as a person today. Something interesting about me is that my dad played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles.