102720 The Daily Beacon

VOLUME 139 ISSUE 10

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ELECTION GUIDE

The The Daily Daily Beacon Beacon •• Wednesday, Wednesday, October 14, 2020 Wednesday,October October28, 7, 2020

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Here on Rocky Top, our falls are usually characterized by the return of Tennessee football. However, this year, football season is sharing space with a national occurrence: election season.

It’s hard to believe that four years have already passed since the election of Donald Trump in his close run against Hillary Clinton, and the time has come again for Americans to select who will be the president for the next four years.

As college students, we comprise a unique portion of the American voting demographic; people ages 18-30 make up 37% of eligible voters. Therefore, we have the ability to greatly influence the outcome of a presidential election, and young people have already

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turned up in swarms for early voting, both through mail and in-person.

Because of the electoral college, America does not have a voting system that relies entirely on the popular vote. Citizens cast their votes for president, then electors in each state decide which direction to case their electoral college votes, and these votes determine who will become president. Most electors cast their votes for the candidate who won the popular vote in their respective state, and 33 states have laws against so-called “faithless electors,” who cast their votes in a different direction than that offered by the popular vote. In 2016, there were seven faithless electors — out of a total of 538 members in the electoral college — a record high number.

Ultimately, Trump won the presidency based on electoral votes, as Clinton won the popular vote.

Additionally, most states have a “winner take all” electoral system, in which the candidate with the majority of the popular vote receives all the electoral votes. Two states, Maine and Nebraska, divide the electoral votes among candidates depending on the proportion of the vote they received.

The electoral college has led some to feel that voting is futile, as factors beyond the popular vote come into play. However, individual votes are still extremely important. As mentioned above, the majority of states have laws against faithless electors, meaning that most electoral votes will be cast in favor of the

popular vote. If every citizen approached voting with the mindset that their vote doesn’t matter, then literally no votes would be cast. ach individual vote, when combined into the collective, has the power to change and influence our future. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be someone who is interested in politics or engages in political discourse, it is not difficult to spend some time researching candidates to make an educated decision. Remember that the direction you vote in has the possibility to actively affect many facets of life, such as the economy, health care, representation, climate change, handling of the pandemic and more.

It is important that college students and other voters alike embrace the opportunity to use our voices and exercise our political rights through voting for the next president of the United States. The decision to walk up to the ballot box — or mail in a ballot — has the potential to shape history for the foreseeable future.

Opinion: The 2020 Election, the cruciality of voting ELIJAH HUNT Opinions Editor

Regardless of the candidate you may be voting for in the election for this year, it is obvious that this year’s election carries a huge amount of weight for the current state of the United States.

With Black Lives Matter, Planned Parenthood and other groups rallying for systematic change in the United States government, the issues of the current state of this country are continually being highlighted. If you follow any monopolies of media like Fox, ABC, CBS or others for news, then you are sure to have a view on the current state of these issues in America. These issues, regardless of your views on them, are bringing daily changes to America, which means it is important for us to be engaged voters now more than ever.

This election is also present during a time of a massive global pandemic, which adds to the cruciality of our voting. COVID-19 is still present and increasing in many parts of America, especially in states that have not required or mandated World Health Organiza-

tion safety-guidelines or have not shut down.

With this health issue that has been routinely ignored by the current president, it is important for voters to analyze whether or not their candidates are adjusting their COVID-19 policies with what is safest for America.

Right now it is important for voters to focus on the rights of those being taken advantage of by our current flawed system and voting for candidates that can ensure equality is one step toward obtaining it. Look at not just who you may be voting for in the presidential election but also consider the other parties and occupations of our government that you will be affecting with your vote. Learn about representatives that may or may not share your views and encourage them to follow through with policy or action by making phone calls, emailing or getting in contact with them through social media.

There are a number of great tools that voters can use to be more informed as they go into voting. First, almost all social media that college students use like Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat offer easy-to-register voting options and maps that show nearby locations for voting. TheResistBot on Twitter also lets users create custom emails, messages or

texts to representatives in your areas and has features like automatic letter-writing and voter registration.

Unlike the elections of the past decade or two, this election carries tremendous weight and consequence for the safety and rights of minorities and for our health as a nation in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inform yourself and find out more about who you may be voting for. Before you vote, make sure you understand what your vote means.

Elijah Hunt is a senior majoring in journalism. They can be reached at ehunt8@vols.utk.edu.

Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.

ELECTION GUIDE

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

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Ballot breakdown: Candidates, parties on 2020 presidential ballot SARAH RAINEY Campus News Editor

It is hard to believe that four years have already passed since the 2016 election. Many things have occurred in just four years, and it is time again for America to make another decision in the 2020 presidential election.

It is crucial that everyone who is able to vote makes their voice heard, and it is also important that voters stay informed.

Here are the four candidates you should expect to see on your ballot this 2020 election season.

Donald Trump and Mike Pence Current president Donald Trump and current vice president Mike Pence are running for reelection as the Republican candidates.

Trump’s former campaign slogan was “Make America Great Again,” and his current slogan has been “Keep America Great.”

The overarching theme for Trump’s presidential campaigns has been “America First,” according to BallotPedia. He has also spoken of “Promises Made, Promises Kept” as another strategy, which is on his campaign website.

The website details 14 accomplishments of his presidency. He has primarily focused on improving the economy, foreign policy, creating jobs and addressing immigration, but the website addresses others as well.

Vice presidential candidate Pence is a former governor of Indiana and was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Trump campaign’s more personal website details that Pence “remains grateful for the grace of God, the love and support of his family, and the blessings of liberty that are every American’s birthright.”

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Former vice president Joe Biden and current senator Kamala Harris are on the ballot as the Democratic candidates.

Joe Biden served as vice president from 2009 to 2017 during the two terms of former president Barack Obama’s presidency.

BallotPedia explained Biden’s platform as a “challenge to President Trump.” Biden’s campaign website has donation ad pop-ups with sayings such as, “Together we can make Donald Trump a one term President.”

Biden’s website describes his “visions” for America should he win the presidency, ranging from “ending the opioid crisis” to “equality for people with disabilities” to “LGBTQ+ equality.”

There are also 14 topics which his platform highlights.

Harris, his vice presidential running mate, is introduced on the campaign’s website as the first Black and Indian American woman to represent California in the United States Senate, along with other information regarding her background and hopes.

Howie Hawkins and Angela Nicole Walker Representing the Green Party are Howie Hawkins and Angela Nicole Walker.

Hawkins’ platform primarily focuses on the wish for a Green New Deal. This may be expected for the Green Party, but this Green New Deal would advocate for environmental advances and improvements. Hawkins himself is also a cofounder of the Green Party in the United States.

Hawkins’ website describes his campaign’s two main goals: “To build the Green Party as an activist and viable opposition to the two-capitalist-party system of corporate rule” and “to put our ecosocialist program for real political and economic democracy, civil liberties, social justice, ecological sustainability and peace on to the public agenda.”

His running mate, Angela Nicole Walker, is described on their website as “an independent socialist” and a “veteran working-class activist.”

Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen Lastly, the Libertarian candidates are Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen.

Jorgensen’s website explains a bit of her background, stating that she has been a full-time senior lecturer in psychology at Clemson University since 2006 and holds a Ph.D. from Clemson in industrial/organizational psychology that she graduated with in 2002.

It also details that she plans “to bring the messages of economic prosperity, health freedom, peace and meaningful criminal justice reform to this election.” BallotPedia said that her platform was created “as an alternative to Democratic and Republican policies.’’

Jorgensen’s vice presidential partner Spike Cohen, according to their website, “promotes a vision of common-sense Libertarian solutions that will make us all more free, safe and prosperous.”

In some states, there are other individuals on the ballots. However, these four are the primary candidates for the 2020 presidential election.

Be sure to stay informed with unbiased news sources, and do not forget to vote as soon as possible and prepare for the Nov. 3 election.

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ELECTION GUIDE

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, 2020 Wednesday,October October28, 7, 2020

How young voters impact the election: Video games, streaming

SETH CHAPMAN Staff Writer

You have probably heard it before: young voters form one of the largest voting groups in America, yet they are also historically the voting group with the lowest rates of turnout. According to research conducted by the Brookings Institution, millennials and Gen Z now make up 37% of the eligible voting population, rivalling the Baby Boomer generation that has long dominated American elections as the voters with the highest turnout.

However, in recent years getting the youth vote feels like chasing after a golden goose egg.

Getting the younger generation to vote has always been an elusive task. Millennials and Gen Z are more attuned with the internet and social media, and this younger generation is far more resistant to traditional advertising than older ones.

So how do you get the youth vote?

Apparently, by going to where most of them are: online. U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar joined a group of popular Twitch Streamers for three hours to play video games and encourage young Americans to vote early. And what better game to play than

Among Us, a game that has taken the internet by storm.

The stream proved to be a huge success, coming in at over 400,000 viewers, making it the third-largest stream on Twitch in its entire history.

In an interview with the BBC, games industry analyst Louise Shorthouse commented on the game’s success.

“I do think it’s a very smart way to raise voting awareness pre-election, especially amongst the notoriously hard-to-reach Gen Z,” Shorthouse said.

While some may be quick to dismiss a “move” like this, keep in mind that representatives Ocasio-Cortez and Omar are both young elected officials that have become the face of the younger generation getting involved in politics.

One of the most important parts of voting is not just having a say in the policies you want to see enacted, but it is also about being a part of the process and seeing your own voice represented in the government.

File / The Daily Beacon It is important to remember that the right to vote is not just one of the rights we have as American citizens — voting is the core foundation of how a democracy must function. That is why every single vote matters. If you choose not to take agency and vote, you allow others to make that choice for you.

The 2020 election is set to be a transformative one for our nation, and young voters are making their voices heard. According to research conducted by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts Col-

Why does it matter if I vote?

When it comes to elections, there can be a sense of defeatism at the root of why some choose not to vote. Some may ask, how can one vote change anything and represent my voice?

Daily Beacon Poll Results (%)

DB Online

10/19: Do you have a voting plan in place?

DB Twitter

No

No

No

7.1%

5%

Yes

85.7%

92.9%

10/23: Did you watch last night’s presidential debate?

43.2%

56.6%

This Week’s Questions: 10/26: Would you feel safe attending a UT football game?

Yes

95%

No

No

10/29: Are you more concerned about COVID-19 as we approach flu season?

DB Instagram

14.3% Yes

Yes

lege, more than 3 million young voters — ages 18 to 29 — have already either voted early or through absentee ballots as of Oct. 21.

These numbers are record-shattering. Just to give you an idea, in the same study, 257,720 young people in Texas have already voted. Comparing this to the 2016 election during the same time — 44,107 votes — and that is nearly five times the voter turnout.

Votes like these are transforming the election map. States that have historically been safe states, like Georgia and Texas, are now becoming battleground states. The youth vote is rising in America, and early voting can be just a preview of what is to come on Election Day.

35.4% Yes

64.6%

No Yes

63%

37%

ELECTION GUIDE

Turning Point promotes ‘conservatarian’ principles DANIEL DASSOW Staff Writer

The members of Turning Point USA make no secret about what they believe. When the UT chapter of the national organization sets up a table on Ped Walkway, it is replete with signs that read “Socialism Sucks,” “Capitalism Cures,” “Taxation is Theft,” “Big Government Sucks” and “America Is The Best Country On Earth. Period.”

Started by conservative activist Charlie Kirk in 2012 as a reaction against the rise of “free speech zones” and other perceived threats to freedom of expression on American college campuses, the nonprofit organization seeks to train and educate students on conservative principles.

Turning Point USA, more commonly called Turning Point, is known by many people for its “Professor Watchlist,” a published list of college professors who are said to have discriminated against conservative students or to have aggressively promoted liberalism in the classroom.

The organization, which also has a presence in the United Kingdom, is unwaveringly pro-America and pro-First Amendment, a group dedicated to freedom of speech and expression.

It has also become a nuisance to many liberals, with its merchandise specifically aimed at dismantling the tenets of the American left and its digital content, including memes and videos, that often portray liberal students and leaders as entitled or uneducated.

Though it promotes small-government conservative ideals and has a clear distaste for liberalism, Turning Point is in fact a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization and is therefore nonpartisan and cannot support any political candidates.

David Cowell, president of UT’s chapter, says that just because Turning Point may have a clear ideological bent doesn’t mean that the group must support a GOP platform.

“On the ideological spectrum, I like to say that we’re definitely conservatarian, if you will, so conservative libertarian,” Cowell said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean, as you know, that we have to directly align with the Republican Party.”

During an election season, its nonpartisan status means that Turning Point cannot endorse a candidate or contribute to any campaigns, though the group and its founder have long been closely associated with the Trump administration.

Cowell, a sophomore studying political science and history, says that members of Turning Point come from many ideological backgrounds, despite a common perception that they are narrowly conservative.

“It’s been amazing to see the amount of

intellectual diversity that is within Turning Point,” Cowell said. “There’s a national perception of what Turning Point is, what Turning Point does and who really is involved in Turning Point, and then the more and more you get involved with it, you start to realize that’s not always the case. The perception doesn’t always suit the reality.”

For Cowell and many other students involved in Turning Point, the central message of the organization is freedom, an ideal that does not have to be tied solely to the Republican Party.

Turning Point’s tabling event in 2019 on Pedestrian Walkway.

Courtesy of David Cowell

William Ogles, the chapter’s community outreach director, says that Turning Point functions to educate and engage students and is less interested in winning them over to the Republican or Libertarian party.

“We have people from all sides of the political spectrum who believe in things like free speech, free markets, things like that. We’re really more of an informational arm,” Ogles said. “We’re informing people on political ideas, but we’re not telling them who to support.”

Turning Point members often discuss socalled “cancel culture” in their criticism of liberals, citing several incidents when speakers have had events canceled due to protests on college campuses or when students have been shutdown for their remarks on social media.

“We don’t cancel people, we don’t go after people because they say something wrong,” Ogles said. “We really work hard to promote a marketplace of ideas where people can say

things that we disagree with, but we respect their right to say those things.”

According to Ogles, a sophomore studying political science and history, this “marketplace of ideas” can also serve as a home for conservative students on UT’s campus who feel ostracized for their beliefs.

“People will quite often say things about Republicans or conservative people being, you know, add -ist to anything, and that’s how we get labeled quite frequently, and that makes people uncomfortable to share a lot of their ideas,” Ogles said. “Having a place where you can express your opinion is very important and we like to provide that home for people.”

One possible reason for Turning Point’s success, with a presence on over 1,000 campuses and millions of dollars in annual revenue, is its creation of a space for conservative students who feel marginalized on liberal campuses. Even though UT’s student body is relatively conservative, Cowell believes that liberal students have a disproportionate share of the cultural influence on campus.

“The leftist students on campus are the ones that are speaking up over the conservatives,” Cowell said. “They’re being heard, you know, way before we are, and/or they’re being recognized cause they make themselves stand out a lot.”

Cowell evokes the language of a “silent majority” when speaking of conservative students at UT and his goals with Turning Point.

“My main plan, and our plan in general, is to really try to motivate the silent majority on campus, which is in my opinion the conservatives on campus, and give them a space, or really anyone a space to come and discuss pressing issues whether they be political or social and really provide a forum for freedom of speech and expression going forward,” Cowell said.

The phrase “silent majority” was often used in 2016 to describe the demographic that elected Donald Trump to the presidency, a group seen as being on the outside of the elites that dominate the national media.

Cowell, who emphasized that he does not speak for all of Turning Point, says he believes that this same majority will hand re-election to Trump, even if his victory is not as decisive as it was four years ago.

“If you look at the energy behind Joe Biden, there is no energy. If you look at videos of his rallies, nobody shows up,” Cowell said. “I do think that there is a possibility we lose, but I do think that Trump wins not by a landslide but by a slim margin.”

To this end, Turning Point has been encouraging members at both the national and chapter level to vote, even if it cannot tell them for whom exactly they should vote.

5

wutk

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

“THE 7”

1 DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS

2 SYLVAN ESSO

3 BEABADOOBEE

4 GUIDED BY VOICES

5 MILLY

6 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

7 TUNE YARDS

6

ELECTION GUIDE

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, 2020 Wednesday,October October28, 7, 2020

Voting successfully: What to bring to the polls, voter etiquette JAKE YODER City News Editor

After what seems like years of buildup, the 2020 presidential election is finally upon us.

Many have already cast their ballots by mail or early voting, but one simple fact may be holding you back from voting: it can be very intimidating if you’ve never done it before.

In this article, you’ll find everything you need to bring with you to vote — and some voter etiquette for good measure.

What you need to bring to the polls There’s a lot of misinformation out there about what you need to have with you when you vote. In all actuality, you don’t really need that much. First of all, you need to be registered to vote. If you haven’t already registered, it’s too late to do so for the 2020 presidential election.

If you know you’re registered, check which district you’re registered in. This will tell you where you need to go vote. If you’re registered to vote, you really don’t need to bring much to the polls. Every Tennessean going to vote will need to make sure to bring

a photo ID with them that proves you are who you say you are.

Acceptable forms of photo IDs include: a Tennessee driver’s license, a U.S. passport, a photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, a photo ID issued by the federal or Tennessee state government, a U.S. military photo ID or Tennessee handgun carry permit with your photo.

If you’re an active college student at UT or another university, your college student ID won’t be accepted, so you can leave your Vol Card at home.

If you happen to be a first-time voter who registered by mail, you’ll also need to bring proof of your residency in your current state.

This proof can be an unexpired current photo ID, a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address.

That is all you need to bring with you to the polls to cast your vote. If you still haven’t voted, however, the task may still be daunting even though you now know what to bring. Don’t stress; here are some tips on voter etiquette.

Voter etiquette First of all, voting is an awesome exercise of freedom, and you should be proud that you did it. The polls, however, are not where you should be bragging about it on social media. Don’t take pictures in the polling area or of your actual poll. In addition to your fellow voters wanting voter privacy, it is also illegal in Tennessee to post a photo of your ballot.

Obviously, we are still living in the COVID-19 pandemic, so try not to get too close and personal with anyone at your polling location. This will not only ensure your privacy and theirs, it will also keep everyone from getting sick.

Make sure you arrive to your polling location with ample time set aside to vote. While voting locations have always been historically busy and voting has almost always taken a long time on Election Day, things may be even more exacerbated due to social distancing and the pandemic. So, when you are making your plan to vote, give yourself a good amount of time to ensure that you will be able to cast your vote.

Generally, it is a bad idea to try and find out who the people around you are voting

for. Keep this to yourself or save it for social media after you leave the polling location.

The last thing you want on Election Day is a public fight because you don’t like that John Doe over there voted for someone you didn’t vote for.

As long as you bring everything listed above with you to the polls and follow proper voter etiquette, you should have a smooth voting experience. Make sure to get out there and vote.

Early voters wait in line during a previous election year.

File / The Daily Beacon

Where to vote on and off campus: Knoxville precinct locations ALLIE JUSTIS Copy Chief

For many college students this year, voting in an official presidential election will be a first time occurrence. However, many of these first time voters don’t realize just how important going to the right polling station can be.

Going to the right polling location that is designated by your address is important because it helps prevent overcrowding and long lines on election day. So, if you’re voting within Knox County this year, here are the designated polling locations to vote based on which voting precinct your address falls under.

Precincts around the UT campus There are four voting precincts that include and surround campus, which are precincts 09, 10S, 10N and 10W. If you are registered to vote from your campus address or your apartment that may be close to campus, then these precincts apply to you. If you are in the ninth precinct, then your polling location will be at the Eternal Life Harvest Center at 1801 Western Ave. For 10S and

10W,the polling locations are on campus, and they are located at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center, 1640 Cumberland Ave. Then finally, if you are more toward Fort Sanders in voting precinct 10N, the polling station will be at the Fort Sanders School at 501 S. 21st St.

stations will be slightly different. For those in precinct six, the polling station will be the Green School at 801 Lula Powell Dr. Precincts 50S and 50N will be polling at West High School at 3326 Sutherland Ave. Then finally, for anyone living south of the river in precinct 25, your polling station will be at the South Knox Community Center at 522 Maryville Pike.

Precincts around Farragut

The Eternal Life Harvest Center, polling location for the ninth precinct, located at 1801 Western Ave. Sydney Goodsell / The Daily Beacon

Precincts around South Knox However, for those students living off campus in apartments in South Knox such as Quarry Trail and a few others, polling

Then last but not least, for those students that live in and around Farragut, there are four precincts. Those in precinct 66N, will be going to Farragut Middle School at 200 West End Ave. For those in 66S, the polling location is at Farragut High School at 11237 Kingston Pike. 65N will be polling at Farragut Primary School at 509 N. Campbell Station Rd. Finally, for 65E, voters will be going to the Shoreline Church at 9635 Westland Dr. Be prepared so that you feel more confident Now that you know where you’re going, just remember to bring some snacks, a phone charger and most importantly, your

photo ID. Being a first time voter is intimidating, but if you are well prepared then doing your civic duty will be a breeze. Vols make the difference this year, so making the decision to step out and vote is a powerful way to make your voice heard. So get out there and have a good election day. Good luck and go Vols.

For more information on where to find your polling location, please visit knoxcounty.org/election.

The Howard Baker Jr. Center, an early voting location in the 2020 election and polling location for precincts 10S and 10W, located on Cumberland Avenue.

Sydney Goodsell / The Daily Beacon

ELECTION GUIDE

Wednesday, October 14, 2020• •The TheDaily DailyBeacon Beacon Wednesday, October 28, 2020

77

‘Fake news’ duality: Distrust versus legitimate misinformation ALEXANDRA DEMARCO Editor-in-Chief

As the fourth estate, the press is equipped to play the role of a political watchdog, exercising a system of checks and balances on all three branches of government. However, in recent years, the term “fake news” has been increasingly used to describe the mass American media, and as such, popular trust in the media has eroded.

Fake news is a nuanced phenomenon. On one hand, it is true that news sources with less than legitimate information and subpar fact checking services exist, yet some news is labeled “fake” simply because certain political figures dislike what the news is reporting.

“Fake news” is also not a new term and was originally coined in the 1890s.

Throughout the American media’s history, there have been periods of distrust in the media, such as during the time of heightened sensationalism and yellow journalism.

Professor Michael Martinez, who primarily studies media law and journalism, explained that it is important to define “fake news” because of its multiple meanings.

“There are forces that are trying to spread disinformation, literally fake information, in order to persuade people one way or another. That is the literal version of fake news.

The other version is truthful news that is just uncomfortable or maybe embarrassing, and it’s just trying to discredit legitimate news,” Martinez said.

Examples of legitimately false information can be found in campaigns led by foreign countries, such as Russia, to infiltrate the American voting population with false information in hopes of swaying election results.

The term fake news could also be attributed to pieces that are not properly fact checked, such as The New York Post’s recent article alleging that former vice president Joe Biden made diplomatic decisions in Ukraine to favor his son Hunter Biden.

The article was based on information from a hard drive allegedly taken from Hunter Biden’s computer, but at least two staff writers refused to attribute their names to the article over concerns that the hard drive’s contents had not been properly verified. Additionally, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal were all unable to independently verify the original article’s information.

The rush to publish a story before properly verifying its information indicates another concern over the rapidity of the 24 hour news cycle and the internet’s influence on which stories generate revenue.

Lori Amber Roessner, associate journal-

ism professor at UTK, explained that such monopolies represent the media in a misleading way.

“We tend under this economic model, this for-profit model, to emphasize news that traditionally sells, and what we’ve seen with phenomena like search engine optimization is kind of an escalation of sensationalized headlines that don’t accurately reflect subject matter content and that are designed to serve as clickbait to increase the number of clicks to a particular news story, and in ways, that phenomenon mirrors the climate of yellow journalism, which was dominant in the last decade of the 19th century, and of course, it’s in that decade that the term fake news is coined,” Roessner said.

Conservative media proprietor Rupert Murdoch owns The New York Post through his company Newscorp, along with Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and several others. Murdoch’s holdings are a prime example of the way that media conglomerates function in the United States. The same few large corporations have purchased so many media organizations that 90% of the media in the U.S. is now owned by only six companies, including Newscorp, GE, Viacom, Disney, Time Warner and CBS. Although the sales side of a news organization is intended to operate separately from the editorial side, sometimes corporate influence, usually regarding monetary situations, trickles through to editors and writers. Murdoch is the best example of this situation, as he has the power to shape the news in the direction he prefers through his various outlets.

Roessner explained that such monopolies represent the media in a misleading way.

“It gives us the illusion of choice. … It appears that we have great choice in the media content that we are exposed to when in fact, the decision making around that content is primarily controlled by these six organizations that are headed primarily by white men, and so we really find that we don’t have a great deal of choice at all,” Roessner said.

Martinez added that typically, the fourth estate pushes back against biased corporate influence.

“There is this kind of pressure sometimes from the corporate side on the editorial side. It’s not usually ideological, it’s usually money, but it can happen, and usually what happens is when that kind of pressure comes about, somehow it gets leaked, and then everybody’s embarrassed and then they fix it,” Martinez said.

Other versions of fake news are not as nefarious, yet still erode the foundation of democracy. For example, Martinez explained that in recent years, a few UTK graduates started a fake news campaign on Facebook

to generate advertising revenue. The endeavor was purely monetary, and no political agenda was involved.

Martinez advises Americans to follow the news from a source with a history of rigorous fact checking and check if the information reported can be verified by other news sources. He recommends The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, NBC News and CBS News as some of the more reliable news organizations -- notice that CNN and Fox are not listed. Wire services, such as Reuters and the Associated Press, are also known to be reliable, as they work to provide information to multiple news sources and cannot display bias or subjectivity.

Additionally, Americans must be able to recognize the difference between entertainment passed off as journalism and reporting that is truly intended to be objective.

“Society … needs to be educated. They need to have media literacy and understand the difference between pundits who are on cable television that by design, their whole employment is to express opinion, whether it’s based in fact or not, versus legitimate news organizations which, even in op-eds in like The New York Times, or Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, they’re based in fact. They may have opinions, but it’s based in fact, not out of thin air and just ideological jibber jabber,” Martinez said.

On the other side of the discussion about fake news exists news that is not fake or containing false information, yet is critiqued as such because its content is unfavorable to certain political figures.

“What is new is kind of this unabashed attack on the news media that has been sustained now for the past four years by a president that uses that strategy to delegitimize and undermine the credibility of news media accounts that he finds to be unfavorable.”

LORI AMBER ROESSNER ASSOCIATE JOURNALISM PROFESSOR

Roessner explained that throughout journalism’s history, there have been many attempts to delegitimize the press, as numerous politicians, such as Richard Nixon, have had adverse relationships with the media. However, the dialogue in recent years is unique.

“What is new is kind of this unabashed attack on the news media that has been

sustained now for the past four years by a president that uses that strategy to delegitimize and undermine the credibility of news media accounts that he finds to be unfavorable,” Roessner said.

Another example of misplaced distrust in the media is exhibited when important figures discredit scientific information discussed in the media, such as data on climate change, because such information could negatively affect business ventures.

In more extreme cases, certain people flat out deny the scientific information that the media is passing along.

“We get the complete deniers, on one hand, and it’s irrational. They just deny for the sake of denying and then there’s other people that will try to rationalize a middle ground somehow to try to keep part of the things going at the cost of this, and I think both the really absolutely deniers and the middle ground are the ones that are getting us in trouble, because look at the fires in California, and look at the hurricanes,” Martinez said. “We’ve run out of the names.

We’re into the Greek alphabet now.

Because the concern surrounding “fake news” involves many entities and concepts, the efforts of several different groups are crucial in re-establishing the press as an important part of American democracy.

“This is going to take a concerted effort from many different stakeholders. It’s going to take a concerted effort with society becoming more civil again, with media becoming maybe more vocal in the value of journalism and why it matters as the fourth estate, and it’s going to take our politicians to become more civil again, too, and start working together. … I’m hoping that (with) the next president or couple down the road, that we starting building coalitions again instead of breaking down into lack of civil discourse,” Martinez said.

For one, political leaders need to stand up for the press as the fourth estate and recognize the importance of its role and autonomy, Roessner said.

Additionally, the news media itself needs to reform its procedures in order to more accurately convey objective news.

“We also need a change in our news model. … There are some real valid concerns with the objective mode, for instance, with how it privileges the official source, the expert source and how it undermines efforts to seek out voices in marginalized communities,” Roessner said. “So we need to acknowledge that as a community.

We also need to acknowledge the biases in our systems, in our modes of journalism …

Most journalistic entities operate based on a commercial, for-profit model, and based on that bias, they privilege and value certain types of stories.”

ELECTION GUIDE

8 Wednesday, October 28, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

Worship Directory SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY & WORSHIP TUESDAY DISCIPLESHIP Scan for more information about virtual and in-person gatherings!

Our ministry is a community of faith for college students dedicated to living life alongside one another and offering love and support through all situations.

Unbiased news sources: local, foreign CONNER HOLT Staff Writer Many people take issue with news outlets such as MSNBC, CNN or Fox, referring to them as one-sided and biased on every topic imaginable. Understandably, this leads to an issue of trust.

The truth is these networks do have an entire staff of fact checkers whose entire job is to make sure they’re reporting factual information to the public.

There are news sources you can go to that don’t have such stigmas attached to them when it comes to American politics, however.

And along those same lines, there are fantastic methods of staying informed on issues such as presidential candidates and elections.

For fact-checking, Snopes is an ideal source.

Be it wild claims by presidential candidates or even more minor issues, Snopes will fact check.

Sometimes things are mostly false, other times they are mostly true and still there are times when they are not totally true nor totally false.

On top of that, Snopes regularly posts news and hosts an archive, so you can go back and view everything the site has done in the past.

These two sources are invaluable for freeing yourself from potential echo-chambers that emerge from Twitter feeds, the political side of YouTube and even the suggested articles Google gives you.

Foreign news outlets If you’re unsure about trusting American news, you can always cross reference big stories with foreign sources. The most obvious is the BBC, or British Broadcasting Corporation.

However, you could realistically choose a variety of sources. Does the issue have to do with Asia? Try reading NHK—Japan Broadcasting Corporation.

By using multiple sources from multiple countries, you’ll see the source from a variety of angles, breaking the limitation of a single perspective and allowing you to see the consistencies between each source.

The biggest advantage of this is the distance the article has to the topic at hand. The BBC writing on an American topic is going to read differently from Fox or CNN. And you can be more confident that there isn’t a strong political bias in the report.

Courtesy of BBC

Unbiased news sources

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Maybe you don’t want to do the leg work yourself. If so, try using online sources such as Politico or Snopes.

Politico writes on American news, international news and any issue in-between. They’re a great source for unbiased news and perfect for keeping track of election information.

On the site you can, of course, see all kinds of stories or even look at battleground states for the presidential election, the Senate, etc.

Courtesy of Snopes Keeping up with the candidates This one can be tricky at times, but there are good ways to keep up with what candidates are up to.

If you go to a candidate’s website, there is typically a section for press releases. There you can find out where a candidate is campaigning, what they’ve been talking about recently and even what kind of issues they’ve been facing.

Another good way of keeping up with candidates, the election and policy issues during the election cycle is going to a website called ISideWith.

This website hosts polls, as well as the full range of platforms and issues, so you can read up on topics and take a quiz that will match your own political orientation to relevant candidates.

The results of the quiz are percentage based and utilize up-to-date information on the candidates’ stances and parties to let you know just how closely you align with a candidate or party.

And if you aren’t sure about an issue, the website can explain a topic to you and offer resources for further unbiased reading.

Courtesy of Politico

PUZZLES & GAMES

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

9

the daily beacon

crossword & sudoku

your morning coffee’s best friend.

Daily Egyptian 9/14 Crossword 11

LOS ANGELES TIMES CROSSWORD • Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

STR8TS No. 512

Medium

9

5 6 1 4 5 6 7 8 8 7 9 1 2 3 1 2 2 4 3 9 3 4

6 5

7 4

3

© 2020 Syndicated Puzzles

1

3 4 8

Across

Previous solution - Tough

1 6 1 4 3

6 9 4

2

You can find more help, tips and hints at www.str8ts.com

3 2 4 6 8 7

4 3 9 1 7 6 5 8 1 2

7 6 3 5 2 4 2 8 3 6 7 9 8

1 5 10 14

9 8 8 7 3 4 3 5 4

15

6 5 7 6

How to beat Str8ts – Like Sudoku, no single number can repeat in any row or column. But... rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. These need to be filled in with numbers that complete a ‘straight’. A straight is a set of numbers with no gaps but can be in any order, eg [4,2,3,5]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’ are formed.

SUDOKU

9 6

Medium

7 1 3 6 2 8 2 6 1 3 7 6 5 9 4 8 6 4 1 9 8

The solutions will be published here in the next issue.

Previous solution - Easy

2

6 8 2 9 4 3 1 7 5

1

7 1 3 8 6 5 9 4 2

5 9 4 7 2 1 8 6 3

1 5 7 4 3 8 6 2 9

4 3 8 6 9 2 5 1 7

2 6 9 1 5 7 4 3 8

9 7 5 3 1 6 2 8 4

8 4 1 2 7 9 3 5 6

3 2 6 5 8 4 7 9 1

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

7

© 2020 Syndicated Puzzles

No. 512

8

PuzzleJunction.com

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org If you like Str8ts, Sudoku and other puzzles, check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store at www.str8ts.com

16 17 18 19 20 22 24 25 26 29 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 44 45 46 47 50 54 55 57 58 59

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15 16 14 Ballet move They’re rigged 18 19 17 Spanish flower 22 23 20 21 Daughter of James II 24 25 Wedding band, maybe 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Blackhearted 34 35 City on the Rhine 33 Letter before iota 37 38 36 Constellation between Carina 40 41 39 and Pyxis 44 43 Pieces of material 42 South American 45 46 plains Mars, to the 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 Greeks 55 56 57 54 Steal Claw 59 60 58 Lame Old and feeble 62 63 61 Before fat or Copyright ©2014 PuzzleJunction.com Atlantic Adam’s madam 9 Dragging one’s 60 Like some 37 An albatross has Sheet of stamps feet rumors the largest one of False 10 Overhaul 61 Water carrier these Ancient greetings 62 Hawthorne and 11 Bread maker 38 Baldness “Wheel of 12 Missile housing Bacon, to their 40 Equipment Fortune” buy 13 “What a shame!” 41 Pop singer Collins buds Colossal 21 Native Canadian 43 Weather map line 63 Yemeni port Ship board 23 Cuts off 44 Abilities Clemency 25 Money award Down 46 Fence feature Summer wear 26 Kind of cross 47 Shoestring Learned one 27 Ludicrous 1 Science rooms 48 Lined up Bypass 2 Sufficient, old28 Sheer curtain 49 Cotton bundle Works hard fabric style 50 Parking place Kind of heel 3 Ballerina Pavlova 29 Sidekick 51 Mrs. Lincoln’s Spirited horse 4 5-pointed star 30 “Star Trek” actor maiden name Trainee 5 One parent Burton 52 Narrative Wheedle 31 Happening 6 Partner of pains 53 Beasts of burden Bubbly drink 7 Fr. saints, briefly 32 Office stations 56 Hagen of Reef ring 34 Tiny amount 8 Holiday abroad Broadway

puzzles Wednesday.

NewNew puzzles every every Monday and Thursday.

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ELECTION GUIDE

10 The 28, TheDaily DailyBeacon Beacon• •Wednesday, Wednesday,October October 7, 2020 2020

Bill Hagerty for U.S. Senate: Support for 2nd Amendment, Trump NATASHA MCKAMEY Staff Writer

Bill Hagerty, former national finance Chair for Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign and ambassador to Japan, is the Republican nominee for Tennessee’s upcoming open seat in the Senate.

Hagerty is from Gallatin, Tennessee. His mother was a schoolteacher and his father worked road construction and was a veteran.

The nominee also worked with shoveling asphalt in road construction and later went on to college, as well as started his own business.

More recently, Hagerty served for the Trump Administration as ambassador to Japan, until 2019.

The nominee supports “Standing up to Communist China, by applying sanctions on the Chinese regime, allowing states and individuals to sue China for loss and damages due to the Wuhan coronavirus … unleashed on the world and attempted coverup,” among many other ways.

“This came from China. Without ques-

tion, they knew what they were doing. They tried to cover this up. They silenced doctors, they destroyed samples. They spread this disease. The world is starving for our leadership, and we’ve got to continue to be at the forefront, the beacon of democracy for the world,” Hagerty said in an interview with The Tennessean.

Hagerty believes the Second Amendment is an important freedom which allows citizens the right to bear arms. He believes there is a threat to gun rights and opposes a national gun registry with red flag laws and universal background checks.

He also opposes Common Core and No Child Left Behind and supports “significantly” decreasing funding for the Department of Education and shifting that funding to states via block grants.

Hagerty supports a growing economy for Tennessee. According to his website, he will work to “cut unnecessary bureaucratic regulation, continue President Donald Trump’s winning streak on taxes, promote free trade” and more.

In this support, Hagerty said he will increase job training and skills development, further the lowering of corporate tax rates, eliminate and remove outdated and costly regulations, and more.

Hagerty has spoken out in support of Trump’s recent nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, stating this is what the voters want.

polluters should pay for cleanup – not taxpayers — investing in education, training and career opportunities for professionals in the environmental field, as well as in infrastructure and jobs for economic growth.

“People here know how important it is for an environmental-justice voice to be in the U.S. Senate. It’s about the importance of shaping a just transition away from pollution. People’s health and lives are on the line,” Bradshaw said in an interview with The New York Times.

Bradshaw also values “patient-centered” healthcare, which comes in the form of Medicare for All, according to her website.

Her idea of Medicare for All would include healthcare guided by outcomes and patient experience, not insurance company profits, and her ideas focus on minimizing costs for healthcare in the form of copays, deductibles, premiums and more.

Bradshaw is also running on supporting community policing and restorative justice, and she has signed the justice guarantee pledge.

Leading toward “a transformation of people, relationships and communities,” Bradshaw says the justice system needs a fundamental overhaul. This would ensure that everyone is held to an equal interpretation of the law and not one rooted in racial and income bias.

She supports services to decrease recidivism, as well as restoring the right to vote, ending wage slavery, health services for people living with addiction and the full legalization of recreational marijuana, which would include

restorative justice, among others.

Bradshaw has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Cori Bush, Keeda Haynes, The Sierra Club and many more.

“Marquita Bradshaw is a champion for climate and environmental justice who will be an outstanding Senator representing Tennessee.

The Sierra Club knows Marquita, and that’s why we know she will do everything in her power to protect Tennessee’s families’ health, air and water, and build a clean energy economy that works for all Tennesseans,” Ramón Cruz, President of Sierra Club National, said in a statement on the Sierra Club’s website.

Courtesy of Bill Hagerty “In 2018, the voters even expanded the Republican majority. So you’ve got both the White House and the Senate with expanded control — both the same party — and the expectation is that they would both follow through and confirm a Supreme Court jus-

tice. I expect them to do it,” Hagerty said in an interview with The Daily Times.

Additionally, Hagerty was endorsed by former competitor Manny Sethi after securing his spot as Republican nominee.

“Our way of life is literally on the ballot in November, and now more than ever, it is critical that we stand behind and strongly support our Republican candidates. We must re-elect President Donald Trump, and we must elect Ambassador Bill Hagerty, who has served our state and country well, for the U.S. Senate,” Sethi said in an email to his supporters.

The general election in November will determine if Hagerty wins the open seat in the Senate.

“Our way of life is literally on the ballot in November, and now more than ever it is critical...”

MANNY SETHI FORMER SENATORIAL CANDIDATE

Marquita Bradshaw for U.S. Senate: Environmental justice voice NATASHA MCKAMEY Staff Writer With the departure of Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Congressional seat has opened in his place.

The current Democratic nominee, Marquita Bradshaw, won the primary race for the seat earlier this year in August. Bradshaw is from Memphis, Tennessee, where she attended the University of Memphis.

The single mom and one of six children is an an environmental justice activist. Environmentalism has been a part of Bradshaw’s life for quite some time. During her time in Memphis, she saw the effects of a 640-acre dumping ground for any material waste from the Army Defense Depot in the city.

Waste dumping here lasted from 1945 to 1995, and some products included chemicals to kill vegetation. Other items included chemical and germ warfare agents, nuclear weapons and biological warfare materials.

Chemicals such as these have contributed to air, soil, ground and surface water pollution, which has in turn contributed to varying health concerns and conditions within the local community.

Suffice it to say, this experience could be part of the reason she is promoting a Green New Deal.

This deal would include, but is not limited to, federal oversights and audit of the remediation of brownfield and superfund sites, stating that

“Black women have been the heart of the Democratic party for years,” Bradshaw said in an interview with The Guardian.

“We vote our values but with the increasing social tensions and awareness, Black women knew it was time to step into our power. For too long, we have been kept out of the conversation. But we are living the issues – racism, classism, sexism. I am living the issues. Black women are the cornerstones of their communities, active in churches, schools, healthcare.

Our voices need to be heard and collectively, we are taking the leap,” Bradshaw said.

“People here know how important it is for an environmentaljustice voice to be in the U.S. Senate.”

MARQUITA BRADSHAW CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE

Courtesy of the Sierra Club

Bradshaw is the first Black woman to win a major party nomination for statewide office in Tennessee.

The Democratic nominee also supports other issues related to education, livable wages, guns and violence, protecting democracy and immigration. More information can be found on her website at marquitabradshaw.com.

ELECTION GUIDE

Wednesday, Daily Beacon Wednesday,October October14, 28,2020 2020• •The The Daily Beacon

11

Politically oriented student organizations on all sides of the spectrum MADELYN MUSCHEK Staff Writer Passionate about politics and looking to get involved on campus? A political student organization might be a great way to find likeminded people all while expanding your own thinking. Here are a few of the major political, government and law associated students organizations at UT. College Democrats This organization is officially affiliated with the Democratic Party, and the main focus of its work on campus is to get Democrats elected to office at any leadership level and to encourage progressive values. New members are always welcome, and the club meets on Monday nights over Zoom.

College Republicans With a similar, though ideologically opposite mission, the college Republicans seek to elect Republican leaders at different levels and promote conservative values. Two of their major events are debates with the col-

lege Democrats and debate-watching events.

Libertarians at UTK This organization supports the Libertarian Party and wants to better inform voters in Knoxville, as well as spark conversations about voting options other than the two-party system. The group frequently collaborates with the East Tennessee Libertarian Party.

Young Democratic Socialists of America at UTK The main goal of this broad-left national organization is to further political education and open conversations about politics and different ideologies. The group plans events to engage with students and paint the Rock as a conversation starter.

Young Americans for Freedom This non-profit, non-partisan organization promotes conservative values without being associated with a political party.

The organization is part of Young America’s Foundation, the nation’s largest conservative youth outreach organization, and participates in debates, hosts lectures and organizes

various conservative projects throughout the year.

Student Political Alliance This organization is mostly focused on engaging in civil discourse and debate and furthering student engagement with civil issues at UTK. Not tied to a political party, the student political alliance wants to empower students to understand political issues and be able to talk about them with civility.

increase their representation in the political sphere. LWT is currently working on creating events to provide resources and host speakers.

In addition to the organizations listed above, UT is home to many more organizations focused on similar topics, such as law and government. If a career in politics is something you’re interested in, consider attending a meeting for one of the organizations above. For more information, visit the organizations’ sites on VOLink.

Progressive Student Alliance This organization focuses on student and worker power at UTK and is the same as United Students Against Sweatshops Local 86, or USAS, which is a national organization. The group’s major focuses are living wages for campus workers, ending poor working conditions for people making college apparel and acquiring funding for higher education.

Leading Women of Tomorrow UTK This organization is bipartisan and focuses on empowering women in joining public service in politics. The organization aims to encourage women to be involved in politics to

College Dems at a 2020 presidential debate watch party in September.

Courtesy of Amanda Taylor

UT College Democrats hopeful for Democratic victories in 2020

DANIEL DASSOW Staff Writer

Keely Sage was already the statewide president of Tennessee College Democrats when she transferred to UT her junior year.

She was surprised to find upon her arrival that there was no active chapter of College Democrats on her new campus.

“I was like, excuse me? We’re the biggest school in Tennessee, what do you mean you’re inactive?” Sage said.

Sage, now a senior studying biosystems engineering, set to work reviving what was once voted the best chapter of College Dems in the nation. A year later, with an all-new executive board and increasing membership, her work seems to have paid off.

This semester, UT’s chapter of College Dems has hosted weekly virtual meetings which feature local Democratic candidates as guest speakers and train students in electing Democratic candidates.

Sage says that the chapter has been squarely focused on efforts to get out the vote and secure Democratic seats in the Tennessee State House of Representatives, efforts which have included phone banking and mail drops.

“We really try to push voter registration here at UT and on the statewide level really hard,” Sage said. “Here at UT, most of our work is done trying to flip state house races

and then keep the ones that are already blue. ... So we’ve been doing a ton of work with that.”

After struggling to revamp the dead chapter last year amid low membership and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sage says the election has strengthened interest in the work of College Dems this semester.

In addition to election year energy, the growth of College Dems can also be attributed to Sage’s high profile as the president of Tennessee College Democrats and the chance meeting of Sage and Amanda Taylor, who now serve as vice president and president of UT’s chapter, respectively.

Taylor, a sophomore studying political science and public health, shares Sage’s incredulity in the relatively low interest in College Dems and wants to grow the chapter through her tenure as its president.

“I think that it’s absurd that College Democrats has 20 active members in a school of 30,000 people,” Taylor said. “There’s no way all of them are Republicans.”

Though it was successful up to the 2008 election, Taylor says that the energy of UT’s chapter flagged in the Obama years, a phenomenon that she is working to avoid.

“I think, going forward, College Dems is different in that we will be more active, and my personal goal with this club right now is to make it self-sustaining,” Taylor said.

“Obviously the overarching goal of College Dems is to get Democrats elected, but my

goal with this club is to make the club selfsustaining after I am done with it, where it will continue and it doesn’t just become inactive the year before a major presidential election.”

The creation of niche liberal student organizations on campus such as the Sunrise Movement, the Pride Center and Planned Parenthood Generation Action Council has likely drained energy from umbrella groups like College Dems, which broadly focus on supporting Democratic candidates rather than on a certain area of policy. However, the election year has caused an apparent increase in student interest in campaign work, according to College Dems.

Sage herself has been more closely involved in the 2020 presidential election than most college students can ever hope to be. She was selected to represent the state of Tennessee in the roll call portion of the Democratic National Convention in August, an experience she says was one of the most memorable of her life.

Based on her work at both the chapter and state level, Sage is confident that the energy among young voters will carry Democrats to office on election day.

“I think that we’re going to be really surprised at the amount of races we’re going to win,” Sage said. “I think if we look at the way things have changed from the 2016 to the 2018 election, we saw a huge increase in turnout, particularly among young voters

as well, which is nice. Obviously, I feel like a huge part of my life is spent towards getting this turnout increased.”

Echoing the sentiment of Democratic leaders across the country, Sage says that the high-stakes of this election in particular will get voters to the polls.

“I think a lot of people have found reasons to vote,” Sage said. “Now at this point, there’s just so much on the line that everyone has at least a reason, no matter how small, to get out and vote.”

For her part, Taylor believes that America will have a new president after this election.

“I think Joe Biden will win. I really do. I have this hope,” Taylor said. “Or, we will descend into this pseudo-fascist, Trump nationalist state. But I have hope for Joe Biden. I think he’s exhibited a lot of class ...

I think that he will be a uniter, I don’t think he will be a divider-in-chief like Trump has been.”

Whether her work as president of UT’s newly revived chapter of College Dems lends credence to Taylor’s political instincts remains to be seen. But for now, she does not shy away from having big hopes for her party.

“I’m feeling a blue wave across the country, I really am. I think we’ll flip seats all across America in state legislatures, and in the Senate, and in Congress,” Taylor said.

“My gut is telling me that it is going to go well.”

12 12

ELECTION GUIDE

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, Wednesday,October October28, 14,2020 2020

Libertarian organization wants an end to the two-party system CALISTA BOYD Managing Editor

With the election coming up, everyone must choose a presidential candidate that they want to see in office. The main two parties being talked about in the media are Democratic and Republican.

Libertarians at UTK want people to know that they have another choice, which is to vote third party.

Libertarians at UTK is very new to campus and was started earlier this year by junior Austin Tallent, president of the club, and junior Cameron Rogers, vice president of the club. The two had the idea to start the club after a conversation about their similar political beliefs in the spring outside of Subway in the Student Union.

Although it was officially named a club in August, the group is hopeful to attract members through its social media engagement. Since COVID-19 inhibits the faceto-face recruitment, its outreach is mainly online.

Rogers spoke about the versatility of libertarianism that initially drew her to her beliefs.

“Libertarianism is socially liberal, but economically conservative. So you don’t necessarily have to fall on the left-wing or on the right-wing, but you can have different ideas and still be part of something,” Rogers said.

Sophomore Chloe Weaver, recruitment chair of Libertarians at UTK, is also among the few who have been involved with the organization since the beginning and just recently identified herself as Libertarian.

Weaver was drawn to libertarianism because her political philosophy aligns with the non-aggression principle, which is a common Libertarian value, saying: Don’t hurt people, don’t take their stuff and people can choose how to live their lives themselves.

“The government, or a larger entity, can’t decide how an individual lives, so making overarching policies and regulations is not the way to create large-scale political change or societal change,” Weaver said.

Weaver described how libertarians don’t believe that generalized policies over the masses is the best way to govern people, and that individuals making their own decisions will increase their quality of life.

When school went online in the spring, Weaver turned to researching her own political philosophy in her freetime.

Weaver wasn’t satisfied with what she was reading from both democratic news sources or republican news sources, so she started investigating libertarianism.

“Since quarantine, I have had a lot more

time to evaluate my morals and political philosophy, so I started watching videos from both sides like Fox or CNN, and I found flaws in both. … Everything started to line up with libertarianism,” Weaver said.

Libertarians value individual decisionmaking and do not trust the government to act in the best interest of the people. Weaver was attracted to the individual freedom advocated by libertarianism and how it promotes peace above all.

While Weaver is attracted to the free market aspect of libertarianism, she describes that the non-aggression principle is the key in ensuring peace and safety.

“I think the most attractive thing about libertarianism is you are free to live however you want to live, as long as you are not hurting other people or hurting their stuff.

If we can be peaceful, then it will create a better social climate and encourage better relations among individuals,” Weaver said.

“If we can just respect each other or respect others’ decisions, we will all be okay.”

Rogers also had similar experiences, where she didn’t feel a strong pull to either of the parties and saw attractiveness in how libertarianism offers different scales.

“Libertarianism has different scales, so as a social Libertarian, I am more concerned about social issues than economic issues, but I recognize that the economy is important and is related to social issues,” Rogers said.

“The government, or a larger entity, can’t decide how an individual lives, so making overarching policies and regulations is not the way to create largescale political change or societal change.”

CHLOE WEAVER LIBERTARIANS AT UTK

While Rogers is concerned about social freedom, she still is keen to learn about economic policies and understands why many are concerned with the economic state of the country.

Rogers believes that libertarianism offers people the flexibility to like values from both sides of the political spectrum, while still belonging to an overall cause.

“Most Americans fall on a moderate scale, and that is what Libertarianism is.

You can be independent, you can think what you want to think,” Rogers said. “You don’t have to agree with all Libertarian values, but it has a mix of the values that both parties have.”

Both Rogers and Weaver like how libertarianism lets you pick and choose the values that are important to you, while respecting everyone’s rights to make their

Cameron Rogers with Jo Jorgensen at her rally in Knoxville.

Courtesy of Cameron Rogers own decisions.

Weaver explained that herself and other libertarians aren’t focused on immediate change, but they want to see long-term political and social change.

“We want very long-term, societal change, rather than have someone in the White House telling you how to live your life,” Weaver said. “It is all about encouraging individuals to be the best they can be, so they can build their own skills and grow in every aspect instead of someone else telling them how they should be.”

Weaver stressed the importance of mutual respect, which should be at the base of all communities. She thinks that everyone is entitled to their own actions and opinions as long as they do not cause harm to others.

In the case of Rogers and Weaver, they know that it is highly unlikely for a third party to win the presidential election, but they value raising awareness to the party through increasing their numbers in the polls.

Rogers encouraged everyone who doesn’t find themselves aligning with values from the right or the left to vote third-party.

“I can understand if you don’t like Biden, and I can understand if you don’t like Trump; America’s two-party system is failing us. Those who don’t like either of those candidates can vote third-party, and increase our numbers in the polls.” Rogers said. “If we get 5% of the votes, then we will get funding, which will give us a larger platform. We would see the process of the twoparty system, hopefully.”

Rogers wants individuals to look past

party affiliation and vote for those who will raise awareness to issues they care about.

Rogers attended a rally for Jo Jorgenson, the Libtertarian presidential candidate, at Lakeshore Park on Oct. 19 and relayed what Jorgensen had to say. The rally was the final stop on Jorgensen’s campaign tour before the election.

Rogers discussed some of the policies that attracted her to Jorgensen as a presidential candidate. “(Jorgensen) talked about victimless crime laws. So that goes back to the drugs, sex work and gambling, so she wants to pardon those who have gone to prison for those crimes,” Rogers said. “She talked about the environment. She wants parties to be responsible for their pollution and to have alternative sources to non-renewable sources. We need to take the environment into account when you make decisions on your own property.”

Rogers also mentioned Jorgensen’s foreign policy outlook, which is centered around withdrawing from conflicts and making the U.S. focus on itself. “(Jorgensen) reassured us that she would make the United States an armed Switzerland. We want to bring our troops home, we don’t want to be involved in conflicts that are not important to us,” Rogers said. “She reiterated that America should focus on itself. And, it’s not our job to act as the world police” Both Weaver and Rogers acknowledged that voting is important, and every election is an important election. They encouraged individuals who are questioning their political beliefs to look into other ideologies, like libertarianism.

Libertarians at UTK hold bi-weekly meetings, where they discuss different political concepts in the context of libertarianism. In previous meetings they have talked about justice reform and nuclear energy.

If you are interested in learning more about the club or libertarianism, you can reach out to Cameron Rogers at croger54@ vols.utk.edu.

“I think the most attractive thing about libertarianism is you are free to live however you want to live, as long as you are not hurting other people or hurting their stuff. If we can be peaceful, then it will create a better social climate and encourage better relations among individuals.”

CHLOE WEAVER LIBERTARIANS AT UTK