Emergency MediaNote!

This MediaNote was presented to the MW class only.br>
Today at 11:18 am a new text-based emergency warning system will be activated. It supplements the emergency broadcast system that we have seen tested on television down through the years. But in these highly polarized times, there is concern from some that this national system could be misused. NPR reports.

Questions...

•For what sort of situations would the federal government need to send an emergency text message to everyone's phone?

•How might these emergency messages be particularly important to Californians?

•Should citizens have the right to opt out of receiving these messages? Why or why not?

•Are you concerned that President Trump or future presidents will misuse this system? What kind of misuse could you imagine?

NOTE: Glendale College has a text-based warning system called Nixle. If you want to sign up for Nixle (or simply know more about it), follow this link for details.