Current Events

1. What's being discussed in this article?

 This article discusses the issue of whether or not a mosque should be built near ground zero. There are a few sides to this issue; first- a lot of people do not want an Islamic mosque near ground zero because it will create even more of a connection between 9/11 and Islam. Second, there is supposed to be separation between the church and the state in the United States, so they have every right to build a mosque even though it is near ground zero. But thirdly, there is also the issue that over in Mecca, where Islam is the prominent religion, they do not allow Christian churches or Jewish temples. Lastly, they say that by not allowing the mosque to be built then the United States is openly saying that they are against Islam.

1. When did the event happen? (Is this breaking news or something that's been analyzed and discussed for a while?)

The issue of Park51 is a recent issue, about a month ago.

1. What questions do you have that would help make this article make more sense to you? What more do you need to learn about to be able to report on this event

It would be good to know exactly where the mosque was going to be built, or the people who were pushing for the project. It would also be good to know the real, legal reasons they shouldn't put a mosque there, but also why they want to build the mosque in that place. 

History- Three most memorable newsworthy events

I think that the three most memorable newsworthy moments for me so far have been 9/11, the tsunami in Indonesia, and President Obama. I remember 9/11 very clearly. I was in third grade, and then all of the sudden our principle came over the intercom and told us about it, then we all watched it on tv and talked about it. I knew it was a big deal, but I didn't really understand. When I came home from school that day my mom came to the door in tears, and I asked her why she was crying and that was when I realized how big of deal it was. The tsunami in Indonesia stuck out to me because I didn't really think that stuff like that really happened. It was a big shock seeing the pictures and hearing the stories of the people. Lastly, it was a huge deal in the United States when Barrack Obama was elected and became the first black president, which I will always remember.

The three most memorable newsworthy moments for my step dad, Greg, are : 9/11, the assassination of JFK, he was six years old but he still remembers everything that happened that day, and the start of Desert Storm, because that was the first time you really got to see a war on tv.