Background

My full name is Michael Charles Farfaglia, I am a Journalism major, with a
minor in Political Science. Since coming to the University of Connecticut
I have taken Journalism 200, 201, 202, 203, 212w and 295. I am currently taking Journalism 220 and 230. I have also taken political science courses in American government, international politics and Constitutional Law.

I became interested in Journalism after reading In Cold Blood by Truman
Capote in high school, as well pieces for the Miami Herald by Michelle
Malkin, the National Review, Time Magazine and The New York Times. While my first interest in journalism was politically motivated, now I find the most interesting pieces are more objective stories written about criminal acts or political figures as well as imbedded reporting from Iraq and Afghanistan.

After arriving at the University of Connecticut I began writing for the
Daily Campus, the student-run newspaper. I have enjoyed covering political
protests, such as the “Die in for Darfur,” where students lay on the
ground, mimicking death while holding placards decrying corporations that
were seen as supporting the Sudanese government. I also wrote about the
safety of women on Campus and a piece related to the drunk-driving death
of undergrad Carley Wines.

I became interested in internet news services when I became a member of
Freerepublic.com, a conservative political weblog. After being banned from
Free Republic and subsequently joining other sites, I became interested in
forming websites for more independent news, which could possibly be free
from larger corporate interference, such as focusing on celebrity news,
oddities and budget cuts. I see these forces as being hugely destructive
to contemporary news mediums like print and television.