Kentucky Congressman John Yarmuth held a press conference for high school journalists Feb. 20 in the Romano Mazzoli Federal Building. Among the issues Yarmuth spoke about during the event were different kinds of media and their effects on politics. Yarmuth, a U.S. Representative for the Third District, was the founder of the Louisville Eccentric Observer. Yarmuth said written journalism will eventually end up online, with people paying for credible reporting. He said the media has a unique effect on politics. P oliticians know that anything they do will be publicized, and optimists believe that media will make politicians remain honest — and do what the people want. “Some people consider journalism to be part of the checks and balances in the government. Now more than ever, I think that’s the case,” Yarmuth said. “Nothing can happen in politics or sports without it being talked about online and on TV and in the newspapers.” Deborah Yetter, an editorial writer for The Courier-Journal, spoke briefly before Yarmuth took the stage. “A lot of people follow politics online,” she said. “When I wanted to follow Senate Bill 9, for instance, I followed its path through the Senate and the House on Twitter.” The bill proposed that claims against long-term healthcare facilities go before a medical review panel reaching state litigation. It’s becoming the norm to follow politics online because the Internet is easy to use and provides much more information than a print newspaper or TV broadcast. When asked how they follow the news and politics, Trinity students had differing answers. “I like to watch news channels like ABC and CBS to keep up,” junior Sean McKinney said. Other students said they prefer to keep up with news online. No students said they like to read a print newspaper to learn about the news. Yarmuth sees a difference between broadcast and written journalism. “We put a lot of emphasis on broadcast journalism, maybe a little too much,” Yarmuth said. “But my thoughts are that pictures will never replace words. Writing — online or in a newspaper — touches on a lot of stuff that would never make it to broadcast.” Yetter said social media has a way of keeping things from getting out of hand. She said she would never have known that Senate Bill 9 had passed without any real discussion if the information hadn’t been put online.