Sources used in this document:

The Fox News national debate was recently held on March 3rd, 2016 and there was a trove of information about this event through a variety of different mediums that was created before, during, and after the event. Not only is the medium important, but the point in time the information was presented relative to the event can also serve as another aspect that can influence its content and the perceptions of the messages that are gained from consuming the media. For example, information that was presented about the event but before the event was held seems to focus on the background information, predications, or information about the event.

One of the interesting aspects of today's level of technology is that individuals can now consume media from a range of different sources all at the same time. For example, a viewer of the Republican debate can not only watch the event on TV or via some live stream on a television, computer, tablet, or phone, but they can also follow different mediums at the exact time. Some common web of mediums being consumed at once might include Twitter, live blogs, Facebook, and maybe some fact checking through Googling some websites about some of the claims that were made. Not only can individuals combine mediums, but some of the networks now do this automatically, such as when Fox News presents the activity happening on Twitter or screens questions that were posted by viewers over social media.

After the event the mediums seem slight more conventional in terms of multi-tasking or piggy-back mediums. For example, you can read articles about the event that put the overall event in context of its popularity. This particular debate was the extremely popular relative to other events in 2016 as well as in history with over sixteen million people watching. Other articles on digital print or stories on the news often are fairly subjective and include opinions of the candidate's performance; or at least subjective in terms of the information they provide. By actually watching the debate live or by watching a recording you can actually form your own opinion about the candidate's interactions. But even then, commentators are still interjecting their analysis during the event itself. Yet the post-event analysis seems to be more comprehensive since they have more time to compile information to make their arguments. However, reading about one of Trump's outlandish statements in a print analysis, does not compare to actually hearing and watching it for yourself. All of these examples point to the fact that the modern interplay between mediums has become so complex, sometimes it can be difficult to separate them.