From my perspective as a local news consumer, I remember that the coverage surrounding the Columbia student protesters for Palestine exploded when protesters first unveiled the “Hind’s Hall” banner over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University.

In my view, the news coverage circulating this particular image of students dropping this specific banner proves the limitations of the linear model of communication because the discussions I had with classmates at the time regarding this news coverage contended with the report’s blindness to political repression at CUNY and the efficacy of the Columbia protesters’ tactics. I think this proves how the linear model of communication is unable to translate neatly into interpersonal communication because my conversations with other CUNY students about this coverage directly competes with the linear model’s notion that messages are defined by one-way transmission. Like the transactional model of communication proposes, how we receive messages is always informed by noise and personal filters. While the news coverage may intend to deliver information about the Columbia protestors’ demands, my position as a CUNY student complicates how I interpreted and relayed the message. Furthermore, the recurring conflicted emotions I encountered through conversations about this news coverage’s attention circulation allowed me to realize that the audience does receive a message as the linear model suggests, it’s just that how we interpret the message is shaped by noise and personal filters.

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