Growing up, I realized that Latina women were also typecast in almost oppressively one-dimensional stereotypes on television. Look at Eva Longoria who portrayed a conniving Latina homemaker who used her looks to advance her agenda in "Desperate Housewives." Or look at Sofia Vergara who plays the overly emotional, overly loud and overly crazy Gloria on "Modern Family." Turn on Lifetime’s "Devious Maids" for 10 minutes to see the silent-but-sexualized maid trope. Even Santana on "Glee," Fox’s hour-long PSA against harmful stereotypes, falls victim to these cliches.

Students sound off on the role of television in their lives here at Whitman, expressing a diverse range of opinions and viewing habits.

Americans' perception of the accuracy of news hit a 20 year low in 2009. While the media seems like the problem, our choices as consumers of news perpetuate the very things that lower our trust in news media.