Week 9 Assignment
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/10/admiral-rachel-levine-transgender-public-health/
The first article I have chosen for this assignment is from the far-right CBN News (Christian Broadcasting Network). This article is titled “Comic Book Artist Quits After DC Announces Superman Will Be LGBT” and discusses exactly what the title entails.
To begin, the first topic I will discuss in the article is the five criteria of journalistic content. Mechanically, the article is well written and has grammatical or spelling errors. That being said, the way that the story is structured leaves a lot to be desired. It begins by introducing the DC employee, and gives his reason for leaving the company, but does it out of context to the situation. This also affects the rhetorical criteria as it does not provide a clear basis for the argument that is being made. The mediation criteria are also bad. The headline for the article uses a picture of lego superman. The Contextual element is also out of place. The article refrains from providing the correct information in the article to create a homophobic element. Lastly, the voice of the article is distinguishable.
The who, what, when, where, why, and how of this article are the DC comic artists Gabe Eltaeb, Superman's son, a video article on youtube. This was in response to DC coming out with the information that Superman's son would be bisexual. They did this to provide a more inclusive attitude toward superheroes.
The article's lead starts by saying “Comic Book Artist Quits After DC Announces Superman Will Be LGBT”. This lays the groundwork for the rest of the article by giving the reader a brief idea of what the article is about. The hook and nut graf that follows says “An artist with DC Comics said this week he’s leaving the company because he’s “tired of them ruining these characters.” His decision comes on the heels of the announcement that the next iteration of Superman will be bisexual” This explains the concern that the artist had with making a comic broke that he thought went against the values of America.
The layout of the article was poor. As stated earlier the article is written in a way that probes the reader into taking the article out of context. The first five paragraphs of the article lead the reader to believe that Superman's character is being changed when he is not. The character that is being written into the LBGTQ+ community is Superman's son. I believe that the layout of this article is presented in a way that will steer the reader away from the facts.
The taglines used in this story are primarily placed to present bias. For example, one of the quotes from the article stated “My Grandfather almost died in WWII”. This is meant to invoke emotion in the reader and steer them away from the issue that was first presented. This type of argument is a fallacy.
This article was meant to be biased and is homophobic. Its goal is to present the reader with something they should be angry with, even when it does not affect them. As stated in the previous paragraph, the writer spent most of his energy trying to make the topic of supermans sun being bisexual into something unrelated.
The second article I have chosen is from Mother Jones. It discussed the timeline of transphobic remarks regarding Dr. Rachel Levine, a newly appointed Admiral in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
The article is mechanically well structured and provides an accurate representation of Levine’s timeline. The article does however call people such as conservative news show host Tucker Carlson for homophobic remarks without providing an example of what he said. This also is a knock on the rhetorical criteria of the article. The mediation of the article is very good. It provides pictures of Dr. Levine, as well as strategically placed taglines and slogans that tie the article together. The article is not taken out of context and is accurately represented. The voice is also distinct to the Mother Jones website.
The Five W’s and H are Dr. Levine, her history, the past, as well of the present regarding her recent appointment. The purpose (why, and how) of the article is to show the issue of transphobic remarks and actions against Dr. Levine, and why its history is important regarding her recent appointment by President Biden.
The article's lead states “This week, the Biden Administration made history by tapping Dr. Rachel Levine as the head of the US Public Health Service’s Commissioned Corps”. The lead purpose of this article is to introduce the importance of Levine’s appointment. It is followed with the hook and nut graf “Levine is a transgender woman; the job comes with a uniform, four stars, and a somewhat unexpected title: Admiral. The appointment makes her the first woman to lead a uniformed service branch, and confirms her place as an LGBTQ pathbreaker”. This further explains and reiterates the importance of the historical appointment.
The layout of the article presents the reader with a clear timeline. It starts by giving context into who Dr. Levine is, and then begins to explain her timeline, and why it's important to consider. Overall The layout is very clear.
The layout also shows us that this article is meant to be mostly informative, and provide the reader with a little background knowledge regarding Dr. Levine’s hardships. This article is also meant to create a mood of sympathy for Dr. Levine.
Lastly, the story does present a left-wing bias. As stated earlier, in the very first paragraph, the writer immediately attacks the right-wing and marks them as homophobic. It is also important to note the praise being given to President Biden for his action.
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