In this written report the aim is to critically analyse two separate articles of the same subject. The purpose is to look at the language, arguments and viewpoints each article has put across and how it’s interpreted to the audience.
According to Malthouse and Roffey-Barensten(2013 page 61) to analyse means to break topics into elements and examine each..
The two articles being analysed are from the Mail Online published on the 4th August 2013 by reporter Fiona Macrae for the purpose of this report we will call this article text A. the second article is Bupa published January 2013 by Natalie Heaton Bupa health information team .We will call this text B
The subject of childhood obesity has been widely reported in the media in recent years and been debated in parliament. According to department of health(GOV.UK) 25th march 2013 it costs the government more than 50 billion every year.
Text A is an online newspaper and aims to draw in the reader by using shock headlines that are intended to grab your attention. It does this by using emotive language for example “British children are eating themselves into an early grave “It backs up its headlines by using equally shocking pictures supposedly of children to to keep the reader interested. It does this by using logical fallacies manipulating an emotional response in place of a valid or compelling argument.(yourlogicalfallacyis.com)
According to Cotteral(second edition 2011 page 117) emotive language uses words phrases and examples that intend to provoke an emotional response.
Text A uses quotes from professionals with specialist knowledge to convince the reader that the information must be true because a specialist has said so for example Research by Imperial College London that soari...
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...dence to back up arguments and statistics. The layout of each text differs in several ways. Text A is a journalistic piece and its aim is to shock rather than report the actual problem of childhood obesity its does this by cleverly using shocking pictures and emotive language such as” alarming” to furthermore pull the reader in the text is also very persuasive and descriptive outlining the shocking epidemic of childhood obesity .A typical tabloid article
Text B is not journalistic at all and is written for medical factual information aimed to give the reader the whys and where’s of childhood obesity and how to prevent this from happening. It has no need to shock or sensationalise that’s not its purpose. Although text B talks about the so called epidemic of childhood obesity it does it in a more informative way as you would expect an information booklet to be.
The hard, logical proof used to persuade is called logos. Authors use this technique to support their propositional statements in an argument. By supporting an opinion with a sufficient amount of data, an audience is able to find the argument believable. Logos, however, goes beyond the abundance of information geared toward swaying an opinion into agreement. Presenting facts also includes decisions such as which ...
(3) Adam, Elga (2007) “Reflection and Disagreement” Princeton University Copyright the Authors Journal compilation, Blackwell Publishing, Inc. Pg. 478 – 502.
The author is trying to persuade readers to his opinion that vaccinations should be required. The majority of the claims are opinion based, with factual evidence used as support. The logical argument of preventing deaths via vaccinations is used, however the article is also purposely introducing fear and guilt. The facts used could sway a reader to the author’s side by making them fear the other option. The article argues it is a citizen's responsibility to be vaccinated, and that not doing so could hurt innocent bystanders. Both these statements conduce an emotional response. The evidence use to support the article is supported by similar facts from other sources but is not well cited within the article nor is an opposing viewpoint addressing the possible consequences of vaccinating mentioned.The information is clearly presented but is meant to create an emotional reaction and does not cite many direct sources or address the opposing
The Open University (2010) K101 An introduction to health and social care, Unit 2, ‘Illness, Health and Care’, Milton Keynes, The Open University.
The title of this article captures the reader’s attention by being sudden and shocking by saying 'more kids will die ' shocking the reader and making them want to read the article. The effectiveness of the headline is it uses strong but straight to the point language with no nonsense language and no puns at all. It is positioning the reader to be shocked and possibly on the attack and if you’re a parent that does not have a vaccinated child it could seem as if it is pointed straight at you and makes you as if you apart of the problem and
Writer’s angle: The idea of ending childhood obesity is not quit arguable. Though, how to go about it and the main causes and triggers for childhood obesity
For an example of the authors use of specific examples while describing what the media decides as news worthy the author writes, “The public rarely hears about the routine ceremonies at state dinners, but when President George Bush threw up all over the Japanese prime minister in 1992, the world’s media jumped on the story” (Edwards, Wattenberg, Lineberry, 2015, p. 398). This is an indication of how the media decides what is newsworthy. This quote demonstrates some of the strengths of the article because, not only does the quote support how the media decides what is news worthy, but it also shows no bias and is a factual, specific example. Another quote that demonstrates the strengths of the article is “Journalists and politicians have a symbiotic relationship, with politicians relying on journalists to get their message out and journalists relying on politicians to keep them in the know”. (p.400). this quote demonstrates the strengths of the article because, it shows how the media gets its news, how politicians gains their influence, and shows no bias. One last quote that emphasizes the strengths of this excerpt is “The media can even have a dramatic effect on how the public evaluates specific events by emphasizing one event over others. When during a 1976 presidential debate, President Ford incorrectly stated that the Soviet Union did
To conclude, the text uses many persuasive features and devices to effectively persuade people. For example, pronouns are used to directly address the reader and make them feel involved, and facts and statistics are used, which prove the charity and backs up the opinion strongly. Celebrity backing from Bono is also used, this may make people listen and respect the charity and Bono’s fans may also support the charity. Presentational devices are also used in aid of persuading the reader e.g. the picture of the pants, this provides humour and makes the reader want to read the article to find out why the pants are relevant. Therefore, the ‘Make Poverty History’ text is effective; this is because of the above reasons and makes the reader want to help abolish poverty.
Mary Louise Fleming, E. P. (2009). Introduction to Public Health. Chatswood, NSW, Australia: Elsevier Australia.
Nicholas Carr has many strong points in his article. He successfully proves that what he has to say is worthy of his readers time, and that maybe we should all take caution to how much time we spend on the
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) about “17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese” (Moreno et al., 2013 P.157). “Surveys administered in 1976-1980 and 2007-2008 show that the prevalence of obesity has changed from 6.5% to 19.6% among children 6-11 years old age and from 5.0% to 18.1% for those aged 12-19 years (Moreno et al., 2013 P.157).
This essay will explain both sides of the views and using critical thinking will uncover the real message the author intended to portray.
Childhood obesity has become huge epidemic in the United States. It is becoming one of the biggest health problems in America. Children are facing serious health concerns by not having the proper diet and exercise needed on a day-to-day basis. There are many different perspectives on how obesity should be treated and prevented. Many argue that children nowadays are becoming lazy, not getting enough exercise and have poor eating habits. Children are lacking fast and cheap food options that are actually healthy. Which are making people question who is to blame for this issue. Parents, schools, fast food industries and even the children themselves are just a few of the things that are to blame for this epidemic.
Stretch, B; Whitehouse, M. (2010) Btec Level 3 Health & Social Care Book 2: Harlow, Essex, GBR:Pearson Education Ltd.
Comparing two newspaper articles, one from a tabloid and one from a broadsheet will convey the different techniques that tabloids and broadsheets use to present stories. Media in general, aim to inform and interest the audience which consist of many different types. Diverse emotions and ideas are created by the media; foremost tabloids. Tabloids are papers like ‘The Sun’, ‘The Mirror’, ‘The Daily Mail’, ‘The Express’ and ‘The Star’. In contrast to these are broadsheets like ‘The Times’, ‘The Guardian’ and ‘The Daily Telegraph’. Broadsheets are often known as the ‘quality press’ being more informing and formal in the manner they convey information and news stories.