Rhetorical Analysis Of The Onion

In the article, “The Onion has Finally Confirmed There Were No Survivors In The Challenger Disaster,” the author and speaker, Mr. Newton, informs in a rather satirical manner, that the newspaper company can finally state an obvious point. However odd, that it be 32 years after the initial event and a week before it’s anniversary. Mr. Newton explains how several tests and investigations were used so he could dictate to readers, mostly teenagers and middle aged Americans, of the newspaper without fault that, yes, everyone on the ship had died. In a rather haughty manner, he accuses other newspapers of being too hasty and providing information without evidence. The most important thing however how his tone sounds informative and eventually turns to verbally abusive.

As the fictional Mr.

Newton writes, he begins in a rather formal manner about how The Onion is “issuing an update to confirm there were no survivors in the accident.” However as the article goes on, he begins to use logos to prove The Onion is far superior to other news outlets. It begins when he states “But in the name of accuracy and journalistic excellence…”, he is speaking as though they work for the best. And eventually the verbal attacks go so far as to outright name the “inferior” competitors, calling them “disreputable, unreliable news organizations.” And in another notable line, he referred to them as “Inferior reporters at second-rate news outlets.” His tone eventually turns to deeply condescending and bitter saying there is “no excuse for their shoddy journalism” and states “Thanks to The Onion- and only The Onion- America finally has answers.” This is a rather pompous form of gloating and still it appeals to Logos, in order to drive home Mr. Newton’s

point.
With the usage of a snarky tone and a rather formal diction, Mr. Newton addresses his readers about an event that happened at least 30 years ago. In a final confirmation he besmirches other newspapers and releases information already known to the public for quite a long time. The Challenger disaster occurred so long ago and of course there were no survivors, and yet The Onion informs the public that this is in fact true after years of thorough investigation. This article’s main purpose was to poke fun at other news organizations while in a rather fabulous form, mildly make fun of the author and The Onion itself. And the point is really driven home with how the author utilizes his tone, diction, and the power of logos in writing this article.