Lauren's 5 Step Critical Analysis to Sophie's Article

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 Lauren Mitchell:


This is a critical analysis of Sophie’s post of the USA Today article about Trump’s polarizing statement surrounding the inaction and ineffectiveness of “blue states” in response to COVID-19. I agree with Sophie’s argument that although the language is eye-catching, the article uses direct quotes and contextualizes these statements to inform the reader, regardless of their political standing. 


Description: COVID-19 has highlighted the political intricacies of countries around the world, in a federalist system in the U.S. it highlights the different emergency management systems and healthcare access that vary from state to state. The USA Today article explores the validity of Trump’s recent statements that insinuate states that are run by a democrat, or are historically more democratic, are the reason for the high death rates from the virus. 


Analysis: A prominent trend in the article is the use of more theatrical quotes by politicians, and a focus on the relationships between them. As alluded to in the article title, Trump made a polarizing political statement, that in turn “drew a swift rebuke” from democratic leaders. The article uses a tweet from opposing presidential candidate Joe Biden, and a statement taken from the senate floor by Chuck Schumer. The article also acknowledges their political affiliations, as well as alludes to the “long standing quarrels” between Cuomo and Trump.


Interpretation: The reliance of using this language, and looking into these media charged feuds between these figures could come down to having an eye-catching headline, but is it necessarily at the expense of informed journalism? 


Evaluation: While there is a quiet wit to this news article (e.g., exposing the hypocrisy of Trump through placing conflicting statements “made minutes before” next to each other), the article does acknowledge Trump’s statements around blue states and death rates, and uses this basis for a grounds of their own research about the issue, while maintaining a level of transparency behind the methodology used in their research. It is also important to acknowledge the “cultural incracies of the landscape” (Campbell, Martin, & Fabos, 2014, 31) this language used is nothing new during election season, especially when competing with other major news sources. 


Engagement: The article may not give explicit ways to directly engage with politics, however, I would suggest for direct democratic participation this November if the article sways a reader one way or another, which aligns with the goal to “work to create a media world that actively supports democracy” (Campbell, Martin, & Fabos, 2014, 33). Outside of the realm of traditional politics, like voting, I would suggest staying informed about COVID-19 issues through international health organizations, such as the World Health Organization, which may stray away from politically charged reporting.


Comments

  1. RosanaOctober 1, 2020 at 5:46 PM

    Thank you Lauren for your very systematic and grounded examination of Sophie's article. I appreciate your comments about the use "eye-catching" and potentially provocative language. This language it's very natural to advocacy journalism, and let's not forget that we are moving in the spectrum of commentary and opinion, a genre that is becoming the rule in the US press (it didn't use to be) but that also needs to be constantly reviewed and subjected to a critical view. I see many parallels between the ways in which the Spain and the US governments have used the pandemic as a political weapon. As I said in my comment to Sophie's analysis, having an informed opinion is the first step to take informed decisions that will have a clear impact in the upcoming elections. Excellent analysis.

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  2. Sophie HargraveOctober 6, 2020 at 4:07 PM

    This is a great critical analysis of the article I selected! Great use of supporting quotes from our textbook. I agree with your view, and I especially like your interpretation of the article. It is important to interpret whether or not this use of strong language negates the real message that journalists put forward. I also especially like your engagement step-- it is essential to make an informed opinion, especially regarding the pandemic, from sources that are outside of the political sphere. Thanks, Lauren!

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