Selective Confinement in Madrid - Susanna Bucklin - article posted by Eli

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This article is lacking one of the most important perspectives: that of those who will be impacted by the selective lockdown. Neighborhoods impacted by these policies are working class neighborhoods, most with high numbers of immigrant residents. Ironically, the protests against wearing masks or social distancing have come from richer neighborhoods like barrio Salamanca. Shouldn’t they be the ones in quarantine?

Isabel Díaz Ayuso has failed to act preventatively, and instead chooses to blame immigrants and the working class. The majority of people living in the districts affected commute for work, exposing them to public transport along with whoever they may come into contact with at work. These workers are essential to Madrid and its economy and many take the lowest paying jobs that others refuse to do. 


Throughout the article, there is a comprehensible explanation of the policies imposed by Madrid and the political history regarding the handling of the pandemic response. The statistics add to the reader’s understanding and provide a better insight of how the pandemic has affected Madrid. The language used by the authors is quite neutral and professional, by the wording itself it’s difficult to pin what their opinion on the lockdown and handling of the pandemic is. Hospital capacity and geographic information regarding Madrid’s commuters was also a useful addition to the piece. 


I would argue that due to the lack of information and insight from opposing views and those affected makes the article biased, whether it was the author’s intention or not. The article is clear and takes no official stance on the issue, but it only shows one side of the story. It does not show the neighbors in Carabanchel, Vallecas and other parts of Madrid being unfairly placed under these restrictions. The author’s neglect to include this perspective speaks volumes to me. 



Original article: https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-09-18/madrid-announces-new-restrictions-on-mobility-to-curb-spike-in-covid-19.html 



Comments

  1. RosanaOctober 1, 2020 at 7:06 PM

    Thank you for your analysis Susanna, your perspective on both the political mismanagement and the article itself are very relevant and insightful. It's interesting how, at the moment, most news stories related to the pandemic follow a very clear patter of advocacy journalism, focused on opinion and commentary rather than mere, neutral analysis, which I think is difficult to sustain in the current situation. As much as we need objective, and analytical examinations of numbers, heath issues, and efficiency of regulations, we need to access free opinions from different perspectives, this is essential not only to generate our own informed opinion, but to take informed decisions as voters, citizens, etc. Finally, your analysis is lacking a little structure in terms of the 5-step process Susanna, where's the engagement phase? Aside form this, good job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mohamed Amine BenkiraneOctober 1, 2020 at 7:47 PM

    This analysis is very interesting you managed to uncover and question multiple aspects of society nowadays. Furthermore this subject is extremely relevant nowadays as there needs to be constant conversation and dialogue in order to avoid seperation. Your structure is a bit messy and is lacking a few components but otherwise your critique and arguments are essentially focused and worked.

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