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English 120: For this assignment, please read the following site:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154611309251939&id=354522044588660

Then, choose three news stories and conduct research (using the above guide) to determine whether the story was truthful. If it was a fake story, please indicate the steps taken to reach that conclusion.  If real, then examine the article using logos, pathos, and ethos to determine a) if the author used all three of these methods, and b) whether the journalist made a sound argument.

Wednesday class: due 3/15

English 120

Professor Cardozo

March 12, 2017

                                            True or False

        A keyboard is mightier than the sword. Since technology and the internet have become accessible to everyone, we now seem to have the world in the palm of our hand. We are now able to share events, ideologies, and even document our surroundings. What separates a journalist from a blogger? They both have the capability to write an article.  Distributing information is just one click away. How gullible is our society?

        Credibility can be shown by several factors, for example: the journalist who wrote it, the website it was published on, facts included in articles, and unbiased information. Many journalists include pathos, logos, and ethos not only to keep their reader interested, but to make an article factual. I have conducted research on three articles, “ WAR DRUMS: US Navy simulates Military strikes on North Korea”, “Elusive crime wave data shows frightening tolls of immigrant criminals”, and “Judge declines to release dreamer swept up under Trump’s new deportation wave” and I will determine whether the article is real or unreliable.  

         The “WAR DRUMS...” article discusses how the United States special operation forces will be participating in joint military drills with South Korea to take out North Korea in case of military conflict. The article is not factual because it is not on a reliable website. The website is bias, because on their website they state that it is a “prophetic perspective”. Also, no author was provided. Later, I found the same image in another article, that dates back to 2013. The article itself was written March 12th 2017. The article did not include any sources to back up their claim. With a few minutes of investigation, it was clear that the article was not reliable.

        In the “Elusive crime..” (Zimmerman, 2015). pathos, logos, and ethos were all used. Pathos was used strategically used to relate to the audience when Zimmerman stated that K. Steinle’s family was left grieving, angry, and confused. The audience would have a similar reaction if they were in a similar situation. Logos was used when Zimmerman provided significant sources from  U.S. Census Bureau,  Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and many more. The statistics she provided show “the estimated 11.7 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. account for 13.6 percent of all offenders sentenced for crimes committed in the U.S. Twelve percent of murder sentences, 20 percent of kidnapping sentences and 16 percent of drug trafficking sentences are meted out to illegal immigrants.”(Zimmerman, 2015). Ethos was shown at the end of the article when Fox News stated that Zimmerman is a qualified journalist that specializes in articles concerning homeland security and illegal immigration crime. Although bias, Zimmerman’s article made a sound argument by including reliable sources, factual statistics, and interviews with the victims’ relatives.

         Lastly the article “Judge Declines to release dreamer…”(Farias, Foley, 2015) Pathos was achieved when they included a quote by Ramirez where he states “I am hopeful that I will have a future in this country, but I know that this case is not just about me… Hundreds of thousands of dreamers are questioning just what sort of protection the government’s promise provides.”. Logos was used when statistics regarding that the “DHS has revoked DACA from about 1,500 people since the inception of the program in 2012 based on criminal convictions or gang affiliation.”(Farias, Foley, 2015). Once again, Ethos was used when Huffington Post included the journalists’ qualifications. For example, Farias specializes in Legal Affairs, while Foley is an immigration and politics reporter. The Journalists made a sound argument by stating statists, as well as including a quote made by Ramirez.

        Even Though we have the world in the palm of our hand, it's our responsibility to determine which news articles are credible and which ones are unreliable. With great power, comes great responsibility. Just because a keyboard is mightier than a sword, that does not mean the person typing is a credible, reliable journalist. Pay attention to your intuition, and check for the use of either pathos, logos, or ethos. At the end of any article the journalist should provide a sound argument, even if the reader disagrees.

                                                                                                     Work Cited

"WAR DRUMS: US Navy Simulates Military Strike On North Korea." End Time           Headlines. N.p., 13 Mar. 2017. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

Zimmerman, Malia. "Elusive Crime Wave Data Shows Frightening Toll of Illegal         Immigrant Criminals." Fox News. FOX News Network, 16 Sept. 2015.                 Web. 15 Mar. 2017.