How to Be a Skeptical News Consumer – Essay – Mynameisskylar
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How to Be a Skeptical News Consumer
Coleman 1
Coleman, Skylar
Jones, J.
Eng. 102 Sec. 0662
8 February 2016​
Word Count: 1071
Fishy News
In Donna Halper’s, “How to Be a Skeptical News Consumer”, she educated readers of the faux information they will hear in articles, newspapers, and other forms of literate media. The intended audience for this piece of writing would be those who take information at face value or do not do any research to prove that the information is correct. Halper uses examples, such as people receiving emails regarding Obama’s religion and citizenship and that if Obama become President, the U.S. would turn into a Muslim nation; she brings forth these barbaric accusations to inform us that not everything we read is going to be true. The main argument is that most information is skewed in studies, so readers must learn how to be critical. This compliments her style of writing and allow the reader to take hold of what she is trying to convey. The author lays out a perfect article on how to be doubtful when reading information by using rhetorical appeals to back up her ideas. Ethos, logos, and pathos are cohesive, making her argument convincing.

She uses the rhetoric appeals ethos in her article to establish creditability throughout the paper. She shows her use of ethos in her paper by telling the audience how resourceful she is: “I am a professor of media, and I focus on critical thinking in every class that I teach,” which establishes creditability because she is proving her academic success (36). Without this, the reader could assume that she only has high school diploma and not a lot of creditability backing behind her, however knowing what kind of education she has allows the reader to more easily accept the information at hand instead of questioning it. Her references to credible sources contribute to her effectiveness of her argument.

She uses logos effectively by presenting the opposition and concession. A clear and concise example of the use of logos follows when she talks about Wikipedia, “In fairness to Wikipedia, although I much prefer encyclopedias where the articles are signed, some of their articles are quite thorough and informative. But others contain well-traveled myths and rely on volunteers to correct them. It’s often a losing battle” (36). Someone who uses deductive reasoning can easily know that Wikipedia is full of myths and incorrect information, so telling the reader that it is an inappropriate source of information clearly aids the usage of logos in the article.

She also uses logos on a logical standpoint, such as stating that everyone should know this. For example, she states that every student of philosophy knows that x was an example of Argumentum ad Populum, which is supporting her idea of logos because it aids the idea of reasoning: deducting that every philosophy student would know this (36). By being relatable to the audience’s knowledge, she clearly reiterates the idea of logos.

Halper uses pathos by relating to the audience’s sense of empathy. From the front of the article with a picture of a smelly fish wrapped up in newspaper and weighing in low on the true date meter to emotion evicting phrases, the author has some strong points when using the rhetorical appeal pathos. She comments,” After 9/11, Congress quickly passed the PATRIOT Act, which evoked emotions of standing up to terrorists

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(2016, 03). How to Be a Skeptical News Consumer. EssaysForStudent.com. Retrieved 03, 2016, from
“How to Be a Skeptical News Consumer” EssaysForStudent.com. 03 2016. 2016. 03 2016 < "How to Be a Skeptical News Consumer." EssaysForStudent.com. EssaysForStudent.com, 03 2016. Web. 03 2016. < "How to Be a Skeptical News Consumer." EssaysForStudent.com. 03, 2016. Accessed 03, 2016. Essay Preview By: Mynameisskylar Submitted: March 3, 2016 Essay Length: 955 Words / 4 Pages Paper type: Essay Views: 554 Report this essay Tweet Related Essays Gay Marriage in the News Gay Marriage In The News In the United States, there is social unrest regarding the government’s denial of the right to marry for homosexuals. Plenty 1,593 Words  |  7 Pages Are the Concepts of ‘consumerism'and ‘consumer Choice'relevant to the Problem of Improving Public Services. In order to determine whether consumerism and consumer choice are relevant to the problem of improving public services, consumerism and consumer choice need to 2,196 Words  |  9 Pages Consumer Behaviour 1. Introduction With the dynamic environment, undoubtedly, each firm attempts to study and understand the consumer behavior due to businesses stay in business by attracting 2,508 Words  |  11 Pages News Consumption - How to Be a Skeptical News Consumer Coleman 1 Coleman, Skylar Jones, J. Eng. 102 Sec. 0662 8 February 2016​ Word Count: 1071 Fishy News In Donna Halper’s, “How to Be a 969 Words  |  4 Pages Similar Topics Ethical Consumer Consumer Behaviour Get Access to 89,000+ Essays and Term Papers Join 209,000+ Other Students High Quality Essays and Documents Sign up © 2008–2020 EssaysForStudent.comFree Essays, Book Reports, Term Papers and Research Papers Essays Sign up Sign in Contact us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Service Facebook Twitter

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Use Of Ethos And Skeptical News Consumer. (July 9, 2021). Retrieved from https://www.freeessays.education/use-of-ethos-and-skeptical-news-consumer-essay/