Rhetorical Analysis Essay. Literature & Language Essay

Rhetorical Essay
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Rhetorical Essay
Introduction
The article titled We’re all responsible for the state of social media by the Denver Post Editorial Board is one that seeks to steer the conversation towards the obvious effects of social media. The article is quite clear in its elucidation of the effects social media has had today and what footprints social media leaves on mass media. Apparently, the authors appear to claim that social media has been used to dirtify or worsen the political game today. While the article does acknowledge that politics was already a dirty game before, it does paint the picture that the rise of social media has made it worse. It may not be obvious to the general public but the article appears to imply that slowly but surely, social media is being used to change the political game and at the moment, people appear to care less about the credibility of the information they are getting. It is a dangerous game and the article does make this clear. The subsequent sections helpt to explain the message of the article further, reveal the article’s audience, determine the styles used, and elucidate on the rhetorical appeals used in the article.
From the onset, the article appears to communicate with anyone who has a social media account(s) and is part of the electorate. The article is trying to sensitize the public and make them aware of the danger of trusting the news sources of today. The message is that anyone today can become a journalist but it is crucial to determine the credibility of any news source.
Every article is written with a specific aim or purpose in mind. This article’s purpose is to sensitize the general public on the effects of social media on the status quo. The article makes it clear that anyone can share the responsibilities of journalists. However, it cautions that the credibility of these sources should also always be a factor. “The powerful tool of mass communication, once closely held by a few media outlets, is now in the hands of anyone who can build a following.” This is a clear depiction of the current problem in the world. The article thus seeks to sensitize against the ideas and news stories they get to encounter on their timelines.
When it comes to the rhetorical appeals, the author appears to have used ethos, pathos, and logos to enhance the article’s goal or aim. Well, ethos can be described as the ethical appeals of an individual or in this case the authors. The credibility of a team or a person serves as what is considered as the appeal of ethos. The article under review is from the Denver Post which has been a credible news outlet since the 19th century. The reliability of an article is closely dependent or relies on who wrote the article. In this case, one can confidently say that the article satisfies the appeal of ethos mainly because of the organization the authors are associated with. Additionally, having been published by the Denver Post Editorial team means that the article was tended to by a team of qualified professionals which increases the appeal of the article further.
The message from the editorial team is clear, people need to fight and try to overpower the propagation of fake ne...