Essay One: Independent News vs. Corporate News. Essay

Essay One: Independent News vs. Corporate News

Choose an article that is over 200 words long from one of the following independent (non-corporate) news websites:
--naturalnews.com
--tragedyandhope.com
--mediamonarchy.com
--21stcenturywire.com
--nomorefakenews.com
--corbettreport.com
Here are some additional (alleged) indie news sites:
• rt.com
• democracynow.org (funded by Rockefeller Foundation)
• aljazeera.com
Video Presentation
The Assignment in a Nutshell
Pick a topic in one independent news site, and then pick a mainstream news site that reports on the same basic topic. Your essay will be easier to write about if the contrast is noticeable between indie and mainstream media reportage.
Chose a third site/source that backs up your point of view (which you will eventually explain in the conclusion). This third source will help to guide your essay through additional facts to back up your thesis statement in the body of your essay.
In the body of your essay, talk about how the topic is reported differently, along with a token amount about similarities. Then pull back your scope and examine the wider implications about the mainstream media. Are there any "agendas" pertaining to the topic you chose? What do you think (in third person)?
Now, make a nice smooth transition into a first person conclusion that states directly what your conclusions are about the topic. Do not use the transition "In conclusion. . . ." This is a tacky cliche and should be avoided.
Please note: There are two more lectures to help you do well on Essay One. These are found down below the Quiz and Discussion in Week One's lessons.
Detailed Description of the Assignment
Narrative Voice: Third person should be the narrative voice you use in Essay One's introduction and body. It's up to you if you would like to transition into First Person narrative voice in the conclusion.
If you would like to choose your own independent news site, that’s fine, but run it by me before you begin writing on it. Many sites that seem independent are actually owned by giant corporations and made to seem independent.
Choose a fairly recent article from one of the independent news sites that is at least 250 words long. Make sure the article takes a point of view. It doesn’t need to be about “politics.” Many health or science issues have two points of view, for instance. Read the article twice, from beginning to end.
Now pick an article on the same topic from a mainstream corporate newspaper or corporate Internet site, and follow the same procedure. Most well-known (and often well-respected) newspapers, news sites, and news websites are mainstream. For example, the New York Times is managed by the Sulzburger family. When one investigates who this family is, it’s easy to see how corporate “the family’s” newspaper truly is. The Sulzburgers helped to start Wallstreet with covert money from European (especially British) banks. They also started the Punch Sulzburger Foundation at Columbia University, which indoctrinates key journalists of power in our global society, and then helps to place them in positions around the nation and the world. These interests are very much in line with the interests of the world’s largest and most powerful corporations. The New York Times is therefore a “mainstream” news source.
Draw a line down a piece of notebook paper and write five main points from each article. Which ones do you agree with? Why or why not?
Once you decide which point of view is most similar to your own, it’s time to sit down and plan your essay. Keep in mind that your point of view is not really all that important (in terms of this assignment). Instead, the way in which you express your views, particularly through citing sources and examples, will determine the grade you ultimately receive. Your first essay is academic; as such, it need not be personally motivated. If you don’t have a point of view, that’s okay. Pick a side and go for it. Just remember not to write in the first person until your conclusion. Rather, you should write in third person narrative voice. This means you cannot use the following sorts of words: I, me, my, our, you, your. Instead use words like people, they, one, etc. For more information, please visit the following website: http://www(dot)mesacc(dot)edu/~paoih30491/PointofView.html.
When you write your essay, summarize the main ideas from each article (independent and mainstream), and then react to them with your own take on the issue. Do not merely restate the premise of the article you have read. Be decisive, take a point of view, and argue it logically by drawing from the article for evidence, hard facts, dates, statistics, etc., and then use these facts to help form your argument about the topic.
After you choose an independent article, choose a mainstream article that directly contradicts the independent article. Now, you are in a position to decide which point of view you will endorse (mainly in the third person).
The Topic
Try to choose an article that goes against mainstream reportage. Once you find one that interests you, read it at least two times so that you are completely familiar with its point of view and the material it covers. Now find a corresponding report on the same topic in the mainstream news, such as any major national or international newspaper, magazine, or television network Internet site (CNN, ABC, CNBC, etc).
Huffington Post, Democracy Now and Drudge also fit into the category of mainstream media that has been camouflaged by ownership that appears to be independent, but when examined more closely, fits into the category of "controlled opposition" for major media, which, in turn, works hand-in-hand as propaganda that benefits the richest families in the world. In light of this fact, it's fine to use any of these news sources, so long as they are used as "mainstream news sources." As such, these sites can be considered "mainstream."
Compare and contrast the reporting in the indepedent news article with reporting in the mainstream news article or broadcast. How does the independent (non-corporate) reportage differ from mainstream reportage?
Because of the Internet, people today have the chance to read news that was written by authors that don't work for corporations with a vested interest in swaying public opinion for economic reasons. Prior to the Internet, independent news organizations were much more challenged when it came to distributing their writing. For this reason, corporate news tended to dominate. Although this is still the case today, for the first time, an author that wants to conduct investigative journalism or to write an article that is critical of "the establishment" has the chance to do so without jeopardizing his ability to reach a big audience.
As I've already said, you should choose a total of at least three sources (two that back up your take on the subject and one opposing view). When it comes to Essay One, try to focus on the actual facts, rather than opinions or hype. Is the mainstream media source hyping the story more than the independent news article, or vice versa?
You can use the four W's of journalism to help you zero in on the facts (who, what, where, when). Now, once you have discussed the facts of the news item, it's time to tackle "why." Why has the news in the mainstream media taken the point of view that it has taken? Why is the article important? What is its significance to people's well-being in the USA and elsewhere?
Avoid using first person narrative (I, me, my, our, we) or second person (you, your) until the end of your essay. Once you reach your conclusion, then switch smoothly to first person and offer your personal take on the news story. Do you have an opinion on it? Why or why not?
Rewrite Option
After you receive my comments and grade on Essay One, you are eligible to rewrite it if you wish. In order to qualify for a rewrite option, you must post Essay One before the deadline. Late submissions are not eligible for a rewrite. Please remember that rewriting your essay is not required. It is optional. If your rewrite is comprehensive and very thorough, making dramatic content changes, it has the potential to raise your essay 9%. In most cases, rewrites raise essay grades about 3-5%.
Penalty for Late Submission: If you have extenuating circumstances (such as a grave illness), you must send me an email at least three (3) days before the due date. Please note that there is a two day grace period in which you can hand in your work up to 48 hours late with no penalty to your grade. However, if you chose to take this extra time, please be aware that you will receive no written instructor feedback on your essay. If you wish to schedule a telephone conference about your essay, that is certainly an option.
Here is the penalty chart for late submissions of Essay One:
• Three day grace period: no penalty to grade if submitted during this time, but no rewrite option is allowed.
• 24-48 hours after grace period cut-off time/date: 5% deducted from grade + no rewrite
• 48-120 hours (2-5 days) after grace period cut-off time/date: 10% deducted from grade + no rewrite
• 120-168 hours (one week) after grace period cut-off time/date: 20% deducted from grade + no rewrite
• No submissions for this essay will be accepted later than one week after the cut-off date/time. Late submissions will receive NO comments from the instructor--only a grade.
Technical Specifications
1. Word count: 1,000-word minimum/1,200-word maximum. Essays which fail to meet the minimum word count will not receive comments.
2. 12 point font
3. Avoid run ons, fragments, comma splices, and dangling modifiers LIKE THE PLAGUE
4. Title should be centered two spaces under header; body left justified with one of the following: block formatted paragraphs with one extra blank line between them, or, paragraphs indented 5 spaces with no extra lines between them
5. Use of first person is prohibited, except in essay's conclusion.
6. Use MS-Word when submitting your essay attachment to ensure that my software can open it.
7. Cut and paste your submission in the textbox as a back-up to make sure that if you attachment won't open, I can still grade your essay and verify it was finished on time.
8. Header in the upper left that includes the following:
Your name (No Nicknames or Alternate Last Names Please! Use the name that appears in the class grade book!)
Date
Precise word count
Essay One
6. Please note: To determine a precise word count, high light your text (aside from the header), then use the “tools” pull-down menu and go to “word count.”
Disclaimer: I do not reward length over content in essays. Quality is infinitely more important than quantity. Just because you write a really long paper, this won’t guarantee a high grade.
If you need help with your essay, who you gonna call? Those wise old owls at the Online Writing Lab, of course! Don't be shy to use Chemeketa's online writing resources.