Columnist Assignment.Pdf

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Columnist Assignment.Pdf COLUMNIST PROJECT You will be required to examine the writing of a national columnist in a newspaper. You must collect six current, consecutive columns by your author. Attached you will find a list of newspaper web sites. All can be accessed in school or at home. Archives can be searched on these sites, but many publications require payment for articles older than one or two weeks. The assignment has three parts: I. Each article must be annotated. Print a copy of each column and annotate for the following: A. speaker's tone B. rhetorical strategies C. organizational shifts D. rhetorical appeals or emotion E. Mark places in the text that evoke a reaction from you, be it laughter, anger, or confusion. II. After annotating, write a one-half to one-page response (typed, 12 point Times New Roman) for each column that includes the following: A. a brief summary of the author's main point B. a brief statement explaining the connection between the author’s overall purpose and the purpose of this particular column C. the most salient strategies employed by the author D. the article's effect on you III. The final task is to write an essay that delineates the following: A. The author's general focus in columns (e.g. political, family, arts) B. Three of the author's oft-used stylistic devices C. An analysis of the efficacy of those devices The format of this final essay is as follows: 1. Length should be between two to three pages, 12 point Times New Roman font plus a Works Cited page. 2. You should freely refer to the columns as a whole. Presume your reader is looking at your six columns and has read them. If you quote (preferably embedded) words, phrases, or lines from a specific column, follow the procedure of enclosing an abbreviated version of the title of the editorial in parentheses. I would like to see two to four internal citations for three reasons: (1) to show you know the citation form, (2) to show you know how to gracefully incorporate quotations, and (3) to allow you to reinforce the validity of your argument by referring to “proof.” (See III.B. above. I expect you to include specific examples in the body of your essay as you discuss various stylistic devices.) 3. This is a formal essay. You should write in the third person (avoiding the passive) except for the last paragraph in which you might shift to first person when you evaluate the readability of the columnist and explain your personal response to his/her style, perspective, and topics. 4. This is an analytical essay and a research paper based entirely on primary resources (your six columns). Please physically attach your annotated articles with responses to your essay behind your Works Cited page. DUE APRIL 30. A source for a wide selection of columnists is http://drudgereport.com A second source for a wide selection of columnist is http://www.jewishworldreview.com/ The New York Times: www.nytimes.com Click on Opinion and scroll down to Columnists on the left. Click on a columnist’s name. The Washington Post: www.washingtonpost.com Click on Opinions and scroll to bottom to see a list of regular contributors. The Boston Globe: www.boston.com/globe Click on Opinion. Scroll down and choose a columnist whose name you can click on. When you reach the current opinion piece, click on the author’s name above the article title. The Nation : http://www.thenation.com/ Click on a columnist under “Nation Voices.” Chicago Sun-Times: http://www.suntimes.com/index/ Click on the three bars in the top left corner, then on Opinion Home. Choose a columnist whose name is also in the dateline, then click on the name in the dateline. Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Click on Opinion, then scroll down and click on a Columnist. The San Francisco Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/ Click on Sections, then Opinion, then a columnist’s name. The Washington Times: http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/ Click on Opinion, then Opinion Main, and scroll down. Click on columnist’s name. Another site: http://www.commentators.com .
Recommended publications
  • Reading Newspapers: Editorial and Opinion Pieces
    Search our collections Reading newspapers: Editorial and opinion pieces BY KATHRYN WALBERT While readers generally turn to newspapers for unbiased factual reporting, newspapers also typically include a fair bit of opinion. Opinion may be woven into news articles, it may appear in specific opinion pieces written by the editor or the editorial board (”editorials”), it may appear in the writings of individual columnists, or it may appear in editorial cartoons or other parts of the newspaper. Newspapers and political bias Historically, some newspapers have had a particular editorial bent, leaning in one political direction or another. In some larger communities, there might be two or more newspapers, each with a strong affiliation with a particular political party or set of political ideals. Readers could then choose the newspaper that they wished to read based on their own interests. Journalists today typically strive to maintain objectivity — presenting a story without bias — but readers can still choose from among many different media outlets, and there are still often distinct differences in the ways in which different newspapers, television news channels, and radio networks present news about the same issues. Finding and identifying opinion in the newspaper Today, most newspapers set aside particular sections of the newspaper for columns, illustrations, and letters that express opinion, clearly separating factual reporting from these less objective features. Newspapers often have an editorial section that features the opinions of editors and, frequently in the same section of the newspaper, an Op-Ed page that features other opinions. However, it’s important to remember historical newspapers were not always organized like the newspapers we read today, so you may find opinion columns mixed in with “news” in a historical newspaper without a section heading or other marker to help you tell which is which.
    [Show full text]
  • Orchestrating Public Opinion
    Paul ChristiansenPaul Orchestrating Public Opinion Paul Christiansen Orchestrating Public Opinion How Music Persuades in Television Political Ads for US Presidential Campaigns, 1952-2016 Orchestrating Public Opinion Orchestrating Public Opinion How Music Persuades in Television Political Ads for US Presidential Campaigns, 1952-2016 Paul Christiansen Amsterdam University Press Cover design: Coördesign, Leiden Lay-out: Crius Group, Hulshout Amsterdam University Press English-language titles are distributed in the US and Canada by the University of Chicago Press. isbn 978 94 6298 188 1 e-isbn 978 90 4853 167 7 doi 10.5117/9789462981881 nur 670 © P. Christiansen / Amsterdam University Press B.V., Amsterdam 2018 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the author of the book. Every effort has been made to obtain permission to use all copyrighted illustrations reproduced in this book. Nonetheless, whosoever believes to have rights to this material is advised to contact the publisher. Table of Contents Acknowledgments 7 Introduction 10 1. The Age of Innocence: 1952 31 2. Still Liking Ike: 1956 42 3. The New Frontier: 1960 47 4. Daisies for Peace: 1964 56 5. This Time Vote Like Your Whole World Depended On It: 1968 63 6. Nixon Now! 1972 73 7. A Leader, For a Change: 1976 90 8. The Ayatollah Casts a Vote: 1980 95 9. Morning in America: 1984 101 10.
    [Show full text]
  • Sylvia Porter: Gender, Ambition, and Personal Finance Journalism, 1935–1975
    ABSTRACT Title of Document: SYLVIA PORTER: GENDER, AMBITION, AND PERSONAL FINANCE JOURNALISM, 1935–1975 Tracy L. Lucht, Ph.D., 2007 Directed By: Professor Maurine H. Beasley, Philip Merrill College of Journalism This historical dissertation examines the career of Sylvia Porter (1913-1991), a syndicated newspaper columnist who developed the genre of personal finance journalism and created a space for women on the financial pages of newspapers. At the height of Porter’s success in 1975, she reached forty million readers in more than 350 newspapers, published a monthly financial advice column in Ladies’ Home Journal, and had produced a shelf full of books, including the best-selling Sylvia Porter’s Money Book. This dissertation—the first full-length account of Porter’s career—uses primary sources to trace Porter’s evolution from a media curiosity to a nationally recognized expert amid changes in women’s social and economic status. The author argues that Porter carved a niche for herself within the male-dominated field of financial journalism by using seven professional strategies: (1) She accepted a job in a non-prestigious field of journalism, (2) she allied herself with her readers rather than her peers, (3) she formed alliances with men who could help her career, (4) she used preconceptions about gender to her advantage, (5) she mythologized herself in interviews with other journalists, (6) she used multiple media platforms to reach different audiences, and (7) she appropriated the labor of other writers. The author also argues that although gender was an important facet of Porter’s public persona, her development of personal finance journalism was driven more by market forces and her eventual use of ghostwriters than by prevailing gender norms.
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to Op-Eds & Original Content Are You Interested in Writing An
    Boston University Public Relations & Social Media A Guide to Op-eds & Original Content Are you interested in writing an opinion piece to submit to a newspaper, magazine, online publication, or blog? Here’s what you need to know to get started. Benefits of Writing an Op-ed Do you have an informed, passionate opinion about a story or news item related to your expertise? It may be a good time to pen an opinion piece. There are many benefits to writing an op-ed. Publishing one cements you as an authority on a given topic and indicates to members of the media that you are interested in contributing to the conversation around it. Opinion pieces can highlight current research and connect your scholarship to current events and real-world applications. An op-ed also elevates your media presence, positioning you as a thought leader in your field of study. What to Consider When Writing an Op-ed Before you begin writing, review best practices and helpful tips to make your piece as strong as possible. The Op-Ed Project "Op-Ed Writing: Tips and Tricks" The New York Times "Tips for Aspiring Op-Ed Writers" Next, consider your audience. Who do you want to reach? Is your message for the general public or for a targeted audience? Evaluating your audience and their needs will help you write a more targeted, persuasive piece. Based on your audience, consider which media outlet may be most interested in publishing your op-ed. Is there a local angle? Is it more politically-focused? Or, is it trade-specific? Answers to these questions will help you find a potential home for your piece.
    [Show full text]
  • Opinion Writing/Reporting JOUR 4190-001 Spring 2018 Tuesday-Thursday 1 P.M
    Opinion Writing/Reporting JOUR 4190-001 Spring 2018 Tuesday-Thursday 1 p.m. to 2:25 p.m. Meeman Journalism Building Room 212 Instructor: Prof. Otis Sanford Office: 318B Meeman Journalism Building Office Hours: Monday, 3-5 p.m.; Thursday, 3-5 p.m. or by appointment Phone: 678-3669 Email contact: [email protected] COURSE REQUIREMENTS CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Principles and practices for well-researched and well-written editorials, columns, op-ed submissions, reviews, broadcast commentaries and long form analysis/perspective pieces. Thorough examination of the purpose and impact of opinion journalism on readers, political leaders, policy makers and society at large. PREREQUISITES: JOUR3120 and JOUR3526 TEXTBOOKS: None. Must read The Commercial Appeal editorial page and online opinion page daily, and the CA Sunday Viewpoint section, along with various opinion columns as assigned. Also, must read The New York Times and Washington Post editorials regularly, and content from the Real Clear Politics and Politico online sites. CLASSROOM FORMAT: Lecture and discussion will be used in the teaching of the class, and students will regularly write editorials, columns, short-form commentaries suitable for broadcast and at least one long-form perspective piece on a major political, social or public policy issue. Graduate students will write at least two long-form perspective/analysis pieces on a major political, public affairs or social issue. All out of class writing assignments must be accompanied by one of the following multi-media components: Infographic, photograph, photo slideshow, video, audio or podcast. Each student must submit at least four of these components with your outside assignments during the semester.
    [Show full text]
  • Editorial Cartoon from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (Redirected from Editorial Cartoons)
    Editorial cartoon From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Editorial cartoons) An editorial cartoon of Andrew Johnson and Abraham Lincoln, 1865, entitled "The Rail Splitter At Work Repairing the Union." The caption reads (Johnson): Take it quietly Uncle Abe and I will draw it closer than ever. (Lincoln): A few more stitches Andy and the good old Union will be mended. "To begin with, 'I'll paint the town red", by Grant E. Hamilton, The Judge vol. 7, 31 January 1885 An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration or comic strip containing a political or social message, that usually relates to current events or personalities. Contents [hide] • 1 Modern political cartoons • 2 See also • 3 References • 4 External links [edit] Modern political cartoons Political cartoons can usually be found on a editorial page of most newspapers, although a few (such as Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury) are sometimes found on the regular comics page. A good collection of modern editorial cartoons can be found in each issue of magazines like the Humor Times and Funny Times. Recently, many radical or minority issue editorial cartoonists, who would previously have been obscure, have found large audiences on the Internet. Cartoons can be very diverse, but there is a certain established style among most of them. Most use visual metaphors and caricatures to address complicated political situations, and thus sum up a current event with a humorous or emotional picture. Often, their content includes stereotypical, biased and/or demonizing portrayals of people and event. In modern political cartooning two styles have begun to[original research?] Although their style, technique or viewpoints may differ, editorial cartoonists draw attention to important social and political issues.
    [Show full text]
  • Reading Newspapers: Editorial and Opinion Pieces
    Published on NCpedia (https://www.ncpedia.org) Home > ANCHOR > Guides for Reading Primary Sources > Reading Primary Sources: Newspaper Editorials > Reading Newspapers: editorial and opinion pieces Reading Newspapers: editorial and opinion pieces [1] Share it now! While readers generally turn to newspapers for unbiased factual reporting, newspapers also typically include a fair bit of opinion. Opinion may be woven into news articles, it may appear in specific opinion pieces written by the editor or the editorial board ("editorials"), it may appear in the writings of individual columnists, or it may appear in editorial cartoons or other parts of the newspaper. Newspapers and political bias Historically, some newspapers have had a particular editorial bent, leaning in one political direction or another. In some larger communities, there might be two or more newspapers, each with a strong affiliation with a particular political party or set of political ideals. Readers could then choose the newspaper that they wished to read based on their own interests. Journalists today typically strive to maintain objectivity -- presenting a story without bias -- but readers can still choose from among many different media outlets, and there are still often distinct differences in the ways in which different newspapers, television news channels, and radio networks present news about the same issues. Finding and identifying opinion in the newspaper Today, most newspapers set aside particular sections of the newspaper for columns, illustrations, and letters that express opinion, clearly separating factual reporting from these less objective features. Newspapers often have an editorial section that features the opinions of editors and, frequently in the same section of the newspaper, an Op-Ed page that features other opinions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Long-Lasting Effects of Newspaper Op-Eds on Public Opinion
    Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 2018, 13: 59–87 The Long-lasting Effects of Newspaper Op-Eds on Public Opinion Alexander Coppock1, Emily Ekins2 and David Kirby3∗ 1Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA 2,3Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, N.W. Washington, DC, USA ABSTRACT Do newspaper opinion pieces change the minds of those who read them? We conduct two randomized panel survey experiments on elite and mass convenience samples to estimate the effects of five op-eds on policy attitudes. We find very large average treatment effects on target issues, equivalent to shifts of approximately 0.5 scale points on a 7-point scale, that persist for at least one month. We find very small and insignificant average treatment effects on non-target issues, suggesting that our subjects read, understood, and were persuaded by the arguments presented in these op-eds. We find limited evidence of treatment effect heterogeneity by party identification: Democrats, Republicans, and independents all ap- pear to move in the predicted direction by similar magnitudes. We conduct this study on both a sample of Amazon Mechanical Turk workers and a sample of elites. Despite large differences in demographics and initial political beliefs, we find that op-eds were persuasive to both the mass public and elites, but marginally more persuasive among the mass public. Our findings add to the growing body of evidence of the everyday nature of persuasion. Keywords: Persuasion; persistence; survey experiment ∗This research was reviewed and approved by the Columbia University Institutional Review Board (IRB-AAAP9305). Except where indicated, all analyses were pre-registered at egap.org.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Write an Op-Ed 2017
    How to Write an Op-Ed 2017 JUDY SINGER: I'm Judy Singer. I'm the Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity and I want to welcome you all to this event on how to write an Op-Ed, getting your voice into the news media. I want to just make a few framing remarks before turning it over to the moderator of this panel, Ann Marie Lipinski. And in thinking about how to help the faculty get their voice out into the world, we've done a number of events and this one happens to be the second time we've done this-- it's particularly popular. And when we planned this event, we were thinking that there are people on the faculty who are interested in figuring out how to reach a broader audience. But I think the events of the last month have really called to task the need for people in academia, now more than ever, to get their voices out, regardless of where they fall in the debate. I think there's just a need for us to take the time that we have spent in dedicating our lives to the study of particular subjects to think about speaking, not just to our colleagues, which is what we do as our bread and butter, but to a broader audience. And people in the room have a lot to offer. I'm particularly pleased with the breadth of people who are here. We have people from various different schools at Harvard, various different disciplines.
    [Show full text]
  • 7 Steps to Getting Your Bylined Articles Published— in the Publications That Matter Most by David M
    Under Your Byline 7 steps to getting your bylined articles published— in the publications that matter most By David M. Freedman and Paula Levis Suita Under Your Byline Seven steps to writing great articles and getting them published—in the publications that matter most 2010 Edition By David M. Freedman and Paula Levis Suita Table of Contents Introduction 2 Part A: Your byline in seven steps 3 1. Define your target audience 3 2. Identify publications for which to write articles 4 3. Conceive topics for those publications 5 4. Focus the article and create an outline 6 5. Query editors 8 6. Compose the article (or collaborate with a writer) 14 7. Submit the article and work with the editor 17 Part B: Writing columns and op-ed pieces 18 Part C: Writing letters to the editor 22 Part D: ―Hyper-syndicate‖ your articles for maximum exposure 26 About the authors 34 © 2006-2010 David M. Freedman 591A Roger Williams Ave., Highland Park, IL 60035 847-780-4192 | www.freedman-chicago.com INTRODUCTION Writing an article under your byline, and placing it in a publication that is read by your clients, prospects, and/or referral sources, can help you build a reputation as an eminent authority in your area of expertise. ―Publishing an article is a logical first step in marketing,‖ says Ford Harding in his excellent book Rain Making. ―Professionals first beginning to market [their services] need to build their stature, develop name recognition, and flesh out a resume. Articles do all of [those] things.‖1 In this handbook, we’ll help you choose subjects that are suitable for bylined articles, compose outstanding manuscripts, and place them in the print and/or online media that you target – though not necessarily in that order.
    [Show full text]
  • The Presence of Female Columnists in US Opinion Pages
    JMQXXX10.1177/1077699014527457Journalism & Mass Communication QuarterlyHarp et al. 527457research-article2014 Media and Society Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 2014, Vol. 91(2) 289 –307 Where Are the Women? © 2014 AEJMC Reprints and permissions: The Presence of Female sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1077699014527457 Columnists in U.S. Opinion jmcq.sagepub.com Pages Dustin Harp1, Ingrid Bachmann2, and Jaime Loke3 Abstract Empirical and anecdotal evidence shows that the news media are male-dominated. This study updates the extant literature on women’s representation in the op-ed pages of ten U.S. newspapers. A content analysis showed that female authors are moving beyond topics traditionally linked to females and are writing columns on topics such as politics and economy. However, they remain a minority, and, thus, women’s voices have yet to gain more visibility in the world of opinion writing in U.S. journalism. Keywords print media, content analysis, gender, professional issues Opinion pages illustrate an area of American journalism notorious for its lack of diver- sity. Deborah Howell of the Washington Post explained the problem simply when she wrote the opinion page is often “too male and too white.”1 Scholars offer various explanations for why women are not featured more on opinion pages, such as gender enculturation, by which women are raised to believe they are not qualified nor have the right to voice their opinions; the male-dominated culture of newsrooms, where women have traditionally been marginalized and offered fewer opportunities; and 1University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA 2Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile 3University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA Corresponding Author: Dustin Harp, Department of Communication, University of Texas at Arlington, Box 19107, 700 West Greek Row, 118 Fine Arts Building, Arlington, TX 76019.
    [Show full text]
  • Unit 3 Setting
    Art of Column Writing Unit 3 UNIT-3 : ART OF COLUMN WRITING UNIT STRUCTURE 3.1 Learning objectives 3.2 Introduction 3.3 Types of columns 3.4 Op-ed and editorial 3.5 Steps to be followed while writing a column 3.6 Let us Sum Up 3.7 Further Reading 3.8 Answers to Check Your Progress 3.9 Model Questions 3.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After going through this unit, you will be able to: • familiarize yourself with different types of columns • define and explain the distinguishing characteristics of an op-ed and an editorial • develop the understanding of how to write a column. 3.2 INTRODUCTION This unit has been titled ‘Art of Column Writing’. Let us begin by defining what a ‘column’ is. In its simplest sense, column is a vertical division of a page or text. It could be the page of a newspaper or a magazine. Generally, a standard size newspaper is divided into five to eight columns while a magazine page may be divided into two or three columns. In the context of journalism, a ‘column’ refers to a recurring piece or an article in a newspaper, magazine or other publication, where a writer, usually an authority or expert, expresses his or her own opinion in the space allotted to him by the newspaper organisation.. From the word ‘column’ comes the English For Media Studies 51 Unit 3 Art of Column Writing word ‘columnist’ who is a regular writer of a particular column of a particular publication. The columnist usually writes periodically on the same theme of his/her expertise or expresses his/her personal opinion or ideas on different timely and relevant issues and events, mostly of current importance.
    [Show full text]