Government entitlement programs are at an all-time high, and many are debating about it. Such as in Fox News and also in the Washington Post newspaper, this general analysis will contrast the both sources and show whether they have credibility, whom their audience is, rhetorical issues, structure and langue.
In the Fox news website one can find a video called, “Are Food Stamps a Stimulus?” this video is meant for any person ranging from wealthy people to general public, because wealthy people want to know where their taxes are going and the general public want to get informed on the issue as well as knowing where their taxes are going. This video has credibility because one of the interviewees, Deneen Borelli; is a senior fellow for project 21 and the other Mark Levine a radio talk show host. The video shows pathos when Deneen Borelli says, “More people on food stamps is utter nonsense,” and when Mark Levine says, “So should we just let people starve!” in order for the viewers to side with one person or the other, the interviewees have to show strong emotion towards their argument. The interviewees talk in a very professional way, they never get out of line or speak jargon. This video is effective because Deneen Borelli provides the audience with factual evidence when she is speaking and Mark Levine as well. The purpose of this video is to debate whether entitlement programs are a stimulus to the economy and if they should be cut.
In contrast one can find a newspaper article on the website for the Washington Post called, “Wonkbook: republicans against entitlement reform (at least right now)” the article has more pathos because the author Ezra Klein is arguing that the republicans are not open to suggestions of the democrats and is speaking in the first person view. This article would be suited for people who are democrats because it gives a sense that he is trying to make the republicans look like the bad guy. The purpose of this article is to show how the government cannot decide on what to cut in the deficit. The article had ethos because the author works for multiple sites and writes on opinionated topics.
In conclusion both of these genres are very useful and have a very strong message when you read or see them. Each of them gets the point across using ethos, pathos and logos; they are also very appealing to the audience and engage them in an indirect way. The one that is more effective though would have to be the video because it gives out more facts and they keep their feelings to a minimum. References
Fox News. (Producer). (2011). Are food stamps a stimulus?. [Web Video]. Retrieved from http://video.foxnews.com/v/1116007474001/are-food-stamps-a-stimulus
Ezra Klein . (2011, March 11). Wonkbook: republicans against entitlement reform (at least right now). The Washington Post, p. 1. . Retrieved from http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2011/03/wonkbook_republicans_against_e.html
