FuzzyChinchilla
Level 2
By Sumi Ishida
Rumors: speculation or fact? The spread of information and its credibility is quite nuanced. As students grow up in this modern age, where Onrain posts, text messages, and news articles are merely a click away; where any person can be an author to a large audience of eager readers, how can you discern what to believe?
At any given point in time, we make decisions based on our ‘best working theory’, an accepted reality founded on the information we’re currently individually privy to. It is important to keep in mind, however, that we often may only know one side of a story. Whatever we read or hear will carry the inherent biases of the writer, or even, indirectly, the biases of the writer’s sources for information.
You may be familiar with the term ‘critical thinking’ from your literary studies classes. This refers to the action of questioning the information you consume and developing your own anaIysis on it. Part of critical thinking is determining the legitimacy of what you read or hear, as things may not always be as they first seem. While some eye catching headlines or purposefully angled imagery may appear one way, there may be more context which changes the perceived truth. Consider the following examples:
Moriel Maeng Spotted Smoking in a Back Alley! Are Moriel’s Morals Slipping?
Nope! Moriel just happens to be chewing on some chalk while contemplating the meaning of life, the depleting fuel of the lighter a reminder of our own mortality. How philosophical!
Delinquents Cross Weapons at Karakura High School’s Back Gate! Is a Turf War Brewing Under the Faculties’ Radar?
No need to be alarmed! This is just Karakura’s very own LARPing (Live Action Role Play) society reenacting a scene from one of their favourite games! No students were harmed in this process, they even enjoyed a meal together after their meet-up (See below).
Basketball Stars Raven Kojima-Tanaka and Éloi Lemaire Seen Staring Affectionately into Each Other’s Eyes. Is Romance Budding Between Competition?
Not quite! While a modern day Romeo and Juliet may appeal to the public’s emotions, Raven and Éloi are just having a friendly staring contest, purely platonic. What you see before you is one more way in which the teams test their strength, with this victory going to Raven!
This style of headline leads to our next point about critical thinking: assessing the author’s intentions. These headlines are written in a writing style known as persuasive writing. Persuasive writing is used in order to convince the audience of a certain opinion on the given subject matter. It is important as readers that we consider why the writer chooses specific wording, and ask ourselves what they are trying to communicate with us; what the purpose of the writing is. Persuasive writing may employ many methods by which the author supports their argument. Aristotle theorized that these can be broken into three main categories:
Ethos
Appealing to the reader via credibility or authority. This can be seen through citing the author’s own credentials to support that they are knowledgeable on the given topic, or through citing credible sources. It is wise to carefully look at the sources cited to see if they are reliable. In academic settings, peer reviewed studies can help to show that the study has been checked over by other researchers of the same field, and has received their approval.
Pathos
Appealing to the reader via emotions. This writing can vary depending on the specific emotion the author wishes to elicit. Anger, fear, sympathy, envy, joy, humour. Whether these are relatable quips or anxiety inducing hypotheses of how one thing may lead to the next, this method seeks to create a personal connection to the reader's own feelings, causing them to become invested in the topic. Be cautious of writing that uses lots of pathos, but lacks ethos and logos (such as the example headlines provided above), as a lack of evidence and credibility leaves much room for questioning.
Logos
Appealing to the reader’s sense of logic and reasoning. Recognised through the provision of facts, evidence, statistics, and educated connections in data, this method relies on using trusted knowledge to support a possibility. When reading, you can ask yourself ‘does this make sense?’. Additionally, don’t be afraid to fact-check while reading if you’re unsure of something. Allow yourself to ask questions and do extra research.
The more aware you can become of the tactics writers may use to convince their readers of a given stance on a matter, the more you can equip yourself to decipher an objective interpretation. No matter how much something may seem probable, there is always room for error, thus you must leave some degree of open mindedness for other possibilities. After all, additional context can open up new perspectives. Remember readers, there is always more to learn.
As a journalist, it is encouraged for us to follow a certain code of ethics, also known as journalistic integrity. This pushes us to research as thoroughly as we can on a topic before writing on it, and to include phrasing such as ‘allegedly’ or ‘supposedly’ when testimony and statements cannot be confirmed, in order to signal that they are presently hearsay. If you feel passionate about upholding journalistic standards and providing quality news to the student body, apply to the Journalism Club today!
Be the change you want to see.
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