100% (1)
Pages:
6 pages/≈1650 words
Sources:
3
Style:
MLA
Subject:
Communications & Media
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 23.76
Topic:

How Selective News Avoidance Influences Democratic Elections

Essay Instructions:

For this essay, you are tasked with writing an effective (Toulmin) argument which addresses a highly focused and very specific problem within the broad subject area of journalism/news media and your assessment of why or how it exists as it does.

The argument itself will need to be driven by a unique and focused claim statement you construct. This means it needs to be much more specific than the kinds of general comments and criticisms I made in the overview above. In other words, if all of your discussion refers to "media" or "journalism" in the same general sense I am using for a thematic overview on an assignment prompt, then your argument is not nearly focused enough! Your claim first needs to answer the generic claim question applied to any Toulmin argument, which is: "what are you trying to prove?" It then needs to be developed and focused into expressing something much more specific about what you are trying to prove as it pertains to journalism or news media. In other words, do not attempt to take on the entirety of journalism as a whole in one essay (the whole pie); just take one slice of the pie for this assignment, since doing justice to the whole pie would be writing a book! You need a specific issue.

To be clear, your unique claim can assert anything you wish to assert regarding the issue of journalism today. The emphasis on the word "today" assumes that every essay will incorporate, on some level, a degree of contrast between current examples of journalism and examples of journalism in the past. Now, with that said, you are naturally free to construct a claim that even challenges the premise of this assignment if you believe contemporary journalism does an effective job at objectively informing the public of actual news. However, in taking this route in support of journalism, be specific in your claim and examples just as those who take a critical stand against current journalism need their specificity.

The Toulmin Argument Structure Summarized: Six Key Elements

Whatever direction you take with content, the most important thing to remember is that your claim statement needs to be extremely focused and arguable (you should easily be able to imagine an audience who opposes it for any number of reasons). Surrounding the claim, there needs to be strong and relevant grounds to provide a context for the claim (this is the second Toulmin element). Embodying the claim and grounds needs to be a logical and relevant warrant (the third element) that may or may not be explicitly stated like the claim and grounds need to be explicitly stated. The warrant is essentially the principle, or moral, that gives justification to your claim and the grounds surrounding it. The next element (the fourth element) is the evidence/support for your argument, most of which comes from external sources. The purpose of this element is rather obvious, since convincing your audience of vital points in your argument will need to expand beyond your knowledge base; you need authority (ethos), and it will need to come from reliable, objective sources (by doing this, you're actually going a step ahead of most journalists today!) Moving on, you will need to include qualifiers (the fifth element) that provide safeguards (guardrails) for your argument so that your opponent's cannot try to discredit your claim by finding areas of it that you might not wish to include for whatever reason; with qualifiers, like the fine print in a contract, your goal is to address important aspects of the argument that might not take center stage and may not even be developed, but are nonetheless important (things you cannot afford to overlook). Finally, the last (sixth) element is that of rebuttals, which are nothing more than the arguments against your claim that opponents are likely to throw at it. The writer of an effective argument is first realistic about their own weaknesses in the argument (they do exist) and fully anticipates what opponents might say against not only their claim but against all of their supporting points and even sources.

The Basics

Minimum of 5-6 pages of text (not including the Works Cited page, which always needs to start on a new page); this means a minimum word count of around 1,600 words.

Strictly MLA format (essays not submitted with correct MLA format will automatically lose 20 points). This point-deduction policy does not apply to the citations of sources in MLA; naturally, you will need to make sure they are all cited in MLA, but I understand how errors in citations might occur, and I am not applying a blanket deduction policy to them like I am for document format which is simply a matter of following a template.

Minimum of SIX SOURCES (no more than eight). Remember the importance of creating a "tapestry" among your sources in terms of having a variety of EXPERTISE, OPINIONS, AND MEDIUMS (source types/formats). No ".com" source domains allowed! NOTE: a key part of the evaluation of the essay overall will be your collection of sources and how they are used in the essay.

Quoted content cannot exceed more than 20% of all the words in the essay (your own original words must consist of 80% of the essay). This means being very selective with your quotes and/or keeping them short!

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Your Name

Subject and Section

Professor’s Name

November 2, 2023

The Subtle Nuances –

How Selective News Avoidance Influences Democratic Elections

Introduction

In the democratic ecosystem, journalism has long stood as a pillar of objectivity and a purveyor of comprehensive information, crafting the narratives that guide public opinion and voter behavior. A fundamental tenet of journalism’s ethos has been to mirror the multitudinous realities of the political domain, allowing a well-informed citizenry to navigate the complexities of electoral choices. Journalism, in its most principled form, is envisaged as a guardian of democracy, ensuring that the electorate is equipped with a balanced spectrum of information to foster rational decision-making in political contests.

However, a subtle evolution is coursing through the journalistic paradigms of today. There appears to be a nuanced trend of selective news avoidance—stories being consciously highlighted or obscured in the media narrative. This inclination towards selective news dissemination crafts a particular narrative tapestry that could subtly tilt the scales of public opinion in democratic elections. The assertion here is that modern journalism, in some quarters, has veered from the traditional anchors of objectivity and comprehensiveness. By doing so, it subtly manipulates the electoral arena, potentially favoring or disfavoring political candidates or entities through the strategic presentation or avoidance of news stories.

This essay seeks to unpack the dynamics of this phenomenon, exploring how selective news avoidance operates as a nuanced tool that could influence electoral outcomes in democratic societies. The discourse will navigate the contours of this trend, scrutinizing its implications for the integrity of journalistic practices and the vibrancy of democratic processes.

Changing Landscapes

Evolution of Journalistic Practices in Political Coverage

Journalism has always been dynamic, changing contours with societal evolution, technological advancements, and shifting political landscapes. Traditional journalism was more than just a harbinger of news; it was an institution built on ethics, where the sanctity of truth, objectivity, and 

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