After gathering sources for Project 3, it is time to share my sources and provide insight on their rhetorical situations.
Source 1
"Donald Trump, a champion of women? His female employees think so."
by Frances Stead Sellers
via The Washington Post
About the author: Frances Sellers is a
senior writer at the Washington Post, and has previously
won a National Magazine award for launching a bi-monthly magazine for the Library of Congress. Sellers primary job at the moment is covering the 2016 election for the Post, which givers her credibility in regards to her coverage of the elections.
Target Audience: The intended audience for this article would be people who believe that Trump is a misogynist and an enemy of women. This can be seen from the title, which clearly debunks the theory that Trump is a misogynist by saying that women who know him think he is great. Furthermore, the entire are article are anecdotes form former female employees of Trump who hold him in high regard.
Purpose: The main purpose for this article is to illustrate the opinions that former female employees have for Trump. This can be seen from the title, which is an overall synopsis of the article's contents, as well as in the article itself, which is filled with positive anecdotal evidence about Trump concerning women.
Context: This source is reliable because it comes from The Washington Post, which is the most widely circulated paper in the Washington D.C. area and is nationally known. Furthermore, the credentials of the author tell me that this article is most likely reliable.
2
"Poll: Trump, Clinton score historic unfavorable ratings"
by David Wright
via CNN
About the author: David Wright is a
writer for CNN who is covering the 2016 election as a breaking news reporter. Wright has a
degree in politics and has worked for CNN in their Washington D.C. Bureau.
Target Audience: The intended audience for this article would be people who dislike Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton and are more in favor of Bernie Sanders. This can be seen from the title of the piece which implies that the article is negative towards Trump and Clinton. Furthermore, the article is full of negative information about Trump and Clinton while saying that Bernie Sanders is a much more favorable candidate.
Purpose: The main purpose for this article is to illustrate and amplify negativity towards Trump and Clinton. This can be seen from the way David Wright worded his presentation of the information, "That makes Trump and Clinton viewed more unfavorably than any front-runner for either party since 1984." Furthermore, the author seems to be in favor of Sanders as he talks about how Sanders would do better against Trump than Clinton, even though Sanders isn't even ahead of Clinton.
Context: This source is reliable because it comes from CNN, a nationally acknowledged news source. Furthermore, the article uses polling data from CBS/New York Times, two other well known news outlets.
3
"Trump: Same-Sex Marriage Is a Dead Issue"
by Bil Browning
via The Advocate
About the author: Bil Browning is a
writer for the Advocate. Browning is a champion for LGBT writes, so the fact that he has a positive article about Trump is eye-opening as Trump is seen as anti-LGBT by a lot of people.
Target Audience: The intended audience for this article would be people who believe Donald Trump is anti-LGBT as well as people who are in favor of LGBT rights. This is because Trump is generally seen as anti-LGBT, and this article disproves that. Furthermore, The Advocate is a LGBT-interest magazine, so most of its articles are about LGBT rights.
Purpose: The main purpose for this article is to show that Trump is not as anti-LGBT as a lot of people make him out to me, and he does not believe gay-marriage is an issue. Additionally, the article seems to want to show that Trump is the best Republican candidate from when Browning states, "Other presidential candidates in the crowded Republican field have called for a constitutional amendment to overturn the June Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States."
Context: This source is reliable because it comes from The Advocate, which is a magazine dedicated to LGBT news, and the article is about Trump's stance on an LGBT issue. Furthermore, the article is simply reporting a quote that Trump said from an interview, so their is raw information that can't be misconstrued.
4
"Illegal Alien Crime Wave in Texas: 611,234 Crimes, 2,993 Murders"
by J. Christian Adams
via PJ Media
About the author: Adams is
an election lawyer who has worked in the U.S. Department of Justice. Adams also has written a
New York Times Bestselling book.
Target Audience: The intended audience for this article would be people who lean on the right side of the U.S. political spectrum, (conservatives, libertarians), This can be seen because the article is anti illegal immigration/illegal aliens, as the article is a hit piece illustrating the problems that illegal immigrants have caused. Furthermore, PJ Media is a conservative based news outlet.
Purpose: The main purpose for this article is to show that the damages that illegal immigrants have caused, and thus is advocating for border control/illegal immigration control. The title itself illustrates the article's negative views on illegal immigration as the title itself refers to illegal immigrants as "aliens," a politically incorrect slur.
Context: This source is reliable because it comes from a well known news site (PJ Media). Furthermore, the article is filled with links to its sources which provides credibility in terms of its information.
5
"Hungarian Border Fence So Effective Illegal Immigrants Are Now At Pre Migrant-Crisis Levels"
by Oliver JJ Lane
via Breitbart
About the author: Oliver Lane is a
writer for Breitbart London and
reports on national defense, security, and radical Islam.
Target Audience: The intended audience for this article would be people who lean conservative or people who are in favor of or unsure of building a wall on a country's border. This is because Breitbart is a conservative news outlet, and the article is providing news on the effects of a border fence at stopping illegal immigration.
Purpose: The main purpose for this article is to show that the building a border fence/wall is an effective way to deter illegal immigrants. The article provides facts showing how Illegal Immigration has gotten better for Hungary after they put up a border fence. A good quote from the article that illustrates its overall purpose is: "strong borders and a strong defence were key to a nation’s prosperity."
Context: This source is reliable because it comes from a credible news site (Breitbart.com) and provides links to its sources for the information that it is providing.
6
"Trump denounces David Duke, KKK"
by Eugene Scott
via CNN
About the author: Eugene Scott is a
reporter for CNN Politics and is covering the 2016 elections for them. Scott is also "a multiple award-winning journalist, recognized by the National Association of Black Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists and Gannett Awards of Excellence, for his work related to politics, education and urban policy issues."
Target Audience: The intended audience for this article would be people interested in the 2016 presidential candidates, particularly those interested in Donald Trump. The article is dedicated to Trump information, and gives information on the overall election landscape on the Republican side.
Purpose: The main purpose for this article is to show that Donald Trump has disavowed David Duke, which was a concern for many when he would previously not comment on the matter. The title of the article clearly shows what the article is going to be about. Furthermore, the article seems to sympathize with Trump by giving a quote from Trump: "I'm not being treated the right way. I'm not being treated properly."
Context: This source is reliable because it comes from CNN, and provides video proof of what is being talked about.
7
"Is Donald Trump 2016’s most LGBT-friendly Republican?"
by Emma Margolin
via MSNBC
About the author: Emma Margolin is a
reporter for MSNBC, and her primary areas of expertise are in LGBT, equality, and society. Her work has been
published in the Princeton Journal of Bioethics.
Target Audience: The intended audience for this article would be liberals/independents as well as people interested in LGBT rights. MSNBC is a liberal leaning news outlet, and the article is about which Republican candidate is the most LGBT friendly.
Purpose: The main purpose for this article is to talk about the Republican presidential candidates in terms of their views on the LGBT community. The article does focus on Trump, as he is seen as the most LGBT-friendly Republican candidate. The article isn't fully pro-Trump, but it clearly supports Trump more than the other candidates. "Yet none of those candidates could ever be described as “pro-LGBT” – certainly not, at least, more so than Trump."
Context: This source is reliable because it comes from MSNBC which is a nationally accredited news outlet. Furthermore, the article comes out with quotes and facts and gives its own sources as well.
8
"Attorney: Trump Companies Employ More Female Execs Than Male"
by Chuck Ross
via MSNBC
About the author: Chuck Ross is a
reporter at The Daily Caller and has published numerous articles about political topics.
Target Audience: The intended audience for this article would be conservatives as well as Trump supporters/haters. The Daily Caller is a conservative news outlet, and the article is centered around Trump, whom is very controversial and has a good amount of people who dislike and like him.
Purpose: The main purpose for this article is to disprove the idea that Trump is a misogynist by providing facts demonstrating how he is more than fair towards women (at least in the work force). The article is about Trump's fairness to his women employees, "Trump has maintained that he “cherishes” women and that he has long been progressive on the issue of employing women at the top levels of his companies."
Context: This source is reliable because it comes from a reliable and accredited news outlet in The Daily Caller. Furthermore, the article provides sources and facts to prove that what it is talking about is truthful.
9
"Donal Trump: Positions"
by Donald Trump
via DonaldJTrump.com
About the author: This source comes from Donald Trump's website, so it was directly written by him or one of his campaign workers.
Target Audience: The intended audience for this article would be people interested in Trump's political positions, and since he is running on the Republican ballot, Republicans/Independents would be his primary target. I feel as though this source is also targeting Trump haters, as a good majority of them do not actually know Trump's policy positions.
Purpose: The main purpose for this source is to clearly illustrate Trump's positions on several issues. The source simply states a number of issues, then provides Trump's positions on them. There really isn't much to it, all presidential candidates have a page like this on their websites, and they are intended to inform the public on where they stand.
Context: This source is reliable because it comes straight from the Donald himself. Since it is the official page of his campaign, it can be assumed that the information is credible.
10
"Donald Trump's proposed ban on Muslim immigrants could be legal, scholars say"
by David Savage
via The LA Times
About the author: "David G. Savage has covered the Supreme Court and legal issues for the Los Angeles Times in the Washington bureau since 1986." He has also been writing for the LA Times since 1981.
Target Audience: The intended audience for this article would be people interested about Trump's comments regarding stopping Muslims from entering the United States. The article discusses the legality of the issue and provides commentary on the morality of the issue as well.
Purpose: The main purpose for this source is to talk about the legality and morality of Trump's plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States for a period of time. The article talks about what scholars have concluded about the plan, and also provides insight on what people think about the plan.
Context: This source is reliable because it comes from a major newspaper in the LA Times. Furthermore, the article provides its sources and comes from an esteemed author/reporter.
