Category: Newspaper

In order to understand public attitude towards certain issue, phenomenon or group of people, it would be enough to carefully study the media representations of the subject. Mass communication greatly shapes public opinion, as media are now credible sources of information; at the same time, they are also influenced by the public opinion, due to the fact that journalists and editors normally belong to the community they address in their articles or TV, radio and Internet news. The present paper is intended to examine the newspaper accounts of First Nations People in Canada over the last year. It will also argue that Inuit and Métis people are excessively “victimized” in press, their fate is dramatized and depicted with barely relevant pathos, so they are still treated by journalists as “younger brothers and sisters”, who are making their first steps in this life.

The renowned columnist of the “Toronto Sun”, who dedicated his professional activity to studying and highlighting in press the experiences of Native people, Mark Bonokoski publishes on March, 4, 2009 a story about a Metis man, who committed armed robbery and killed a policeman 29 years ago. The paper is filled with pity and compassion for Craig Alfred Munro, the criminal, as the perpetuator of manslaughter still cannot be released on parole because the panel members believe he does not realize the depth of his transgression. As the journalist suggests, thirty years ago, Munro might have been a socially hazardous heroin addict, but nowadays he is merely a peaceful 58-year-old with poor health, who doesn’t wish to die in confinement. Although the author does not express resentment openly, he implies that the National Parole Board purposefully gathered the arguments and evidence, which would work against Munro and “weaken” him as an applicant. In particular, it is noted that the board has been carefully collecting the letters and complaints from the victim’s family and colleagues for all these years and that another institution, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, proved that the suicide of Canadian police officer Adamson was a direct result of the incident, in which Munro murdered Michael Sweet. As the article is overloaded with details, one can assume that the author intentionally directs the reader’s attention to the industriousness with which the entities of judicial and executive power have been trying to keep Munro, the Metis man, behind the bars.

Cassandra Szklarski, the “Toronto Star” journalist, in her article entitled “Aboriginal awards host uses star power to inspire” writes about the Inuit actor Adam Beach, who seeks to help the members of the Eskasoni community avoid suicide. The article provides an extensive account of the destructive social phenomena faced in the northern areas: many of Inuit adolescents are addicted to drugs and alcohol and the communities are suffering the suicide epidemics: “They had 14 suicide attempts last month and, since my involvement, it’s been good, everybody’s talking about their issues. But that cycle, it’s doing to take at least 10 years (to break), so I’ll probably be doing it for 10 years. Our kids are looking for commitment” (Szklarski, 2009, par.8). As one can assume, the article focuses on the deterioration of the settlements and towns inhabited by the Native people, whose children are lacking clear goals in their life and constructive role models to follow.

The piece of news by K.Yakabuski published in “Globe and Mail” and entitled “Hydro-Quebec a slow learner on native rights” narrates about the years of fight between the companies seeking to capitalize on the natural resources of the northern territories and aboriginal population, the Inuit and Metis, who are radically opposed to the construction of hydro stations. The Uashuannuat are depicted as a unique ethnic group, which has pride and dignity and intends to protect them. At the same time, they are severely oppressed by corporate structures that have enough money to fund PR campaigns and receive public support for their expansion plans. The government, in turn, is also disposed against the First Nations People: “Instead of treating aboriginals as potential partners – with a voice, and even an equity stake in resource projects – governments still see them as problems to be managed” (Yakabuski, 2009, par.11). Aboriginal populations are also depicted as barely capable of defending their rights, as they remain dependent upon the led by governments. However, the positive aspect of the article is emphasis on the power and competence of the community leaders, which is missing in the previous paper, yet such references actually make the article a constructive discussion of the temporary problem rather than long-term crisis and suppression.

The series of life stories and experiences Metis and Inuit people prepared by Bonokoski for the “Toronto Sun” deserve special attention, as they provide a plenty of information about the media image of the First Nations People. In his article “Victim of the Streets”, Bonokoski describes the life of an average Metis woman Catherine Beaver, who failed to integrate into society. As a young adult, she began to lead a street life, abused drugs, earned her living through prostitution and consequently found out she had HIV. She also had experience of interacting with the penitentiary system, as she served a sentence for shooting. Further, she successfully completed addiction treatment and is nowadays a volunteer for aboriginal outreach services. Although the ending of the story is rather encouraging and optimistic, the author obviously focuses in his article on the “gloomy” period of the woman’s life by revealing all aspects of her deviance and marginalization. It is also implied that there are thousands “catherine beavers”, First Nations women who are going a slippery path in their life, and they are supported but not entitled due to the fact that social work with such people is based predominantly upon the internal outreach initiatives rather than governmental programs. Therefore, one of the main ideas of the article is that First Nations People are left to struggle with community problems without any substantial external support.

The article “A career of ‘busting down barriers” by the same author discusses the career success of aboriginal people. The lives of the heroes and heroines are similar, as all of them went through institutional discrimination, combated poverty but finally became competent professionals in law, economics and other areas and managed to seize their place under the sun. The overall initiative of awarding prominent Native people with high professional performance might appear to be empowering to the First Nations population. However, Bonoski’s account of their lives shows that these reputable minority Canadians were trying hard to achieve their goals not “for the sake of” (family, community, close people), but “in opposition to” (stereotypes discrimination and barriers). Thus, they have been protesting against the hostile “white middle-class society” throughout their life and thus preventing the true unity of the Canadian people.

The article entitled “Aboriginal wish list” addresses the problem of scarce financing of education, health care and social services for First Nation children. The paper is composed on the opinions of experts who suggest their ideas of what aboriginal children need nowadays, but does not suggest any steps of solving the problems. Therefore, the contributors seem to be asking government and non-government organizations for a favor; moreover, due to the fact that their suggestions are not properly organized and some experts are not consistent with the others, the wish list appears to a long enumeration of requirements and requests set by the representatives of the First Nations population.

As one can conclude, newspaper representations of the First Nations People are quite informative in terms of the troubles faced by the minority group, but lack strong images of community leaders, activists and descriptions of effective government-sponsored programs, aimed at facilitating the integration of citizens with Inuit and Metis background.

Works cited

1. Bonokoski, M. “Victim of the streets”. The Toronto Sun, 2008.
2. Bonokoski, M. “A career of ‘busting down barriers”. The Toronto Sun, 2008.
3. Bonokoski, M. “Killer still blames cops”. The Toronto Sun, 2009.
4. Yakabuski, K. “Hydro-Quebec a slow learner on native rights”. Globe and Mail, 2009.
5. Szklarski, C. “Aboriginal awards host uses star power to inspire”. The Toronto Star, 2009.
6. The Toronto Sun. “Aboriginal wish list”. 2008.

Abdelhadi, Eman. “Religiosity and Muslim Women’s Employment in the United States.” Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, vol. 3, 2017.

This article is devoted to studying statistics that link various areas of the lives of Muslim women and their employment in America. The author researched several different sources to show how the lives of Muslim women affect their careers. Thus, this article contains information about a particular area of these women’s lives: their jobs. As it turned out, their religion can have a positive effect on employment. For example, going to a mosque is one factor that increases the likelihood of having a job. This is likely due to employers trusting consistent and honest people.

The author also found that neither education, nor the presence of children, nor ethnic group have a significant impact on employment. They can contribute to a positive attitude of the employer and people of other religions. For instance, if a person has a good education, they will be hired regardless of cultural background. These facts represent Muslim women as quite successful and, most importantly, full-fledged members of American society. These statistics give hope for the early elimination of discrimination and respect for Muslim women on the part of employers and others. This article can be useful for my research as an example of a positive trend related to Muslim women. Although there are some issues, they still have an opportunity to work and gain success in life.

Fadel, Leila. “How Muslims, Often Misunderstood, Are Thriving in America.” National Geographic, 2018.

This article is an example of a comprehensive description of Muslim culture. The author writes about different aspects of Muslim life, allowing readers to understand them better and eliminate stereotypes. Muslim women are presented in this article as quite strong and independent. Each of them has an individual set of personal characteristics and is a full-fledged member of society. They are not afraid to prove themselves and use all the country’s opportunities in which they live.

The author gives compelling examples of how Muslims thrive in America. For instance, they are actively developing businesses in various areas related to Islam, particularly tailoring. This allows Muslim women to dress beautifully and expensively, despite stereotypes of modesty and simplicity in their clothes. Muslim women also actively advocate for their rights, for example, participating in the anti-bullying skit at a public library. This characterizes them as active and strong women who take care of themselves and defend their rights. This article allows me to fill my research with more deep psychological details related to Muslim women, understanding their characters from the inside.

Lalami, Laila. “I’m a Muslim and Arab American. Will I Ever Be an Equal Citizen?” The New York Times, 2020.

This article is the story of a woman who has lived in America for many years. About thirty years ago, she moved from Morocco, hoping to build a prosperous life in this large country. However, even after such a long time, she still feels pressure from others. Undoubtedly, this affects her perception of the world: she feels constant hostility, which presses on her. This destroys the trust she was trying to build between the two alien cultures. As a result, her life is filled with conflict, and she is unable to enjoy life in a prosperous country fully.

The image of a Muslim woman in this article is a strong woman, not understood by society. She has a set of exciting and significant personal qualities, but others are not ready to see them behind their stereotypes. Even after thirty years of living in America, she still hears questions about when she will return home. Thus, America has not become her full-fledged home over the years because its “masters” cannot accept it. This underlines the tragic fate of Muslim women in America. Society is not yet tuned in to interact with them, which leads to constant conflicts. Without solving this problem, People will continue to regularly face each other, only aggravating issues between them. Stereotypes will persist, and Muslim women will regularly feel pressured. This article would be useful for my research as an example of difficulties that Muslim women face daily and that should be eradicated.

Mogahed, Dalia. “American Muslim Women Don’t Need You to Save Them from Islam. They Need Your Respect.” USA Today, 2018.

This article shows how a Muslim woman sees the country she lives in from the inside. The author is Muslim and wants to share her culture, religion, and nationality issues with America. She claims that many people are trying to help Muslim women, “save” them from Islam. In fact, they do not want this since their primary need in a “foreign” society is not help but respect. They want the people around them to consider them complete and to perceive as equals. Unfortunately, many people are not ready for this – they have too many persistent prejudices about Muslims and their attitudes towards women. This often leads to conflicts and misunderstandings.

The author talks about Islamophobia and American stereotypes about Muslims. She cites an interesting statistic: most Americans have outdated ideas about the role of Muslim women. Common biases about them thrive, interfering with the productive interaction of representatives of different cultures. Thus, the author of this article shows Islamic women from a different angle. She details their real aspirations, life goals, and world views. This is how Muslim women appear to be independent and firm but not understood by society. In this article, there are multiple details about Muslim culture and life perception. It is crucial to know these facts to write research on this topic, so this article is also crucial for my research.

Terman, Rochelle. “Islamophobia and Media Portrayals of Muslim Women: A Computational Text Analysis of US News Coverage.” International Studies Quarterly, vol. 61, no. 3, 2017, pp. 489–502.

This article is a quantitative study of American magazines that publish articles on Muslim women. The author researched texts about Muslim and non-Muslim women, comparing their representation in the media. The result of the study is a clear contrast between the descriptions of these two groups of women. In contrast to non-Muslim women, journalists are more likely to write about rights violations and gender inequality when it comes to Muslim women. By doing this, they shift the focus of readers’ attention from the real picture: gender inequality can be found everywhere, and it is necessary to fight it worldwide. However, such a distribution of attention leads to an increase in stereotypes without showing the real state of affairs.

Another exciting feature highlighted in this article is that the authors usually portray Muslims as sexist people. They claim that Muslims oppress women, do not give them rights, and entirely subjugate them. This also leads to misrepresentation of Muslim women: they appear as helpless and subservient to men. However, in reality, they have the rights and are strong enough to live a fulfilling life. Undoubtedly, their culture has numerous characteristics that make it impossible to look at the state of affairs from the inside. However, the media’s image is wrong, creating stereotypes and negative thoughts about this culture. In my research, this article can help me show that people perceive women of different cultures wrongly which leads to stereotypes. Thus, it is crucial to save equality and treat people with respect.

Works Cited

Abdelhadi, Eman. “Religiosity and Muslim Women’s Employment in the United States.”Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, vol. 3, 2017.

Fadel, Leila. “How Muslims, Often Misunderstood, Are Thriving in America.” National Geographic, 2018.

Lalami, Laila. “I’m a Muslim and Arab American. Will I Ever Be an Equal Citizen?”The New York Times, 2020.

Mogahed, Dalia. “American Muslim Women Don’t Need You to Save Them from Islam. They Need Your Respect.”USA Today, 2018.

Terman, Rochelle. “Islamophobia and Media Portrayals of Muslim Women: A Computational Text Analysis of US News Coverage.” International Studies Quarterly, vol. 61, no. 3, 2017, pp. 489–502.

What does the popular media article claim? What do they say the research has found?

The article chosen for this paper is published in the popular newspaper New York Post. Although the public considers this source as a tabloid, this text of scientific article analysis is very decent because it is balanced between specified vocabulary and accessible writing style. The central claim in the article is that attractive people have a stronger immune system (Court, 2022). The author pays primary attention to the discussion of the methodology that was used. Court claims that the researchers photographed and took the blood of 159 participants to show these photos to 492 other volunteers for evaluation (Court, 2022). The study results confirmed the claim about the positive correlation between attractiveness and the immune system.

From the Abstract of the original scientific article, what does the research actually show?

The text of the research article is obviously not so easy to read compared to the text from the New York Post. As for its content, the research was based on several variables. It searched associations of attractiveness not only with the quality of the immune system but also with self-reported health and measures of inflammation (Mengelkoch et al., 2022). As for the research results, the authors suggest that the study’s findings are complex and often sex-differentiated, so they cannot be interpreted in a highly straightforward way (Mengelkoch et al., 2022). Thus, the widespread unwillingness of academic scholars to consider their findings as universal and general is seen.

How does this compare to the popular media article?

The popular media article did a great job extracting the main findings from the original research but tried to hide some complex explanations of the explained phenomenon. On the one hand, the newspaper article’s author attempted to present the exact phrases from the research itself. It helped the author avoid the ambiguity that can appear because of little knowledge of biology. On the other hand, Court (2022) did not mention anything about other variables used in the research. In addition, there was nothing about the sex-differentiated nature of the findings. Nevertheless, Court did a great job of introducing the main patterns of the study. It is especially great that Court provided researchers with feedback and comments about their opinion concerning the study.

References

Court, A. (2022). Attractive people have better immune systems, new research reveals. New York Post. Web.

Mengelkoch, S., Gassen, J., Prokosch, M. L., Boehm, G. W., & Hill, S. E. (2022). More than just a pretty face? The relationship between immune function and perceived facial attractiveness. Proceedings of the Royal Society, 289(1969), 1-9. Web.

University Versus Farmer: A Teleological Perspective

In 1997, a farmer won a case against the University and Community College System of Nevada on the matter of the Equal Pay Act violation. The Court decided the farmer was to gain 40,000 dollars as compensation, yet the University later won an appeal to cancel that verdict. However, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear the case, and the farmer remained a winner. On this matter, a question arises whether the initial decision of the Nevada Supreme Court was justified. This question is controversial, and various ethical theories would solve it differently. For instance, the teleological approach suggests that the decision of the Nevada Supreme Court was reasonable and rightful because it was the best option to bring the highest level of good and the least level of harm possible.

The teleological approach is one of the significant ethical paradigms present in modern ethics, which applies to the case under discussion. According to Benlahcene et al. (2018), the teleological approach “holds that an act is morally right if it produces a greater level of good over evil than any alternative act” (p. 33). This theory suggests that right actions result in the greatest possible happiness, meaning pleasure and absence of pain; wrong actions result in unhappiness, meaning pain and suffering and pleasure deprivation (Benlahcene et al., 2018).

Therefore, the teleological theory defends the Supreme Court’s verdict in the case mentioned above because the actions of the University and Community College System of Nevada violated the Equal Pay Act towards the farmer. Thereby, they brought the farmer pain and made them unhappy, and the teleological theory suggests that all the happiness taken should be replenished in an equal amount. In this specific case, the Supreme Court decreed that the University must compensate the damage done to the farmer with a monetary award, which considers all the main aspects of the teleological theory.

As for the opposed party, namely the University and Community College System of Nevada, Nevada’s Supreme Court’s decision made them unhappy. However, their appeal exemplifies so-called ethical egoism, which “suggests that we ought to do whatever to maximize our self-interests, regardless of how our actions might affect others” (Benlahcene et al., 2018, p. 34). Suppose the University’s appeal was successful, and they got their money back.

From the teleological perspective, that would make them happy, which seems to fit the theory. Nevertheless, it would be egoistic since the actions of the University negatively affected the farmer, who would not get anything as compensation if the Court accepted the appeal. The egoism perspective does not consider the interests of others, yet the teleological approach does. In the case under discussion, the actions of the University hurt other people, and each step has its consequences, which means that the unhappiness of the University is insupportable on this occasion.

Summing up, the teleological perspective justifies the decision of the Nevada Supreme Court in the case of the University against the farmer because that decision produced a higher level of good than harm. The teleological theory considers an action reasonable if it is associated with pleasure and the absence of pain. In this case, the 40,000 dollars award was necessary to make the farmer happy, therefore, serve the greater good. As for the opposed party’s unhappiness, it was their own fault, and they had to pay for their actions. Preferring the University’s happiness to the farmer’s happiness would be an application of ethical egoism, which cannot be considered a rational perspective. Thus, the finding of the Nevada Supreme Court is justified in this case in the teleological approach.

WatchMark-Comnitel Outsourcing Case: Deontological and Teleological Perspectives

The WatchMark-Comnitel Corporation has undergone significant changes because of its outsourcing case. They were renamed Vaillant Corporation and later were acquired by IBM. The business environment is rapidly changing nowadays, and related business issues can be highly complex. Therefore, an organization often has to apply such strategies as outsourcing to achieve its goals and ensure further success, and the case of the WatchMark-Comnitel Corporation exemplifies that.

Outsourcing actions taken by WatchMark-Comnitel are completely justified from both deontological and teleological perspectives. The researchers state that organizations seek strategies for performance enhancement due to the “technological advancement, sophistication of business processes, knowledge explosion and need for constant growth” (as cited in Agburu et al., 2017, p. 2). Furthermore, outsourcing is a management tool relevant among managers in modern business dynamics (Agburu et al., 2017).

Therefore, the WatchMark-Comnitel Corporation’s actions are reasonable from a deontological perspective because deontological theory focuses on the motive of the action (Benlahcene et al., 2018). Applying outsourcing to achieve a company’s goals is a reasonably motivated action. As for the teleological theory, it states that all actions should create a higher level of good over evil to be morally right (Benlahcene et al., 2018). It is also applicable for the outsourcing case of the WatchMark-Comnitel since their strategy aimed to produce good for them and no evil entirely.

Summing up, outsourcing actions of the WatchMark-Comnitel Corporation taken to achieve the organization’s goals successfully are reasonable and acceptable from both deontological and teleological perspectives. First, their strategy had a clear motive, which is the central aspect of the deontological theory. Second, the company acted for its own good and created no evil for anybody, and that characterizes those actions as morally right from a teleological perspective. According to the ethics theories considered, the Corporation’s decisions were effective from f the point of business management and ethically correct.

Employment Features in Canada and the United States

There is enough evidence in the current research that it is easier for employers to comply with Canada’s diversity legislation than in the United States. For instance, recent studies report that social protection programs are more generous in Canada compared to the U. S (Bisom-Rapp & Coiquaud, 2017). The researchers state that “critical forms of social protection remain out of reach for many working people in the United States” (Bisom-Rapp & Coiquaud, 2017, p. 14).

The reason is “fragmented institutional edifice, which is characterized by historical compromises and concessions which resulted in multiple laws, each having differing logics and jurisdictions” (as cited in Bisom-Rapp & Coiquaud, 2017, p. 14). Therefore, it is much easier for employers to comply because they can offer more to their potential employees, making the labor market wider. Many applicants value social protection the most while seeking a job, and they are more confident if a vacancy offers an extensive and complete social program. Thus, employers in Canada struggle less while seeking suitable candidates than they do in the United States.

The New York Times Article: “Travel’s Back. And It’s High Season.”

Are Groups Treated in Proportion to Their Number in the Population?

In this article, the groups are not treated in proportion to their number in the population. That is a travel article about cannabis use and legalization. As Weed (2021) states, travelers will encounter cannabis regardless of their relation to it. Therefore, if the readers of this article can be divided into groups of people who like cannabis legalization and people who do not, the author does not treat them differently.

Do You Think Groups Are Treated Equally in Tone?

The groups are treated equally in tone in this article, and the tone is mostly neutral. The author tells different travel experiences that somehow involved cannabis legalization and how it affected the trip (Weed, 2021). The article also contains some information about cannabis legalization in specific states of the U. S. (Weed, 2021). The tone stays neutral throughout the entire article independently of the group addressed.

What Audience Do You Think This Publication May Target?

The publication primarily targets people who travel much and probably people who use (or used) marijuana. As Weed (2021) states, the current cannabis situation in the U. S. “can mean that these days travel can look, feel and definitely smell a bit different” (para. 6). Thus, the author suggests that people who like to travel might encounter the cannabis legalization consequences on their trips, which may be interesting for both travelers and smokers.

What Stereotypes Do You Think They May Foster?

The article may foster the stereotype that traveling to the United States is necessarily associated with encountering cannabis one way or another. The author claims that continuous acceptance of cannabis in different states somehow affects travelers’ vacation plans anyway (Weed, 2021). A traveler reading this article may suggest that they will meet someone who smokes marijuana or even sells it at least once during their trip, which is obviously not true. People travel for different purposes, so they visit various places and communicate with many people. The article suggests that there is a high chance to encounter marijuana while traveling; however, there is no evidence that cannabis is everywhere in the United States, and people cannot pass by it.

References

Agburu, J. I., Anza, N. C., & Iyortsuun, A. S. (2017). Effect of outsourcing strategies on the performance of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs). Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 7(1), 1-34.

Benlahcene, A., Zainuddin, R. B., Syakiran, N., & Ismail, A. B. (2018). A narrative review of ethics theories: Teleological & deontological ethics. Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 23(1), 31-38.

Bisom-Rapp, S., & Coiquaud, U. (2017). The role of the state towards the grey zone of employment: Eyes on Canada and the United States. Revue Interventions Économiques. Papers in Political Economy, 58. Web.

Weed, J. (2021). Travel’s back. And it’s high season. The New York Times. Web.

Introduction

Social inequality has inspired people at all times to fight for the return of justice. These debates have rarely been calm and tolerant. The most common ways of achieving equality involve revolutionary methods, cruelty, and many casualties. Social justice is equal access to the material and cultural opportunities, as well as a possibility to exercise all the humans’ rights. In terms of this definition, Ernesto Che Guevara is a suitable personality to consider when talking about the campaign aimed at gaining equality.

Guevara was appalled by the cases of starvation, hunger, and illnesses he saw while being a medical student and traveling in several Latin American countries. Thus, he made it his aim to change the situation consolidating his activity with Cuban President Fidel Castro. However, while Che Guevara viewed the situation under the angle of American capitalism, the US considered him a cruel and merciless communist. Thus, the American newspapers portrayed Ernesto Che Guevara as a radical and tyrannical individual because his activity was full of hatred and led to many deaths.

The Historical Context of Che Guevara’s Activity

The first part of the twentieth century was characterized as an uneasy one for Cuba (Sweig, 2009). The Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista took control of the country in the 1930s. In the beginning, his rule was quite successful. Batista developed constructive ties with the USA in order to obtain beneficial trading relationships and other kinds of useful connections. In 1940, he proposed a new constitution and new elections in the country. The Constitution was considered “one of Latin America’s most progressive” documents of a kind (Sweig, 2009, p. 18). Batista won the elections and considered himself a great reformer of the time (Sweig, 2009).

However, soon Batista started to employ fraudulent schemes and restrictive policies. His systematic cooperation with the American mafia with the aim of gaining personal financial profit began arousing people’s negative reaction. In order to prevent the people’s interference with his illegal activity, Batista established strict control of the media and reported to the Bureau for the Repression of Communist Activities which performed large-scale executions of those who disagreed with his politics. Batista no longer cared about people’s rights and freedoms. His only aim was to keep everything under his control and to suppress any attempt of contradicting him.

Under such circumstances, a rebellion was inevitable. It was only a matter of time and preparation. The first attempt to oppose Batista’s regime was organized on July 26, 1953, by brothers Fidel and Raul Castro and nearly one hundred and fifty other activists. They planned to appropriate the weapons kept at Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba and use them in a fight against Batista (Sweig, 2009). The attempt was unsuccessful and ended up in numerous murders and arrests.

However, that was the time when Che Guevara got acquainted with Fidel Castro and got interested in supporting Castro’s rebellion. Their further cooperation eventually led to Batista’s regime’s defeat during the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Che Guevara performed a number of duties as a minister in the new government. One of his key tasks was concerned with the military organization of the country’s forces. Guevara was also renowned for his communist views which shaped his politics.

The Analysis of the American Newspapers’ Portrayal of Che Guevara

While the people in Cuba consider Che Guevara their national hero, his image in the US is quite the opposite. The opinions reflected in the most popular newspapers are far from positive. Che Guevara’s activity is described as involving “really ugly” things, and the people are said to be “deluded” about his personality (Llosa, 2016, para. 2). In his article, Llosa remarks that people do not know the real character of Guevara’s actions and therefore “cling to a myth” (2016, para. 1).

The author mentions that Che Guevara was not deprived of some outstanding features, his honesty is one of the most prominent. However, Llosa emphasizes that Guevara’s honesty helped played its role in identifying his terrible actions. He kept written evidence of the events which are now used to demonstrate how misguided people adoring Che is. He considered hatred “an element of struggle” and said it moved people beyond their “natural limitations” (Llosa, 2016, para. 3).

The article provides numerous examples of Che Guevara’s approval of violent activity in the way of achieving his targets. He believed that the leaders who refused to kill their antagonists failed in the authority and, as a result, lost their power. Llosa mentions that Che Guevara took part in executing the people whose fault was proven, those whose guilt was under question, and even those who merely “happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time” (2016, para. 4).

Another newspaper article also puts emphasis on Guevara’s enraged and defiant image. It describes a recent outbreak of Guevara’s popularity and points out the reasons why people mistakenly worship him (Ehrenreich, 2008). Ehrenreich mentions that items promoting Che Guevara’s image are numerous and versatile. He remarks that the T-shirt with Che’s portrait “has itself become a symbol, shorthand for posture drained of ideology, rebelliousness as a fashion statement” (Ehrenreich, 2008, para. 10).

However, the author emphasizes the fact that those who buy and wear stuff connected with Guevara frequently do not know who he was and what kind of activity he led. Ehrenreich says that while Che’s photo taken in 1960 is still popular, it does not mean the same what it meant long ago – he lost his “radicalism and ideological rigor” (2008, para. 13). The author concludes that Che Guevara nowadays may personify the annoyance “with the regime he helped establish” (Ehrenreich, 2008, para. 15).

Thus, the American newspapers draw an image of Che Guevara which is far from the one deserving worshipping and admiration. They dissolve the myth of Guevara being a highly positive role image and picture him as a bloodthirsty tyrant.

Conclusion

As any well-known leader, Ernesto Che Guevara has earned a two-sided reputation. On the one hand, people adore him for his desire to change the state of things and to gain social justice. These are mostly the people of Latin American countries who used to or still feel being deprived of some rights. On the other hand, Che Guevara is considered a merciless killing machine, a cruel individual whose methods were harsh and inhumane. This opinion is mostly supported by American observers. The US newspapers portray Ernesto Che Guevara as a tyrant and a cold-blooded leader and urge people to stop idolizing him without prior considering all the aspects of his activity.

References

Ehrenreich, B. (2008). Capitalizing on Che Guevara’s image. Los Angeles Times. Web.

Llosa, A. V. (2016). Notable & quotable: Che Guevara, killing machine. The Wall Street Journal. Web.

Sweig, J. E. (2009). Cuba: What everyone needs to know. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Several Supreme Court justices, particularly Chief Justice Roger Taney, hoped that the 1857 ruling in Dred Scott v. Sanford would serve as the “final word” on the slavery question that had embroiled American politics for decades. They hoped that the prestige of the Supreme Court would command respect and end the increasing polarization of the country into pro-slavery and anti-slavery camps. However, these hopes were bitterly disappointed. The Dred Scott decision only deepened the divide facing the country. Southerners and pro-slavery Northerners hailed the decision as a complete affirmation of pro-slavery arguments, while previously moderate opinion in the North was radicalized against slavery. Far from being the final defeat of the anti-slavery movement, the decision brought more people into the movement’s ranks. This paper analyzes newspaper reactions in both the North and South to the Dred Scott decision, and also discusses common interpretations of the decision in the press at the time.

Naturally, nearly all shades of Southern opinion welcomed the Dred Scott decision. The opinion repeated arguments that supporters of slavery had used for decades to justify the existence of the “peculiar institution” – namely Chief Justice Taney’s statement that African-Americans were not American citizens and had no rights that whites were bound to accept. The Daily Courier of Charleston, South Carolina expressed the hope that the opinion would “settle these vexed questions forever, quiet the country, and relieve it of abolition agitation.”[1] Indeed, one of the striking features of Southern commentary on the Dred Scott decision is the abuse poured on abolitionists.

While certainly not unusual in Southern newspapers at the time, it does reflect the increased radicalization of Southern public opinion by 1857. Many Southerners not only wished for an affirmation of their right to hold slaves but sought to silence all Northern criticism of slavery. These Southerners saw Dred Scott as their opportunity to do just that.

Southern slave-owners had significant political support from many Northern Democrats. Some of these “doughfaces” actively supported slavery, while others simply sought to finesse the issue and keep it out of national politics as much as possible. In 1857, the ultimate Northern apologist for slavery was President James Buchanan. The rise of the anti-slavery movement threatened the preeminence of the Democratic Party, with its core of Southern support. Not surprisingly, the Buchanan administration’s newspaper endorsed the decision in laudatory terms. It denounced anti-slavery agitators who it predicted would use the decision as a “fresh topic of sectional agitation.”[2] At the same time, the newspaper attempted to use the respect Americans had for the court to persuade moderate Northerners to stop criticizing slavery. It encouraged those moderates to “conform their action to the adjudication of the highest judicial tribunal in the land.”[3]

By 1857, much of Northern public opinion had turned strongly against slavery. The Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 had kept the issue of slavery in national politics and polarized both sections of the country. As a result of this polarization, most Northern newspapers had a strongly negative reaction to the Dred Scott decision. One Northern paper wrote that the “decision, we need hardly say, is entitled to just so much moral weight as would be the judgment of a majority of those congregated in any Washington bar-room”[4] The paper went on to describe the Republican Party as the nation’s final shield against the extension of slavery.

Other Northern newspapers noted that the Dred Scott decision meant that slavery was no longer a local issue. Previously, many Northerners had opposed slavery in theory but did not feel the need to take any action against the institution since it did not affect their daily lives. Northern anti-slavery newspapers sought to use the Dred Scott decision to rally these previously apathetic Northerners to their cause. Some newspapers did this by claiming that the implications of Dred Scott could eventually lead to the extension of slavery to free states. One newspaper stated that the next step after Dred Scott would be that “no State Government has a right to deprive any citizen of property, which the Constitution of the United States protects him in holding.”[5] This argument ultimately proved effective for anti-slavery supporters. Even many of those who had been previously indifferent to slavery had no desire to become slave catchers themselves.

In retrospect, it is obvious that Northern anti-slavery interpretations of the Dred Scott decision were much more accurate than Southern pro-slavery interpretations. Southern newspapers believed that Dred Scott would be the death knell for the abolitionist movement.

In the pro-slavery view, the Dred Scott decision affirmed all of the arguments in favor of slavery, and even anti-slavery Northerners would now stop criticizing slavery out of deference to the Supreme Court. Of course, this is not what happened, as the reaction of Northern newspapers to Dred Scott makes clear. These Northern newspapers bitterly criticized the opinion (with the notable exception of the pro-administration Buchanan newspaper) and encouraged Northerners to redouble their efforts against slavery before Dred Scott caused the extension of slavery into the North. The rise of the Republican Party and the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 demonstrated how seriously anti-slavery Northerners took these warnings.

Lifespan is a subject that recently attracts an essential amount of human attention. It is not surprising as people are curious about the factors influencing their life duration and life quality. A substantial amount of research was made investigating and calculating the major issues prolonging or shortening peoples’ lives. In this assignment, one of the newspaper articles about lifespan research will be estimated from the terms of its content and study characteristics.

In the article from Times Magazine, the authors report about the research made by investigators from New York University School of Medicine highlighted various factors impacting life duration (Ducharme & Wolfson, 2019). The authors of the study estimated 500 U.S. cities with a population of at least 66.000 people and took data from City Health Dashboard as the basement for the research.

The major focus of the study was to identify the cities with the shortest rate of life duration. During the investigation, researchers identified 56 cities where humans could expect to live 20 years less than in other locations (Ducharme & Wolfson, 2019). Apart from that, among factors influencing life duration zip code, air pollution, access to healthy products, nature, medical aid, level of income, city of permanent stay, race and ethnicity, obesity, and smoking were underlined (Ducharme & Wolfson, 2019). Researchers also identified national and ethnic disparities in cities to be one of the influencing factors on life-expectancy gaps. According to Ducharme and Wolfson (2019), the cities with the largest gaps were Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York.

The researchers used the observational research method and qualitative research design as they gathered the data from an online resource, the City Health Dashboard, that uses multiple sources and allows to compare data according to the aims of the search. The hypothesis of the research was to prove that city-level health disparities depend on various modified and non-modified factors and to calculate such differences. Reliability and validity concerns involve the data gathering from online resources depending on the access to them and their measures may be changing within time. Moreover, the data refreshment in the City Health Dashboard and any other online platform might be rare, and some measures from small-sized territories can be not very precise. The latter can lead to inaccuracies in calculations due to secondary data estimation.

The advantage of using online data is in its availability, scale, and quick access to analyses. However, secondary data does not provide the full picture of the issue and might lead to inaccuracies in estimations as they are based on other assessments. The future findings question mostly focuses on the possible solutions to the life-expectancy gaps shortage in urban areas and improving the life durations outcomes in big city centers. If I was to conduct another study based on this study, I would want to calculate the future expectations of lifespan in such megapolises as Chicago, Washington D.C, and New York and find possible solutions to prevent the progressive shortage of the citizens. Moreover, some of the highlighted modified factors influencing lifespan can be manipulated with the terminal aim to reduce life-expectancy gaps in these cities.

Thus, in this research paper, the assessment of the newspaper article about research regarding lifespan is presented. Investigators from the New York University School of Medicine gathered data from 500 most populous U.S. cities and identified major factors impacting life duration rates. The further concern of the research should be focused on minimizing risks for people living in large urban areas. This can prevent the negative influence of identified factors and improve the health rate of the populations.

Reference

Ducharme, J., & Wolfson, E. (2019). Your ZIP code might determine how long you live – And the difference could be decades. Time Magazine. Web.

The printed newspaper is among the oldest elements in the contemporary media environment. However, with the advent of the Internet, the media industry has revolutionized with regards to how information is portrayed, distributed, and consumed. The first online newspaper was published in 1980, and it has gradually gained popularity over the years¹. This has prompted legacy printed news producers, such as the New York Times and the Daily Mail, among others, to create an online presence that complements their offline sales. In the modern era, online news is more popular than printed news, as it is freely available and can be accessed from anywhere.

However, the digitalization of the newspapers has adversely impacted the quality of news, as it has led to the rise of fake news. Fake news has a myriad of definitions; nevertheless, it is referred to as propaganda published to deceive or misinform readers deliberately. Although fake news is as old as the newspaper industry, online versions are more susceptible to fake news than the former due to the type of writing style used.

Online newspapers utilize a non-linear and reader-driven content, as it must be brief and quickly get to the point. Therefore, since people depend on news publishers to bridge the informational gap between them and the world, they must become conversant with ways of identifying fake news. The CRAAP test contains measures such as currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose that are efficient in identifying fake news².

Reference List

Shedden, D., Today in Media History: CompuServe and the First Online Newspapers. Web.

Yap, A., Snyder, L., and Drye, S., ‘The Information War in the Digital Society: A Conceptual Framework for a Comprehensive Solution to Fake News’, Academy of Social Science Journal, vol. 3, no. 7, 2018, pp. 1214-1221.

Footnotes

1. D. Shedden, Today in Media History: CompuServe and the First Online Newspapers. Web.
2. A. Yap, L. Snyder, and S. Drye, ‘The Information War in the Digital Society: A Conceptual Framework for a Comprehensive Solution to Fake News’, Academy of Social Science Journal, vol. 3, no. 7, 2018, p. 1216.

Introduction

Nepean Barrhaven EMC released on May 31, 2012 is the issue of a Canadian newspaper chosen for analysis. It is a community newspaper serving Eastern Ontario. The issue provides the weekly news of the community and of the country, much attention is paid to health problems.

Advertising takes special place in this newspaper as well as the entertainment and business news. Reading this issue of the newspaper, it is possible to guess that the editor and the authors of the articles pay special attention to the health of the community.

It is possible to predict that the issue is interesting for different layers of population as it contains important national news, community information, advertisements, entertaining section and other information presented on various topics and attractive to people with different interests.

What are the primary journalistic beats covered?

Considering the primary journalistic beats in the discussed issue, it should be stated that modern journalists pay much attention to the Internet and the data found there (Pavlik, 2001). The primary journalistic beats are located on the cover page. The most amazing story is devoted to a woman who managed to withstand the transplantation of the double-lungs.

The less striking, however important news are devoted to the $300 million project for the reconstruction of the Bayshore Shopping Center, the 50^th anniversary of the community association in Manordale, the increase of the number of the city’s highways and the health issue which covers the services for mentally disabled youth. These stories are presented on the cover page making sure that the journalistic investigation of these themes was substantial and these stories deserve additional attention.

The largest story on the cover page is devoted to 21-year-old woman, Helene Campbell, who managed to withstand a difficult operation. The story dwells upon the case pointing at the most striking and interesting facts. Even though the story has the scientific interest, the form of presentation, the striking title and the focus of the article will be interesting for many people.

The same deals with other beats which are presented at the cover page. Being specifically directed at the particular audience in the scientific field, the journalists managed to present the information which makes it interesting for reading by other layers of population.

Comparison and contrast of the style of this newspaper with others

The style of writing in this newspaper is free if compared with The New York Times newspaper. The New York Times newspaper is more official presenting more economic, political and social data which is interesting for business people. Nepean Barrhaven EMC is less informative in these directions. Nepean Barrhaven EMC does not contain political themes, however, the social and economical data is covered.

Still, the style of information layout is different. The newspaper under consideration presents the material as the stories making the material interesting for reading, while The New York Times is interested in presenting more useful information which bother business people and politicians. The international news are covered in The New York Times which make the form of the presented information more informative.

The data is presented with the reference to the sources, the statistics and other means of supportive information are provided to make the discussion argumentative. It makes the discussion more official (Owen, & Purdey, 2011). The news in the Nepean Barrhaven EMC reminds the story telling among friends. Of course, the news covered here also carries informative nature, still, the tone and style is less official.

The story from the newspaper and the discussion of the four information biases described by Lance Bennett

Personalization, dramatization, fragmentation, and the authority-disorder bias are four information biases discussed by Lance Bennett (2011). Taking the “’I am so thankful’: Helene Campbell” story as a sample for analysis of the Bennett’s biases, the following data should be considered. The story is closely personalized as being described by the author, the article is full of quotations and direct speech which help to see what the main character of the story feels.

Moreover, reading the story it is possible to get the voice of the author who is also impressed and fascinated with the situation which happened to Helen. The notes of dramatization cannot be missed as the whole story is based on the health problem, lengthy disease and a recovery which took too much time in combination with the professionalism of the American surgeons.

Fragmentation bias is present, as discussing the problem the author turns to the conference, to the surgeon and to the time a girl spent in the hospital, to the moment when the disease was discovered, etc. The author also tries to make some forecast for Helene’s future. The article under consideration does not contain the signs of authority-disorder bias. However, the presence of the three biases makes the news an unofficial story which confirms the general direction of the newspaper.

Whether the story is episodic or thematic?

The article is episodic as it covers a simple story of one girl which cannot be considered from different angles (Iyengar, 1994). It was easy to distinguish the type of this story. Being an episodic discussion, the story is focused on an individual, not on an issue which would be in case of a thematic discussion. Moreover, the text under analysis focuses on a single event, not on trends over times.

Opposite to thematic discussion which would dwell upon the cases which deal with fixing the conditions, our story dwells upon how to fix the person which is the central characteristic feature of the episodic frame. Moreover, private data is depicted, not the public, and the better information is required on the contrary to the better policies which would be in case with the thematic frame (Yousman, 2009).

Conclusion

Therefore, it may be concluded that Nepean Barrhaven EMC newspaper is directed at a larger layer of the population who are not interested in serious political and economic news. Those who read this newspaper usually want to read an interesting story and to be aware of the latest news. Nepean Barrhaven EMC is exactly the newspaper for the community which covers the main news and events which are interesting for people.

The style and the tone presented by the journalists do not require from people the knowledge of the special terms, therefore, the reading of this weekly newspaper brings them joy. Presenting the episodic stories, the journalists support the interest of the readers as it does not make those be aware of the information which was covered in the previous issues. Reading Nepean Barrhaven EMC people get to know the latest news in the community and in the country.

Reference List

Bennett, W. L. (2011). News: The Politics of Illusion. London: Longman.

Iyengar, S. (1994). Is Anyone Responsible?: How Television Frames Political Issues American Politics and Political Economy Series. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Nepean Barrhaven EMC. (2012, May 31).

Owen, J. & Purdey, H. (2011). International News Reporting: Frontlines and Deadlines. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Pavlik, J. V. (2001). Journalism and New Media. New York: Columbia University Press.

Yousman, B. (2009). Prime Time Prisons on U.S. Tv: Representation of Incarceration. New York: Peter Lang.

The fate of newspaper publishing industry across the world and in Australia continues to be unknown. It is thus essential for the newspaper publishing industry to explore its macro environment and macro environment. The macro environment comprises aspects such as demographics, political, natural, economic, technological, and cultural surroundings (Rix 2004).

These elements create opportunities and threats for the industry as the industry may not be able to influence them directly. Conversely, the microenvironment comprises the industry’s competitors, suppliers and customers (Kotler et al. 2007). These elements denote the strengths and weaknesses of the industry. The industry has the capacity to influence activities in its micro environment.

External Environment

Demographic Environment

Demographic environment comprises segmentation according to aspects such as age, location and sex. Demographic segmentation enables the industry to succeed in formulating products and services that cater for the needs of customers.

Population

Australia has a population of about 33.4 million people. 13% of this population consists of persons aged above 65 years. The population of young people continues to decline due to lower infertility rates. Increased life expectancy and low rates of birth have led to a growth in the ageing population.

Most Australian industries, which publish newspapers, target population aged above 60 years. Since this segment has unique needs, these industries have to customize their products and services to match their requirements.

Level of Education

Presently, most people in Australia have degrees. This has augmented the use of technology in the country. Since advanced education has boosted awareness about the use of technology, the newspaper publishing industry has to adopt technological use in delivering their services.

Geographic Shifts

There is a shift in the Australian population due to change in living standards, retirements and distribution of jobs. Some people move from rural to urban areas, while others move from towns to suburbs. Industries should monitor these movements when formulating their marketing campaigns. The newspaper publishing industry can take advantage of this situation through distributing their products and services to remote regions.

Economic Environment

The economic environment comprises spending trends and income levels of customers. Other aspects, which affect the economic environment, include interest rates, inflation and employment. In Australia, levels of income are high, and the national disposable income is high.

Hence, spending patterns on household products and services in Australia are high. Australians also spend much on recreation activities. Some services that Australians use for recreation include internet services and mobile phones.

Hence, newspaper publishing industries in Australia must consider these consumer spending patterns while making marketing decisions.

Natural Environment

The entire world is facing problems due to damage of the natural environment. Marketers have to realize the significance of natural resources that they use in their activities. Industries must consider aspects such as water scarcity and greenhouse gas emission in their business activities.

In Australia, water, oil and coal are scarce resources. Hence, the Newspaper industry must invent environmental friendly methods of production, such as recycling used materials.

Technological Environment

Recent years have experienced much change in regard to technological changes. Presently, most people have access to the internet and other online services. Thus, the newspaper industry must use technology in designing innovative products so as to remain relevant in the market.

Also, the Australian government supports research and development, among industries, through providing grants and tax discounts. Hence, there are many opportunities for the growth of newspaper printing industries in Australia.

Political Environment

The political environment in Australia affects marketing decisions in the newspaper publishing company. This environment comprises government regulations and policies, pressure group and government agencies. Industries in Australia must conform to the Federal Practices Act. Ethics and social responsibility also obtain emphasis from different pressure groups.

Some areas, where government regulations influence newspaper publishing industries, include foreign ownership, environment, defamation and competition (Fitzpatrick 2012).

The Trade Practices Act of 1974 governs activities of media mergers. The Australian Competition Consumer Commission (ACCC) directs activities of mergers and defines the media market. ACCC considers advertisers and consumer choice in describing the media market.

The newspaper publishing industry gets affected by environmental laws on pollution. All key magazines and newspaper publishers in Australia belong to the Publishers National Environment Bureau. This body advocates for environmental aspects such as recycling used magazines and newspapers.

Presently, the restriction on foreign ownership of the metropolitan newspaper gets placed at the prudence of the Federal Government Treasurer. For instance, the foreign interests of up to 49.9% can be held in suburban and provincial newspapers, at the prudence of the Federal Treasurer.

Besides, there are laws relating to defamation, disapproval and limitations on circulating content that is obscene, profane or an agitation to racial abhorrence. Nearly all state governments have laws that govern registration, mostly to aid legal action in the occasion of actions for defamation.

Cultural Environment

Societies build beliefs and values, which parents convey to their children. Values and beliefs can affect decisions of Australian newspaper publishing industry. For instance, Australians believe in using the most cost effective ways to access information. Australians adopted this culture through watching Hollywood movies.

Hence, introduction of online media is likely to have adverse effects on use of print media. This is because online products and services are easier to access and more cost effective than products and services from print media.

Internal Environment

Competition

Competition in the Australian news publishing media consists of products and services from alternative media. These include independent online advertising sites, new digital TV websites, pay TV, social networking websites, internet TV, magazines, mobile phones, telemarketing and direct mail (Fitzpatrick 2012).

Emergence of online technology is more likely to influence consumption of metropolitan newspaper than suburban and regional newspapers.

Nevertheless, consumption of regional newspapers is likely to be influenced by increasing cases of internet penetration rates, availability of broadband, pay TV and free TV channels. These substitute forms of news have posed significant competition to the industry.

This is because efforts to shift newspaper readers to online news make the industry experience stiff competition, resulting to lowered print returns and profits. While newspaper operators have responded by sharing their services and products across the online editorial, online services do not offer many profits compared to newsprint publications.

Suppliers

The newspaper publishing industry in Australia has many suppliers who operate from different retail outlets. The industry also deploys news agents for distribution of magazines and newspapers.

Customers

Consumers of the industry’s products and services comprise of persons from all demographic segments. However, old people are the main demographic segment in the industry. This is because young people have shifted, from print, to online media. Thus, the industry has to create products that suit the needs of consumers.

References

Fitzpatrick, N 2012, IBIS world industry report C2421: newspaper printing or publishing in Australia, IBIS World Limited, South Melbourne.

Kotler, P, Brown, L, & Armstrong, G 2007, Marketing, Pearson Education, South Melbourne.

Rix, P 2004, Marketing: a practical approach, Mc Graw-Hill, North Ryde.