A Rhetorical Analysis Of Richard Cohen's The Washington

Envision a society that is plagued with the dichotomy between notorious media outlets. Envision a society where people can’t walk around a corner without being wrongly informed and manipulated by narcissistic media outlets, that only want to circulate their own name. People all across the nation are constantly being misinformed and manipulated for the benefit of the media company that is broadcasting the ambiguous information. Would you want to be stuck in the situation of distributing slanderous expos*e to a worldwide audience, just waiting to suppress the future outcry against your persona? Would you want to be that oblivious person becoming manipulated by mainstream media? Amongst the ongoing ambiguity of the mainstream media, the Washington

Cohen first places President Donald Trump and his counselor Kellyanne Conway under an examination of credibility. Constantly, Cohen attacks both of these credible people to try and manipulate his audience. Cohen presents these expressions, “fake news” and “alternative facts” to show the audience how President Trump and Conway have, “increased the talk of ‘real’ or ‘fact-based’ journalism.” These details, though small, manipulates Cohen’s intended audience into thinking that Trump and Conway are the sole reason that journalists are continuously attacked for their statements. Thus, creating another dichotomy, as seen in Sullivan’s article, between those manipulated into joining Cohen’s stance and those who believe that some journalists act upon releasing fake or exaggerated news stories. Furthermore, throughout the entirety of the article, Cohen provides other appeals of credibility by quoting, Simon Schama, Paul Horner, and George Prochnik to strengthen and ultimately exemplify his claims. Although most of these infamous historians, journalists, and writers are credible like Schama (a historian) and Prochnik (a writer and ex-professor), one of these people, Horner, is known for his publicized Facebook fake-news outlet. Usually, the addition of a non-credible source like Horner would hurt the claim that Cohen is trying to get through to his audience, but Cohen later states how

Cohen uses the rhetorical questioning aspect three different ways in his article. The first of which is implemented right after Cohen introduces Trump and his counselor’s opinion that “fake news” and “alternative facts” are ruining journalism. In the following paragraph, Cohen states, “Fact-based as opposed to what other type?” This statement implies that Cohen, along with other journalists that were attacked by Trump’s statement, believe that journalism is and can only be “fact-based”. Cohen uses this first rhetorical question to negate what President Trump and his counselor stated, and this helps lessen Trump’s claims and puts more support in favor of the journalists. The second rhetorical questioning aspect is placed directly after Cohen says that Trump avoids reiterating statements that he previously broadcasted and covers them up with various lies. Cohen states, “People begin to wonder: Am I imagining this? … Will we ever be able to dislodge these people from power? What are they capable of?” All of these questions are directed to manipulate Cohen’s audience into thinking that all Trump does is lie to the public to avoid any confrontations. Again, Cohen diatribes Trump at the end of his article stating, “... what would be the reaction to a Reichstag fire in American guise -- say a major act of