The media reaches deep inside of the viewer’s subconscious and manipulates their innermost thoughts. Modern news articles use various methods in persuading their audience to adopt a new belief. Writers often use ethos to persuade by referencing ideals that society deems credible. Another common form of rhetoric used is logos, which appeals to reasoning. The rhetoric pathos alludes to events or ideas that will trigger an emotional response. In news articles, one can identify the author’s application of ethos, logos, and pathos. Kaste’s “Gun Debate Divides Nation's Police Officers, Too” mainly uses ethos to provide a wide range of valid, credible opinions on law enforcement’s stance on gun violence (Kaste). Fox News’ "Obama Reportedly considering …show more content…
One can apply ethos to provide societal credibility, which supports a particular argument (Kuglich). NPR finds people who are experts in their field and uses them as reliable sources. Because they are adept in their areas of study, the reader recognizes this and believes what they speak on. By getting multiple viewpoints from credible sources, one can take every perspective into consideration. Since the readers take into account both points of view, they form their own conclusions. All of the sheriffs and officers quoted are reliable sources, but their conflicting points of view highlight the divide in views. In Milwaukee, the county sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. does not favor of gun control, while the police chief Edward Flynn does (Kaste). By contrasting their two viewpoints, one can infer that an increase of differing perspectives is causing a divide among law enforcement. Kaste effectively introduces a credible source, “Jennifer Carlson, an American sociologist at the University of Toronto who studies police attitudes toward gun laws, says this divide has grown since the 1990s” (Kaste). By introducing Carlson as an “American sociologist” the reader automatically recognizes her as an expert (Kaste). Kaste’s identifies Carlson as one who “studies police attitudes toward gun laws,” which is precisely what the article focuses on (Kaste). Including credible sources strengthens …show more content…
The article denies Obama’s integrity and places credibility on Republican anti-gun regulation perspectives. The article mentions “Obama’s attempts to pass gun control measures through Congress previously have been unsuccessful, and in 2013 he announced 23 executive actions in the wake of the Newtown massacre,” which emphasizes his failures and inability to pass these regulations (Obama). By dramatizing his lack of success, it forces one to believe that gun regulation is futile. The article attempts to discredit liberals with a quote from Mike Huckabee: “Talk of gun control makes the liberals feel warm and fuzzy” (Obama). This mention of liberals will peak the interest of the conservative audience. The right wing readers recognize the humor in playing into the liberal stereotype. By portraying liberals as people who are only arguing for a specific viewpoint in order to quell their inner thoughts, they degrade their entire argument based solely on the fact they are liberal. Fox News also appeals to the reader’s emotions to convince the reader that gun regulation is not the answer. The article reinforces the fear of danger inside the reader: “The cold reality is that when you disarm the good guys you put them at the mercy of the bad guys. That’s what gun control does” (Obama). This reminds the reader of the duality of good and evil. The “us versus them”