With student loan debt on the rise across the United States of America, measures must be taken to address the issue of millions of Americans facing tens of thousands of dollars in debt immediately after finishing college. According to Robert Applebaum, a man that began a petition for the United States federal government to offer a one time deal of forgiving all student loans, to forgive these loans is a necessity and may prove to boost the economy. In Kayla Webley’s “Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt a Good Idea?”, the journalist and correspondent for Times magazine takes a long hard look at Applebaum’s proposal and just how forgiving the student loan debt is likely to play out. Throughout her article, Webley dissects the argument for forgiving …show more content…
Before the article in question lies a small separate section that communicates the background of Kayla Webley, along with her level of education and the article’s mode of publication. This article was not simply written by just anyone with an opinion, but by an alumni of the University of Washington that studied journalism and political science. Her educational background denotes that she is familiar with controversial subjects and can understand the political aspects of this topic. Furthermore, Webley’s article was initially published by Time magazine, a well known and reputable media outlet. Although the mode of publication likely built credibility with her audience simply by appearing in Time magazine, Webley does not convey her own educational background in her writing specifically, despite her own renown, which makes her credibility marginally adequate, but not extraordinary. The audience may be able to discern that Webley is familiar with the topic, but they cannot guarantee that she is an expert based solely on the comprehensive knowledge she demonstrates. Further along in the article, Webley uses statistics taken by Mark Kantrowitz to back up her own argument against forgiving the loan debt. While the journalist did not properly convey her own credibility outright,