Prince's Death Unsealed Summary

Nearly two years ago, Prince Roger Nelson, an American singer and songwriter, was pronounced dead, generating various reactions from many people. Indisputably, Prince died on April 21, 2016 in his Paisley Park recording studio located in Chanhassen, Minnesota at the age of 57 (Pareles). Official investigators found pill bottles labelled “hydrocodone” in his house but actually contained powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, the drug that caused his death (BBC News author). Bremer Trust was arranged by a Carver County judge in order to be the Special Administrator of Prince’s estate in April 2016 because Prince did not have a will constructed at the time of his death (Nelson). Prince’s life and death had a great influence on many people who admired

Headline, “Search Warrants from Prince’s Death Unsealed,” is used to draw readers in. “Nearly a year after Prince died, search warrants from the singer's Paisley Park compound have been unsealed, providing some insight into his unexpected death at the age of 57,” the lead in, further entices readers to read on but basically summarizes the whole article. The unnamed author includes details such as the specific substance found in his possession. Specifically, “The Star Tribune writes...contained Ondansetron Hydrochloride, also known as Zofran, a medication sometimes used to lessen the side effects of opiate withdrawal.” This included detail provides a more positive and optimistic tone toward Prince because it demonstrates how Prince was attempting to control his addiction and better himself. For the majority of the article though, there is a solemn tone. Rolling Stone author uses imagery such as , “the unspecified controlled substances were also found next to handwritten “U Got the Look” lyrics….” The purpose of this imagery is to promote a thoughtful and sentimental mood which is achieved by mentioning how a copy of the lyrics of a well-known song by Prince was lying next to the potential cause of his death. Similarly to LA Times’s article that was also written on April

When reading a news article one must realize the potential for an underlying purpose for writing. In some cases, the purpose could be to promote their beliefs but almost always, the author desires people to read their article. At times, like the three articles presented, focus on a topic but overlook the true event in order to entice people into reading their article. Prince’s death is desensitized in order to promote themselves and their work. By researching the source and reading multiple outlets, one can better understand the actual event in its entirety. One should always be aware of who is writing what they are reading, a significant hint of their reliability and general biases. For example, Rolling Stone writes about popular culture and music which is the most likely reason for their more positive outlook on Prince than LA Times. Also, one must not simply rely on a news source’s reputation because at times, the reputation might be misleading. Political ideology does not always reflect the biases in an article. When covering Prince’s death, the news articles have no relation to their political stance reputation. News media has the potential to manipulate and change they way a reader thinks so when precepting an article, take into account that this is one author who has their own opinions, so understand how that can