{"id":55,"date":"2017-11-28T19:54:50","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T19:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/evaluating-newspaper-and-magazine-articles\/"},"modified":"2023-08-04T15:51:32","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T15:51:32","slug":"evaluating-newspaper-and-magazine-articles","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/evaluating-newspaper-and-magazine-articles\/","title":{"rendered":"10.2 Reading Popular Sources"},"content":{"raw":"

What is a Popular Source?<\/h2>\r\nWhen we say that a source is \"popular,\" it does not necessarily mean \"well liked.\"\r\n\r\nPopular sources are articles that are written for a general audience. These sources are published so that members of the general public can access, read, and understand the content. There is little jargon or highly specific or technical vocabulary.\r\n\r\nSometimes popular sources are freely available to the public, and sometimes the content is available only with a paid subscription.\r\n\r\nPopular sources include newspaper articles, magazine articles, websites, webpages, letters to the editor, blog posts, and more.\r\n

Reading Newspaper Articles, Magazine Articles, and Website Articles<\/h2>\r\n\"Fake news!\" \"Media bias!\" \"Conspiracy theory!\"\r\n\r\nWe hear charges like these often, mostly in reference to the types of popular sources that we can find on the internet, on TV, on the radio, or in print.\r\n\r\nThese forms of misinformation and disinformation are particularly prevalent on digital platforms where they\u2019re often likely to spread faster than factual reporting. The difference between misinformation and disinformation is a matter of intent: misinformation is simply inaccurate information, whereas disinformation is intentionally misleading.\r\n\r\nWe\u2019re susceptible to believing and sharing misinformation and disinformation because we tend to unconsciously accept ideas that confirm our worldview, a cognitive process known as confirmation bias.\r\n\r\nWe should not be tempted to write off all popular sources as somehow \"bad.\" We should, however, be willing to evaluate any popular source's authority and credibility before choosing to accept its validity or choosing to include it in an academic assignment.\r\n

Lateral Reading<\/h2>\r\nWhen evaluating the credibility of a digital source, fact checkers will employ lateral reading techniques. Lateral reading helps you to verify sources while you\u2019re reading them. Lateral readers open another web-browser tab and visit a trusted website (like Wikipedia) to determine the validity of a source they\u2019re currently reading.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SHNprb2hgzU[\/embed]\r\n\r\nWe should evaluate newspaper, magazine, and website sources using rhetorical reading skills<\/span><\/a> to understand both the text and its context before incorporating these materials into any assignment.\r\n

Understand the Context<\/h2>\r\nPublisher<\/strong>. Who published this article? Remember that a publisher is not always the same as the author of a particular text. Does the publishing source cater to a particular audience? Does the publisher have some sort of ideological identity or bias? A bit of research on who published the article you are looking at (which newspaper, magazine, website, or organization) can give you some insight into any purpose or agenda that may shape the content of the article.\r\n\r\nAuthor<\/strong>. Is the author an expert on the topic? A journalist? Someone who has direct experience with the topic or someone who is offering second-hand commentary or analysis?\r\n
\r\n

Assess the Quality of the Text\r\n<\/span><\/h2>\r\nIdentify the author\u2019s main claim. Pay attention to what the author uses to support his or her claim \u2013 do you see relevant, evidence-based support or just emotional examples?\r\n