The Rhetorical Triangle & Heffernan’s“Comment is King”IDS 3309 May 9, 2012Moses Shumow

Political Rhetoric Today

The Partisan Corners of the News

ABC Story on the shootings in Tucson

What is rhetoric?

What is rhetoric?

Rhetoric: “The art of using language to communicate effectively and persuasively.”

What is rhetoric?

Rhetoric: “The art of using language to communicate effectively and persuasively.”

A Western tradition with roots in Greek society; for centuries served as a central tenet of political discourse and an advanced education (along with Grammar & Logic)

What is rhetoric?

Rhetoric: “The art of using language to communicate effectively and persuasively.”

A Western tradition with roots in Greek society; for centuries served as a central tenet of political discourse and an advanced education (along with Grammar & Logic)

With the growth of media outlets and infinite expanse of information brought on by the digital age of communication, rhetoric and the use of language to present information and arguments has become more relevant than ever.

The Rhetorical Triangle

The Rhetorical TriangleLogos (Rational appeal)

Pathos (Emotional appeal)

Ethos (Ethical appeal)

•facts•case studies •statistics•experiments•logical reasoning•analogies•anecdotes•authority voices

higher emotions•belief in fairness•love•pity•justice•etc.lower emotions•greed•lust•revenge•avarice

•trustworthiness•credibility•reliability•expert testimony•reliable sources•fairness

Quick PollThink back on a recent argument or debate you may have engaged in. On which of the three elements of the Rhetorical Triangle did you rely most heavily?

A.Logos (rational appeal)B.Pathos (emotional appeal)C.Ethos (ethical appeal)

A few examples of rhetorical arguments being made on the

cable news networksKeith Olbermann on MSNBC

Bill O’Reilly on FOX News

“Comment is King”Virginia Heffernan, NYT, April

26, 2009Presents an analysis of comments made on the Op-Ed pieces of Anne Applebaum, columnist for the Washington Post

Applebaum is pretty middle of the road, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, but you wouldn’t know that from the comments made on her articles:

“liberal fool”; “a lapsed neo-con addict”; “Zionist stooge liar”; anti-Semitic

Comments are not refereed; no “sustained or inventive analysis of Applebaum’s work” emerges from the commentary

“Comment is King”Virginia Heffernan, NYT, April

26, 2009Heffernan argues that online commentary should become a “cogent part of online journalism”

It is instead the “bête noire for journalists and readers alike”; journalists find it “stinging and distracting” while readers won’t take the time to dig through the comments unless they plan on making a comment themselves

“Comment is King”Virginia Heffernan, NYT, April

26, 2009What’s the problem?

Rhythms of the web: early assent, then dissent, early morning weirdness; then fact checking

Never reaches the level of true analysis; instead, an echo-chamber develops

Echo-chamber is “unpleasant, and it makes it hard to keep listening for the clearer, brighter, rarer voices nearly drowned out in the din.”

Something should be done, but Heffernan seems at a loss as to what that “something” might be

“Comment is King”Virginia Heffernan, NYT, April

26, 2009Since this article was published, the Times has come up with one possible solution: Comment ranking by readers

Similar to Amazon

Susan Cain, “The Rise of the New Groupthink

First blogging assignment

Revised by George Pearson