As with previous pre-writing youve done for this class, this assignment moves from reflections/considering models, to topic selection, and it concludes with brainstorming ideas. Completing these steps will help you confirm your understanding of your writing purpose. A letter to the editor is usually short and sweet, and it is also usually an argument. While it will be necessary to explain your ideas, the main idea of each letter will be your opinion. Learning to support your opinions with evidence is fundamental to success in academic writing, regardless of the individual assignment purpose. Additionally, learning to write clearly and succinctly about what you believe will help you in your academic, professional, and personal writing for years to come.
Instructions
Reflect
Read these sample letters-to-the-editor
1. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-last-safe-bigotry-on-american-tv-11652373316?mod=opinion_major_pos17&mod=article_inline Wall Street Journal.
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/05/some-afghan-refugees-there-is-no-safety-net/ Washington Post.
3.https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/03/dc-encampments-are-not-problem-homelessness-is/ Washington Post.
Consider how you can use them as models for your own writing. Each one is succinct, and they address specific issues of concern from articles they have read. They are relatively formal in tone, while conveying their emotions about the subject. Some of them use more or less evidence from the original articles, but they all address problematic coverage that they believe is important to address.
Note: You do not need to submit a written reflection about these sample letters-to-the-editor, but this step is essential to your success in writing your own letters. If you have questions about the samples or if you would like to discuss your impressions, you can always contact your instructor to discuss via email or zoom.
Identify two articles from opposing media bias perspectives:
1. Explore possible topics on Ad Fontes Media Topic of the Week pages. Ad Fontes Media shows a bias score and a reliability score for each article, and it presents you with sets of articles to compare on the same topic.
1. Explore the https://adfontesmedia.com/topic-of-the-week-starter/
2. Explore the https://adfontesmedia.com/topic-of-the-week-advanced/
2. Select 2 articles about the same topic to respond to in the form of letters to the editor. One article should be from a left-leaning (skews left) publication and one to a right-leaning (skews right) publication. Select articles that provoke a strong emotional response in you as you read them.
3. Confirm that your selections will work for this assignment by using https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/ to investigate how the topic could be discussed without bias. Ask as you read:
1. What context was stripped away from the biased presentation?
2.What does the recontextualization add to the discussion?
4. Conduct
Use a Graphic Organizer to Plan Your Letters
The final assignment for this unit is a pair of short letters.
One letter is a challenge to the editor of the left-leaning publication.
-The other letter is a challenge to the editor of the right-leaning publication.
Once you choose your opposing-bias articles about the same topic, use this Download this graphic organizer Download graphic organizer to plan and structure your ideas to help get started writing your letters.