The Rhetorical Triangle & Heffernan’s“Comment is King”

1. The Rhetorical Triangle & Heffernan’s“Comment is King” IDS 3309 B-51A Readings – May 11, 2011

2. Political Rhetoric Today • The Partisan Corners of the News • ABC Story on the shootings in Tucson

3. What is rhetoric?

4. What is rhetoric? • Rhetoric: “The art of using language to communicate effectively and persuasively.”

5. 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)

6. 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.

7. The Rhetorical Triangle

8. The Rhetorical Triangle

9. Clicker Poll Think 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? Logos (rational appeal) Pathos (emotional appeal) Ethos (ethical appeal)

10. A few examples of rhetorical arguments being made on the cable news networks • Keith Olbermann on MSNBC • Bill O’Reilly on FOX News

11. “Comment is King”Virginia Heffernan, NYT, April 26, 2009 • Presents 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

12. “Comment is King”Virginia Heffernan, NYT, April 26, 2009 • Heffernan 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

13. “Comment is King”Virginia Heffernan, NYT, April 26, 2009 • What’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

14. “Comment is King”Virginia Heffernan, NYT, April 26, 2009 • Since this article was published, the Times has come up with one possible solution: Comment ranking by readers • David Brooks, “The Missing Fifth”