Article Components Article Analysis
Article Components Talking Points: Content Angle Opinion Structure Relevancy
Article Content Similar to theme topic in that it is one word Not limited to abstract nouns Can be any word Examples: pregnancy, space, guns, Walmart, babies, television
Article Angle The specific focus of the article content Gives us something to focus on in a very large topic Content = teen pregnancy Angle = personal experiences of and resources for teen pregnancy Content = obesity Angle = weight loss incentives
Article Opinion Personal belief about the article angle Content = teen pregnancy Angle = personal experiences of and resources for teen pregnancy Opinion = we need more resources Content = obesity Angle = weight loss incentives Opinion = incentives may increase weight loss
Article Opinion Content Angle Opinion
Opinions in Articles?! Writers will insert their opinion directly (which is rare) or indirectly (pretty common). Here are their methods: Use noncommital words: seems, appears, presumably, may have, could Use the words of others as quotes – experts who have the same beliefs as the writer
Article Structure Sentence Structure: what type of sentence is it? Paragraph Structure: what type of paragraph is it? Article Structure: overall, how is the article structured?
Structure Options Personal statement or opinion (personal pronouns: I, my, me) Expert quote (credentials will be given: where the person works) Statistic (percentages, dates, numerals) Examples Narrative (story telling and descriptions) Fluff (usually a combination of personal statements and examples)
Article Relevancy Articles are ONLY based on CURRENT incidents Ask: why is this article written NOW? Two reasons: 1. new study 2. recent event Articles don’t exist in the abstract, they have DATES attached to them – so what is the relevancy?