TOW 24: Rachel Maddow on Sandy Hook and Sexist Politicians

Rachel Maddow, political commentator and talk show host on MSNBC, informed the audience, politically curious people, with new details of the Sandy Hook shooting that were uncovered by the Hartford Courant. She brought up an astounding statistic: the killer shot 152 bullets in less than five minutes. All it took was five minutes to kill 26 people. Maddow adds credibility to her news segment by listing shocking statistics that put things into perspective as well as citing credible people such as Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. On the topic of gun control, Maddow showed a tense exchange between Ted Cruz and senator Feinstein about guns. Maddow's ultimate purpose of this episode was to bring to light the condescending and sexist ways of some incompetent politicians. "Let the record show that you can be a United States Senator for 21 years, you can be 79-years-old, you can be the chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and one of the most recognizable and widely respected veteran public servants in your nation, but if you are female while all of other those things, men who you defeat in arguments will still respond to you by calling you hysterical and telling you to calm down," Maddow stated.
Maddow did an excellent job keeping the audience's attention whilst presenting facts in a concise yet informative manner. She added her own thoughts and opinions to certain things but she did not let her bias rule the facts. She was unbiased and fair and made rather valid points.

TOW 23: Emancipating Lincoln

After finishing Emancipating Lincoln by Harold Holzer, author and Senior Vice President of External Affairs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I was able to examine the impact of Lincoln’s momentous announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation during the pivotal moment in the American Civil War. Using original, primary sources, Holzer analyzes Lincoln’s modern manipulation of the media—the various ways in which he withheld, leaked, and promoted the Proclamation—in order to make his society-altering announcement applicable to America. Holzer's main purpose was to shed light about not just the factual aspect of the Emancipation Proclamation, but also the story behind it. What the political and social climate was at that time; the various responses from the American people; Lincoln's true motives. And Holzer accomplishes all of this by citing credible, original sources that establish a sense of ethos.

TOW 22: Expectant Parents Killed, Baby Survives

A midnight car crash in Brooklyn resulted in the death of Nathan and Raizy Glauber, both 21 years old. They were on their way to Long Island College Hospital for a wellness check when a BMW crashed into the side of the cab the couple was in. Although both victims were pronounced dead at two different hospitals, a Cesarian section was performed to save the baby. Erinn Cawthon, news assistant at CNN, used  fairly little "flowery" literary devices. She was concise and straightforward, presenting the facts in a easy-to-follow manner. Cawthon cited higher personnel, such as spokesmen for the New York City Police Department. These quotes made the article more credible and believable. Things weren't added just to make the article more shocking and interesting. Cawthon's main purpose of this article was to inform active news readers and CNN followers of a tragedy that occurred in New York. It seemed as though she tried to provoke a sense of pity and sadness from the readers, trying to make them realize that a child will now spend the rest of his life not knowing his parents. She conveys the joy of a birth and the loss of lives. This juxtaposition of life and death helped to establish Cawthon's purpose and make the article interesting.