Rhetrickery in the Media

1
Rhetrickery in the Media

• Advanced Rhetorical Writing
• Matt Barton

2
Why its difficult

• Analyzing media corruption is difficult for these
  reasons
• The term media is ambiguous what exactly
  should be considered media?
• How much reliable info do we have about media in
  other countries?
• Most of what we learn about corrupt media
  practices comes from the media!

3
What kind of Corruption?

• The media can be corrupt in two basic ways
• Unconscious misleading because of careless
  reporting and fact-gathering
• The media constantly make careless errors, rely
  on faulty evidence
• We are all thirsty for evidence supporting our
  deeply held views, and tend to take it at face
  value when we find it.
• Consciously, deliberately misleading

4
First Motive Cash

• Money
• Im willing to accept bribes for giving
  rhetorical support to any positionBy embracing
  the dictated position, I can maybe become rich.

5
Second Motive Job Security

• Political Support and Public Safety
• For the sake of job security, I have to be hide
  my true opinions. I must present myself as
  neutral, or even support for, issues I personally
  disagree with.
• No one wants to lose his or her job over a
  personal issue.

6
Third Motive Fame

• Celebrity
• I want to make it, to get to the top of the
  profession.
• Fame yields money, serving the bosses yields
  money, money yields fame.
• Fixating on frivolous popular issues will bring
  more viewers than addressing serious, truly
  relevant issues.

7
Fourth Motive Dogma

• Dogmatic commitment
• I will passionately defend my own position I
  will support my side while ignoring what my
  opponents say.
• Being dogmatic is less dangerous when the person
  is upfront about being prejudiced its worse
  when the dogma is touted as objective or no
  spin.

8
A Sad State of Affairs

• The success of corrupt political rhetoric depends
  on the media, which in turn are corrupted by
  political bias.
• Our politicians rhetoric is so riddled with
  misinformation, mindless cliché, and meaningless
  spectacle that it has ceased to have any
  relevance to the problems it alleges to address.
  -- Alterman

9
Crossfire-ism

• Political talk shows pretend to present both
  sides, but no actual dialogue takes placeonly
  shoddy win rhetoric.
• Shouting matches make for entertaining viewing,
  perhaps, but are definitely not listening
  rhetoric.
• Opponents are caricatures.

10
The Cure

• You must learn to be careful about what you take
  from the media think hard about what you read
  and see.
• Get more practice in listening-rhetoric and learn
  how to deal critically with media rhetrickery.