Find a recent article.
Recent = no older than 21 days from when you are posting your response to this prompt. The date stamp of your response will be used for this.
Select the article from one of the following sources:
- Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/
- NPR News: https://www.npr.org/sections/news/
- BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news
*List the headlines and on the basis of the headline, describe whether the article will be controversial and whether the claim will be fact, definition, cause, value, or policy claim. Then go back and review the article, describe whether or not your assumptions based on the headlines were correct.
Provide the following, and number your responses 1-5:
1. Article Title
2. Article Date
3. Link/URL
4. Brief summary of what the article is about (one or two sentences at most).
5. Now this is the challenging part. 5a) List the headlines and – on the basis of the headline – describe whether the article will be controversial and whether the claim will be fact, definition, cause, value, or policy claim. Explain. 5b) Then go back and review the article, describe whether or not your assumptions based on the headlines were correct. Explain.
(Minimum Word Count: 150-300 words total)
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
As a medical professor, I always encourage my students to stay up-to-date with the latest news and research related to the medical field. In this assignment, I asked my students to find a recent article and analyze it based on its headline in terms of its potential for controversy and the type of claim it makes. They were also directed to review the article to determine whether their assumptions based on the headline were correct.
1. Article Title: “U.S. coronavirus cases surge past 7 million as Midwest outbreak flares up”
2. Article Date: September 25, 2020
3. Link/URL: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-idUSKCN26H1I4
4. Brief summary: The article discusses the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the United States, with more than 7 million cases reported so far. There has been a significant outbreak in the Midwest region, with several states reporting record numbers of cases and hospitalizations.
5a. Headlines and claim analysis:
The headline of this article is stating a fact: “U.S. coronavirus cases surge past 7 million as Midwest outbreak flares up.” The claim here is a fact-based claim as it is providing a statistic about the number of cases reported in the United States. There is no controversy in the headline as the information is based on official data.
5b. Review: The headline is accurate, and the article provides a detailed analysis of the current situation in the United States. It explains how the Midwest has become the new epicenter of the outbreak, with Wisconsin reporting record numbers of hospitalizations. The article also highlights the dangers of the upcoming flu season overlapping with the ongoing pandemic. Therefore, the headline and the article both provide factual information about the current situation without any political or controversial bias.
In conclusion, this assignment helped my students to analyze and understand the type of claims made by different types of headlines. It also emphasized the importance of checking the actual article to determine whether the headline accurately reflects the content, promoting critical thinking and unbiased analysis.
