LieutenantRedPandaMaster496
Expository Writing – Two Letters to the Editor Overview In this…
Expository Writing – Two Letters to the Editor
Overview
In this unit, we will continue to look at the way information is presented online and how it can be biased. We will examine ethos, or authority, by looking closely at what makes someone an expert in a variety of different professions. You will learn strategies to check the credibility of online information, and discuss how information can be presented with and without bias. Most importantly, you will consider how the presentation of information potentially impacts (has the power to manipulate) readers.
The major assignment for this unit will be a pair of letters-to-the-editor. Readers of newspapers (like you) write letters to the editor to give their opinions about articles and current events covered in that publication. Letters to the editor are similar to persuasive essays, but they are much shorter in length. For this assignment, you will write 2 different letters to two different editors.
You will write one letter to the editors of a “far left” news source and one to the editors of a “far right” news publisher (as identified by AllSides) that covered the same topicLinks to an external site.. Once you choose your opposing-bias articles about the same topic, you will apply strategies to assess credibility and bias, and develop an analysis of the misleading coverage of each publication/web site. Each letter will point out the misleading coverage you identify and re-contextualize the coverage with more accurate sources. Your purpose, to address the editors, will not only include calling out bias/inaccuracy where you see it, but also to explain why it matters in the business of reporting news.
Purpose
The purpose of writing these letters is to demonstrate your critical thinking about how information can be presented in misleading ways, and how inaccurately presented information can impact the audience.
In research tasks throughout the unit, you will practice using appropriate documentation formats to cite your sources.
Through this unit and letter-writing project, you will develop an understanding of how conventions impact the ways that information is presented differently in various communities, disciplines, genres, and for different audiences. As you develop your letters to the left-leaning and right-leaning editors, you will make distinct composing choices appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.
InstructionsLetter Structure
Each letter should have the following structure:
Begin with a salutation to the editor(s) of the specific publication to which you are writing.
State what the letter is about. Your opening sentences should include the title of the article, the author’s full name, and date of publication, as well as a clear statement about the misleading coverage you have identified in the article.
Follow your brief explanation about the misleading information with evidence to show a more accurate understanding. Use hyperlinks to document your sources as part of your explanation.
State your opinion about how the information should be presented more accurately, and why it matters and/or why you see this as important and needing public correction.
Close your letters with your full name. (For this class, you do not need to include contact information; however, if you wish to send your letter, a signature should also include your address, phone number, and email address.)
Length and Formatting
Write 2 separate letters, one to a left-leaning (skews left) editor and one to a right-leaning (skews right) editor.
Each letter should be approximately 300 words in length.
Each letter should follow the letter structure requirements, listed above.
For hyperlinking your evidence, follow these conventions:
Link to specific words and phrases in your sentences.
Avoid using the phrase “click here.”
Do not put the URL itself in your document.
