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Megan Pettey

Dr. Harbinson

RC2001-186

28 February 2019

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

The emergence of social media in recent years has led to an influx of information readily

available at the public’s fingertips. Along with this increase of knowledge flooding the internet,

the problem of determining what is and isn’t credible has come to light. Scholarly article “Rede-

fining Journalism in a Social World” and The Guardian’s “The rise of citizen journalism” both

utilize a variety of rhetorical devices to examine this issue and it’s impact on the field in depth.

Crucial to both pieces is the context surrounding the articles that made them necessary to

publish. Ressa’s “Redefining Journalism in a Social World” focuses on the first instance where

citizens utilized social media to streamline information to journalists during a 2009 campaign in

the Phillipines. During this time, the means of obtaining information directly from the citizens

and from social media was still widely a new concept for journalism. “A lot more was happening

in 2009, which was a banner year for social media. That was when it hit a global tipping point,”

states Ressa. The exigence of the piece is crucial to the audience’s understanding that the in-

stance examined in the academic journal marks the emergence of journalists being forced to

grapple with the newfound accessibility provided by social media, something that has continued

to drastically alter the field as a whole since. Similarly, Bulkely’s “The rise of citizen journal-

ism” was published in 2012, only a few years after the “global tipping point” mentioned, follow-

ing a factual documentary festival. Bulkely examines how factual filmmakers struggle with the
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eyewitness film that circulates the digital world, and what is and isn’t considered credible to in-

corporate. While the context is equally as necessary to the audience’s understanding of the issue

in this piece as in the scholarly article, Bulkely lacks background in her own piece. The year

2012 was still considered a vital year in the emergence of social media and it’s influence, which

is crucial in understanding how this created such a struggle for journalists, especially those in the

world of factual filmmaking. Without the inclusion of this background, the author lacks strength

in their argument that the introduction of citizen film through social media drastically altered the

way in which journalists produce documentaries due to the missing context that would have

strengthened the audience’s understanding.

The two different sets of audiences being addressed in both pieces also alter the way in

which the author’s formulate their main points. In Ressa’s scholarly article, the author focuses on

how journalists can adapt to incorporating social media and citizen influence in their work, aim-

ing her piece towards fellow journalists who would need to know how to deal with this problem.

The author continuously addresses the audience in second person, almost as though they were

offering advice. “When you put these ideas together, you begin to see a fundamental shift in the

way we consume media and how technology is heightening our emotions,” says Ressa. This nar-

rows down the audience into a more specific group, allowing the author to more clearly present

their case on how journalists should be adapting to the emergence of social influence by address-

ing people familiar with the field. By speaking in second person, the author also establishes a

stronger connection with the audience because they feel as though they’re being addressed per-

sonally. On the other hand, Bulkely never directly addresses the audience in “The rise of citizen

journalism.” Rather, the author incorporates informal jargon that makes the article easy to under-
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stand, whether or not they’re familiar with the field of journalism. “I don’t know if all this exper-

imentation will lead to better films, but I do think they can be extended to get some truly radical

process” (Bulkely). Even though the article focuses on the filmmaking branch of journalism ra-

ther than the field as a whole, because the author speaks informally, the ideas on how to deter-

mine useful information in the digital world becomes applicable to a wider audience range. In

doing so, the author’s point resonates with a larger audience versus if they had singled out pro-

fessionals, such as Ressa’s piece did.

The rhetorical devices employed throughout each of the articles also function to

strengthen the goal of each other in offering advice to journalists in navigating the information

available in the digital world. However, the devices chosen in each piece differ depending on the

audience. As a scholarly article aimed at experts in journalism, “Redefining Journalism in a So-

cial World” heavily relies on the device logos to appeal to the logic of the scholarly community.

“More than 1.5 million pieces of content were shared daily; 25 billion every month” (Ressa). The

incorporation of facts and statistics strengthens the author’s point that there’s a mass availability

of information complicating the field for journalists by providing concrete evidence. However,

because Bulkely addresses a more informal community, the author rather relies on ethos as their

device of choice throughout “The rise of citizen journalism” as a way to establish credibility to

those unfamiliar with the field. The author includes quotes from a variety of credited filmmakers

as they offer their own insight and experience with navigating social media in their work.

“Deutchman, who also is director of acquisitions and productions for Sundance Selects/IFC

Films,” stated Bulkely. In mentioning the credentials of those interviewed, the credibility of the

article as whole is heightened because the audience feels as though the opinions of the profes-

sionals mentioned are valid and can be trusted, which in turn makes the author’s own argument
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more compelling. While both articles employ two different techniques, both devices fit to their

specific intended audience to strengthen their case.

Both pieces function to offer a form of advice to journalists as the field as a whole adapts

to the emergence of social media. Although both authors work towards the same goal, the de-

vices and strategies implemented in both vary to create their own particular impact. Overall, it

becomes clear through the examination of both of these pieces that whether an article is formal

or informal, academic or not, they can both function in the same way to get an equally valid

point across.
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Works Cited

Bulkely, Kate. “The Rise of Citizen Journalism.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10

June 2012, www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/11/rise-of-citizen-journalism.

25 February 2019.

Ressa, Maria. “Rappler: Redefining Journalism in a Social World.” Asian Journal of Public

Affairs, June 2012, pp. 3-7. EBSCOhost, login.proxy006.nclive.org/login?url=http://

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=poh&AN=78302912&site=eds-lve

&scope=site. 25 February 2019.