As you studied sources in different formats, you should have gained some insight into how the format of a source affects its delivery and in turn impacts its target audience. Use the questions below to review some of those differences and how they are most often used. Answer each question in your own words. Then, at the end of the activity, compare what you wrote to the sample answers.
1. How did diction (word choice) help the CBS news program introduce key differences between the two sides of the pesticide debate?
2. What additional element is used to support an argument in a multimedia format like a video or animation?
3. What is the effect of images that are included in multimedia arguments? Why and how are they used?
4. In an interactive timeline, where is the more detailed and in-depth information typically provided?
5. What kinds of historical documents can help you evaluate the impact of one writer or activist on the history of a cause?
6. How do news organizations attempt to provide a balanced or non-biased representation of a controversial issue?
7. Why is it important to consider a controversial writer's own words when evaluating his or her impact?
8. What role should your own experience and perspective play in evaluating the claim of a source, regardless of its format?
| Your Responses | Sample Answers |
|---|---|
| The show began with segments in which spokespeople for each side used vivid, emotionally "loaded" words. | |
| Images are selected to support the words that are spoken or written on screen. | |
| Visual images increase the emotional impact of certain parts of the argument by evoking an automatic or unconscious response. | |
| Behind hyperlinks to web pages with more text. | |
| Time lines, addresses to Congress, acts of Congress, histories of government agencies and political movements, magazine and newspaper articles | |
| They interview or feature the work of individuals representing both sides and try to provide each side equal time. | |
| Those who opposed the writer or hold a different view may exaggerate or misrepresent his or her position. | |
| You should consider what you have observed in your lifetime, along with what you have read or been taught is common knowledge. | |
