Context- Background, Murdoch media outlets
Issue- Coronavirus, alleged spin- Daniel Andrews, Premier Victoria Australia
Source- "The Australian" extended headline, 1.2.2021
Heading-
Dan’s tricky spin on COVID-19
The spin cycle is alive and well in Dan Andrews’ Victoria where 820 deaths in 2020 have been airbrushed out of its daily updates...
Article author- Nick Tabakoff
Context- The Murdoch press is considered to be a conservative or right wing organisation. Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria, who instituted severe lockdowns in Melbourne when there was a virus outbreak from a quarantine centre has been a consistent target.
Discussion
• What do you think is the purpose of this extended headline?
• What is its contention- what is it claiming?
• If you knew nothing about the situation, the paper, COVID-19 or the Premier of Victoria, what impression might you gain?
• What are your first impressions about the style-is it pleasant/unpleasant, logical, emotive, or critical? To whom is it appealing; what emotions/reactions might it be seeking to foster?
• What are the key words in this headline?
• What do the key words mean? Are they positive or negative?
• Are they persuasive? What persuasive techniques might be in use?
• Which persuasive devices do you think might be connected in some way to this extended heading?
• Why might ‘The Australian’ provide sustained coverage of a state premier?
Questions
• Look at the following types of persuasion-are any relevant, even indirectly?
**Personal pronouns - You are the key to this entire idea succeeding - we will be with you all the way. I can’t thank you enough! ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘we’. **
(Note. This particular example of personal pronouns doesn’t seem relevant in this headline but is there some use of a personal feeling or familiarity to persuade in a negative direction? Is the use of ‘Dan’ appropriate? Is it also personal but used in a negative way? What is its effect? Is it positive or negative? Why?)
Emotive words - these are words that are deliberately designed to try to make the reader have strong feelings. These can be positive or negative. Human beings will react to some words very positively. Words like ‘love’, ‘happiness’, ‘wealth’ and ‘good health’ tend to make us feel positive. Other words, such as ‘death’, ‘illness’, ‘poverty’ and ‘tears’ make us negative. You need to be subtle with your use of emotional language in an argument especially if you are writing a balanced argument.
(Note. If you choose this, which do you think are the emotive words designed to persuade you?)
• Statistics
• **Logic, sound arguments **
(Note. Is there an argument contained in the extended part of this headline? Might one be implied?)