One Story, Different Conclusions

Most people would consider news stories to be fact checked and unbiased but with more and more access to facts, news media has become a target of scrutiny. There are several instances of the news getting the stories wrong or spinning it so that it fits the narrative they choose. In the 2018 mid -term elections three of the biggest news organizations gave a very different tone for the results of the election. Conservative news tended to focus on the wins for the president, “ the former Senator Rick Santorum, a Republican, said Mr. Trump would relish the chance to make a Democratic House into a target, calling it “a huge advantage.”, while liberal news focused on the losses. “Wolf Blitzer, CNN’s host, finally projected that the Democrats would take the House as the 11 o’clock hour began. He called the development “a very significant defeat for Mr. Trump.” This is an example of news organizations using ethos strategies to persuade their target audience.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com

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Reading Beyond the Headline

In our society, media is easily accessible due to technological advancements, but media is also being distorted. There is bias in the media, and it is important to be able to separate fake news from real news. In order to do so, be sure to read the entire article rather than just looking at the headline. The headline is usually clickbait and is not a good description of the article. I myself, am a victim of the misleading nature of social media, as I get most of my information about the news on my smartphone through apps such as Twitter and Facebook. I notice that the headlines tend to distort the reality of the event in order to spark the reader's interest. For instance, check out the headline from CNN below. At first, you might be appalled, reflecting on all the times you drank hot tea, but once you spend the time to read the article, you realize that they were talking about drinking “something scalding hot in your throat” which will lead to an increased risk of cancer, not the actual tea itself. Headlines are usually an exaggerated version of the story as companies and newscasters use headlines in order to get more views resulting in the newscasters throwing a preposterous claim out into the world that is far from the reality of the event. Be sure to read the whole article before jumping to conclusions. 

Source: http://www.tomliberman.com/tag/misleading-headline

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The Problem with Celebrity Endorsement 

SugarBearHair is a company that sells hair growth vitamin that is endorsed by many influential people on social media. This company is able to use celebrity endorsement to their advantage due to the influence celebrities have over everyday people. Many individuals look up to celebrities, making them more enticed to buy the products they see their favorite celebrities using. This tactic companies use is called ethos in which companies like SugarBearHair utilizes in order to persuade someone to buy a product “with a person's good reputation or trustworthiness" suggested by an online article titled “Rhetoric and Advertising”. As you can see from the image below, Kylie is one of the endorsers of this brand. Followers of Kylie see her post about the product, and they see her long beautiful, thick hair. Not only do they trust Kylie, but they also recognize that they want their hair to look like hers, so they buy the product. However, many people who bought these vitamins claimed that they saw no difference to their hair while some actually saw hair loss. The problem with these brands is that people believe the celebrities when they tell their followers how much they like a certain product, when in reality that may not be the case, causing disappointed consumers and followers.

Sources: twitter.com 

https://sites.google.com/site/rhetoricandadvertising/what-is-rhetoric/ethos-pathos-and-logos

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Why You Shouldn’t Believe Everything You See in the Media

As society, we tend to trust everything we see in the media; however, we should become more conscious about what we trust due to media’s tendency to distort information. For instance, check out the headline from the newspaper below. The World claimed on the front page of its newspaper that "no lives [were] lost" on the Titanic which is a preposterous claim. This is a prime example of how twisted the media can get as we know over 1,500 lives were lost on the Titanic. In order to reduce the consumption or spread of fake news, it is important to check other news sources to see what they are saying. Gathering additional information on a claim from other sources is vital in order to ensure that the information you are getting is valid and reliable.

Source: https://www.ranker.com/list/wrong-newspaper-headlines/brian-gilmore

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Apple and Samsung Slowing Down Phones

In 2018, Apple and Samsung were fined after it was determined that they slowed down consumers phones when a new version came out. according to the AGCM, these were done by installing "software updates that 'significantly reduced' the performance of phones." These updates were proposed to each phone even though the phone did not have the capacity to install them. Both Apple and Samsung were fined roughly 5.7 million dollars after admitting their guilt. Apple was fined an additional 5 million after "failing to provide adequate information on how to maintain and replace phone batteries." (Zhou). Apple made up for their wrong by offering battery replacements for $29 dollars. 

Source: CNET Article on Slowing down phones

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Teeth Whitening Scam

One thing I have seen recently a lot is celebrities endorsing teeth whitening product called  Express Smile Atlanta. I have mostly seen it on Instagram with a ton of celebrities endorsing this product. This product is suppose to give you a perfect white smile. These celebrities are 100% using ethos and pathos to get consumers to buy this product. They are using your emotions and insecurities to get you to want teeth as perfect as them, as well as they are someone you may trust or look up to you so believe them. People think "well if they use this it must work and be true", even if that is not the case. . "Each time, my boyfriend and I thought my teeth looked whiter directly after the 15 minutes I spent using it. But the next day, they never seemed much better." Be careful what you buy just because your favorite celebrity is endorsing it on social media. 


Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/laraparker/we-tried-that-teeth-whitener-that-kim-kardashian-endorsed 

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Harmful Appetite Suppressant Ads

Fit Tea is not one of the only companies advertising a harmful weight loss trick as safe. Flat Tummy Co. has created appetite suppressant lollipops and is advertising them as a harmless way to get the body of your dreams. These companies don't talk about the harmful effects of the drug or the possible side effects. Most of the suppressants today aren't proven to work and these "unregulated suppressants are potentially dangerous." Influencers are also to blame for spreading fake news about these methods because of the mass amounts of followers they have. Frankly, these companies seem to not care about the health of their customers and only about the money. [1 image, 2 links, 1 quote, 111 words.]

The Scam of Fit Tea

If you follow any famous Instagram models, you are bound to see them create a post endorsing Fit Tea. It's a tea that is supposed to "speed up your metabolism, boost your energy, and help you with your weight loss." Recently, many people have realized that this tea is harmful to your health, instead of being a safe alternative, because it is an appetite suppressant and a laxative. Then how are Instagram models getting people to buy it? They may not realize it, but they are utilizing ethos and pathos to get people to order the Fit Tea. These models say that they use the tea, which in turn makes a consumer believe that they will get fit if they use the tea. [1 image, 1 link, 1 quote, and 130 words]