Genre Analysis Paper

The editorial page of a newspaper, magazine, or another source is a public forum to express one’s view of a newsworthy topic to a diverse audience. An editorial presents the writer’s opinion on a topic to inform or influence the reader regarding the issue, as well as provides evidence to justify their position and suggestions to resolve the issue (Zarza, Tan, Chan, & Ali, 2015). Poorly written editorials should not be published without revisions, because the purpose of the editorial is lost in translation. This genre analysis will compare the form, content, purpose, and intended audience of two editorials. The first editorial by John addresses all-terrain-vehicle safety and the second editorial by David addresses the dental health crisis in Appalachia. The purpose of John’s editorial is to express his views regarding the safety of all-terrain-vehicles. The editorial addresses a diverse audience of policymakers, law enforcement, all-terrain-vehicle owners, and citizens of his state. This editorial’s form and content is not rhetorically strong, as the written text is disorganized, and sometimes unrealistic, and contradictory (Dirk, 2010). For instance, the author provides evidence of forty-four all-terrain vehicle deaths, but later claims his county has not sustained an …show more content…
According to Dirk (2010), editorials allow the reader to make assumptions about the text’s purpose, its writer, and its expected reader. Although both editorials address noteworthy topics, John’s editorial is not rhetorically sound which gives the reader the impression that the author is not intelligent. The reader is never sure why John “hates all-terrain-vehicles.” Therefore, I believe poorly written editorials should not be published without revisions, because the purpose of the editorial is lost in