Mary Young CE Blog 1



Mary Young
English Composition II
Dr. Molly Daniel
27 August 2018
Current Events Blog 1: The New York Times
Assessment of News Source
            The New York Times (NY Times) is credited by WYNC News and Media Bias/Fact Check as being “respected” (Bennett, “Inside the New York Times”) and “factual” (Huitsing, “New York Times”), despite its overall lean towards liberal views. Arthur Gregg Sulzberger succeeded his father as chairman of the company and paper, being the sixth in his family to inherit it (Huitsing, “New York Times”). The paper’s CEO, Mark Thompson, has also written and published his book Enough Said: What's Gone Wrong with the Language of Politics? His book directly attacks politicians such as Donald Trump for blatantly disregarding facts and using insults as a form of debating tactics (Rawnsley, “Enough Said Review”). Thompson's political stances have not explicitly been revealed, however, in his book and the NY Times, it is apparent that Trump is not favorable. The newspaper has been accused of not endorsing a Republican presidential candidate since 1884 and this proves to be a threat towards many running for office, including Trump, due to the paper's growing popularity and Thompson's 65th ranking in Forbes list of "The World's Most Powerful People" (Noer and Perlroth, Forbes).
Summary
            Titled “7 Arrested at University of North Carolina [UNC] in Clashes Over ‘Silent Sam’” by Julia Jacobs, the article rehashes the protests regarding controversy over Confederate statue “Silent Sam”—that ultimately met its fate. Students from UNC and town residents either demanded for the statue’s downfall because its association with white supremacy, or wrapped themselves in Confederate flags and rallied for the statue’s preservation. Seven people were arrested for either assault, destruction of property, resisting an officer, and/or starting a riot. None of those arrested were affiliated with UNC, however additional charges still may be issued.
Analysis
            The NY Times article remained fairly unbiased, but tended to lean more towards a liberal stance in which some of the information is presented. For instance, Jacobs instantly introduces the idea that this is an issue regarding race and makes those for the statue’s removal, out to be fighting for a better cause in comparison to those for the statue’s preservation: “Some demonstrators carried signs condemning racism; others had draped themselves in Confederate flags” (Jacobs, “7 Arrested at University”). Similarly, she introduces the attached videos describing those attempting to burn the Confederate flag, but lists the clip of the boy making a racist comment first to again, make the anti-statue group more reputable in comparison. She also makes a point to assess why people want the statue removed and what it represents to them, but fails to represent the people who want the statue to be preserved. Overall, the article remains straightforward and factual with mostly reputable sources that they provide hyperlinks to in the document.
Opinion
            While I do not condone Confederate monuments, pieces such as this are historical artifacts and protesters went about the situation poorly. Rather than people waving around the Confederate flag or fighting for Confederate artifacts, there should be a push to educate using these resources about the overarching conclusion of the war and why it was an important part of our history. I certainly do not think it is something to take pride in by wearing the flag or flying it off the back of trucks, but stand for educational purposes instead of emblems of white supremacy. It is possible to achieve this by simply adding plates or plaques to these monuments that describe why they are here and how it enriches and contributes to our history, or even relocating them to museums. With no explanation as to why Confederate monuments stand, their presence becomes interpretative and fails to communicate any significant meaning. 
Works Cited
Bennett, Jessica. “Inside the New York Times’ Photo Morgue, A Possible New Life for Print.”
New York Public Radio, www.wnyc.org/story/206643-wnyc-tumblr.
Huitsing, M. “New York Times.” Media Bias/Fact Check, Media Bias Fact Check, LLC, 18 June   2018, www.mediabiasfactcheck.com/new-york-times/.
Jacobs, Julia. “7 Arrested at University of North Carolina in Clashes Over 'Silent Sam'.” The                      New York Times, 25 Aug. 2018, www.nyti.ms/2MSy6Xd.
Noer, Michael, and Nicole Perlroth. “The World's Most Powerful People.” Forbes, 11 Nov. 2009, 
www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-finds/2018/08/25/wirecutters-best-deals-of-the-week-echo-dot-3-pack-
and-more/#65216e3d142f.
Rawnsley, Andrew. “Enough Said: What’s Gone Wrong With the Language of Politics? by Mark
Thompson – Review.” The Guardian, The Guardian News and Media, 4 Sept. 2016,                  www.theguardian.com/books/2016/sep/04/enough-said-whats-gone-wrong-with-                            language-politics-mark-thompson-review.

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