Research Report

Lead Levels In Flint, Michigan, Water Have Residents Avoiding Tap

•  Holt, Lester. "Lead Levels In Flint, Michigan, Water Have Residents Avoiding Tap - NBC News." NBC News. 08 Oct. 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. 

• This is the first mention of the scandal on the popular nightly news cast, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Formally presented by Brian Reagan, the news cast is watched by a very large audience and is known for it's presentation of liberal media. Although they have experienced controversy somewhat recently, they are usually very accurate in their sharing of facts and statistics (Example), and the show has been running since 1949. Their logical arguments and their longstanding place in media makes it easier to trust them than other news media.  The target audience for the NBC nightly news cast is mostly families tuning in at night for a discussion of updates about the daily and weekly news. The fact that this source is dependent upon testimonies of families who were effected reflects this, as does the fact that the tone of the source is much lighter than other newscasts. The purpose of this podcast is to simply inform, rather than assign blame. This is substantiated by their use of facts and history, rather than a dependence on political rhetoric. This source is great for the facts rather than for the blame game, and it really establishes the current situation of Flint. 

"How Flint, Michigan's Tap Water Became Toxic"

•  Ganim, Sarah, and Lihn Tran. "How Flint, Michigan's Tap Water Became Toxic." CNN. Cable News Network, 13 Jan. 2016. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. 

• This source, "How Flint, Michigan's Tap Water Became Toxic", is a segment from a CNN newscast about the origin of the toxicity of the water. CNN is another well known Newscast on the cable network CNN. CNN, as a cable news network, is host to many different types of events, such as the presidential debates. This fact gives it a well rounded feel to the viewers. It also has access to resources that smaller news productions don't, such as world travel. Unlike NBC, however, it is less targeted toward a "family" audience. This newscast depends on facts and statistics, like the specific data for the rise in lead levels, and uses less emotional rhetoric than would be used on a family oriented newscast. The goal for the segment was to inform the audience of the seriousness of the situation. The fact that they use actual footage in a resident's home substantiates this claim. They also use a doctor's interview on the subject, adding crediblity to their claim. Overall, this news segment is good for understanding how the water is affecting the residents and how professionals are understanding it themselves.

"Flint Mother Gives Emotionional Testimony of How Water Crisis Affected Her Children's Health"

•  Jacobo, Julia. "Flint Mother Gives Emotional Testimony of How Water Crisis Affected Her Children's Health." ABC News. ABC News Network, 29 Mar. 2016. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.

•  This source is a segment from an ABC newscast on the effects of the water on Flint families. ABC, unlike CNN, is a privately owned news corporation, and is usually directed towards families as their audience. The author of this segment is Julia Jacobo, a well known ABC writer that has had her focus on controversies and political scandals like Flint for awhile. Her twitter feed states that she has not only been hosted on ABC, but also Elite Daily Magazine and Haute Living Magazine. The targeted audience is obviously families, families with kids, who are going to be able to make a difference. This is substantiated by the fact that this video focuses solely on a mother's testimony. The audience is better able to relate to her rather than a strange newscaster. She also uses very emotional language in regards to her children, at one point even stating, "...it keeps me up at night". The audience would feel personally affected because of their own connection to her their children. The purpose of this source is to show how the residents have been affected rather than focusing on who is to blame for the issue. The testimony shows this, as does the transcription bellow that us describing the whole ordeal she had to go through. This source is different from the previous two because it depends on emotional rhetoric rather than just facts. It is a different perspective, which is important for context when deciding the right solution.

"Blame game erupts over Flint's toxic water, Dems target GOP gov"

•  Pergram, Chad, and The Associated Press. "Blame Game Erupts over Flint's Toxic Water, Dems Target GOP Gov | Fox News." Fox News. FOX News Network, 19 Jan. 2016. Web. 02 Apr. 2016. 

• This source comes from Fox News Network, which is another cable news provider. The author of this particular source is Chad Pergram, as well as any Associated Press at Fox. Chad is very well known for his congressional coverage at Fox, but he has previously worked for PRI, NPR, and the C-SPAN network. He is clearly a well rounded journalists; each of those companies are known for different types of coverage. His twitter feed is covered in congressional stories; clearly he brings his work into his personal life. The audience for a fox news cast is usually more conservative businessmen, and this source is no different. It is composed of political rhetoric that could only be understood if one is keeping up with this presidential election. For example, it discusses the actions of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders at the debate on Sunday, January 17th. The source also consists of it's own debate between a republican and democratic analyst. Really, this source is not about the dangerous situation itself, but about who is to blame for it. There is no mention of the residents or their issues, and the transcription below seems to only consist of key politicians and government agencies. Despite this, I really think this source is good for discovering what the two political parties think the correct solution is.

"Flint Begins The Long Process of Fixing It's Water Problem"

•  Shapiro, Ari. "Flint Begins The Long Process Of Fixing Its Water Problem." NPR. NPR, 1 Feb. 2016. Web. 02 Apr. 2016. 

• This NPR source is different from any of the previous entries because it is not a video. The podcast was written by Ari Shapiro, who is the host of All Things Considered, a popular segment of the show. He has a very worldly resume, from covering wars in Ukraine and Iraq to presenting stories on 5 continent. He also has a presence on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook which implies that he has multiple connections with different audiences. The audience for this particular podcast, based on the casual language used and the references to the volunteer efforts, is obviously more philanthropic and humanities based. The purpose of this podcast is to not only inform of current efforts, such as supplying bottled water and food, but also to question what the further efforts will be. This is demonstrated by the interview with Kaufman, a professor at the university of Michigan. This source is good to understand potential solutions that are being proposed. It is also beneficial for understanding why this happened.

"Why It Won't Be Easy or Cheap to Fix Flint's Water Crisis"

•  Bosman, Julie. "Why It Won’t Be Easy or Cheap to Fix Flint’s Water Crisis." The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. 

• This source, unlike the sources I have discussed previously, is a text only source. It is an article from the New York Times about potential solutions for the Flint Water Crisis. The author is Julie Bosman, who normally covers political controversies for the paper. She has had a long run at the paper, since 2002, and worked at The New Republic. Her twitter feed is full of articles about politics, and she even has a quote from Rob Snyder, a key player in the Flint issue, on her front page. She is clearly dedicated to her work. The audience for the NY Times are usually businessmen, and such is the case for this article. The article depends on the audience's knowledge of not only politics but also basic economic knowledge, something a businessman is bound to have. The article is also structured in a Q&A style, which would make it easier to read for someone who is short on time. The purpose of the article, as discussed before, is to propose a counter-argument to a proposed solution. In fact the third and fourth "questions" are dedicated to the solution already enacted and why it doesn't work. The author also uses rather negative language when talking about the efforts done so far. I think that this is a great example of what I am trying to accomplish in my video essay because of it's specificity of detail about the current situation and amount of evidence against the solutions proposed.

"Here's How to Fix Flint's Water Problem: Privatize It"

•  Moore, Adrian. "Here's How to Fix Flint's Water System: Privatize It." Reason.com. 01 Feb. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

•  This source is different from every single other source because it comes from a private blog, rather from a newspaper or newscast. The blog is called reason.com and is dedicated to discussing the free market and capitalism. The author of this particular post is Adrian Moore. Moore holds a PhD in Economics and holds a spot in a think tank dedicated to "advancing free minds and free market." He has also co-authored multiple books on economics, including Mobility First: A New Vision for Transportation in a Globally Competitive 21st Century. The audience for this post is most likely economic enthusiasts; the language is tailored to those with previous exposure to economics. The issue is also analyzed through an economic lens, rather than a political or environmental lens. The purpose of this blog post is to suggest a counter-solution to the ones already suggested by both politicians and scientists. This is evidenced by not only the title, which suggests that the solution is the privitization of Flint water system, but also by it's use of examples of previous situations in which free market economics was applied as a solution. This source is good to discover a variety of different solutions, specifically from an economic standpoint. It is also a great way to get the opinions of someone who has not been influenced by politics or anything of the sort. 

"How the Water Crisis in Flint, Mich., Became a Federal Emergency" 

•  Durando, Jessica. "How Water Crisis in Flint, Mich., Became Federal State of Emergency." USA Today. Gannett, 20 Feb. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

•  USA Today is a newspaper that is fairly widespread across the states. They tend to publish stories about national events. The author of this particular story is Jessica Durando

Reflection on Project Two

I am much more confident in this project than I was for project one. I feel that my essay is very detailed and professional, and definitely more quality work than essays I have written in the past. I truly think I was able to grasp and persecute the goal of this project very well.

• What were some of the successes (or, things that went right) during this week’s process work? Explain, with evidence.
• This week was very successful time management-wise. The fact that I am ready to turn in the paper in a day early, and confident enough to do so, tells me that I truly managed my effort well. I also think my flow of ideas this week also allowed me to edit and insert a few ideas that make the piece even better.

• What were some of the challenges (or, things that went wrong) during this week’s process work? Explain, with evidence.
• I am concerned that I did not provide enough content this week for my paper. It is only 6 pages, and many of my peers have written papers that are 7 pages or more. However, I realized that it is quality over quantity in most cases, and I think that the content I have provided is qualifies as a well-written, professional paper.

• How do you think next week will go, based on your experiences this week?
• I think I am ready to start the next project, however, I might take a few days off to recuperate. Then I am willing to jump right in.

• How are you feeling about the project overall at this point?
• After working on this project for a few good weeks, I really feel that there is no more I can add to my paper to effect it's quality or resulting grade. I am truly confident that I put all of my skills towards writing an affective and great paper.

Editorial Report 9b

For this part I decided to compare the first draft of my third paragraph and the final draft of my third paragraph. That way I would have analyzed the first and last drafts of all of my paragraphs, including the introduction and the conclusion.

Rough Draft versus Final Draft

Audience Questions

• How did the content change (even slightly - details matter!) when you re-edited it? Why do you think the content is being communicated more effectively in the re-edited version?
• As was with my other paragraph, there was definitely more content in the final draft of the paragraph. I think the most significant difference was that I included quotes from the blog which I was referencing, as well as decided to paraphrase from my interview with Sophia Borgias.

• How did the form change (even slightly - details matter!) when you re-edited it? Why do you think the form is presenting the content more effectively in the re-edited version?
• The form did not change much from the rough cut of the paragraph, however, I did chose to move around a few sentences and ideas so the piece would flow much easier. I think that this gives off a more professional feel than jumping from idea to idea.

Editorial Report 9a

For Editorial Report 9a, I chose to compare and contrast between the rough draft and the final draft of my first body paragraph. I thought this was most appropriate because I did the same last week between my introductory and concluding paragraphs.

Rough Cut Versus Final Draft

Audience Questions

• How did the content change (even slightly - details matter!) when you re-edited it? Why do you think the content is being communicated more effectively in the re-edited version?
• There is not only more content in the final draft, but it provides much more support for my argument. Since I added specific quotes from my interviewee and from the journals I was using as examples, the paragraph seems all the more convincing. I also edited grammar and language so that the piece flows much easier.

• How did the form change (even slightly - details matter!) when you re-edited it? Why do you think the form is presenting the content more effectively in the re-edited version?
• Although the piece still only has four paragraphs, it sounds much more like an academic essay. This is because I put in topic and transitional sentences, and overall made edits to any run on sentences.

Peer Review 9b

For this portion of the peer review, I elected to review David Klebosky's QRG. I really enjoyed his project, his sarcastic tone was a great attention grabber, and he still was able to communicate the information thoroughly.

• For his QRG I decided to focus on genre conventions (activity two) because of his significant lack of some.

•  Although David's language and tone were absolutely great, the piece was lacking any visual aids, which is a core convention of a QRG. I suggested, obviously, that he should add some, but also from the specific project which he was discussing. I think that a few images would really help the reader grasp some of the concepts which he is talking about.

• I drew from our discussion earlier in the semester about genre conventions and the key differences between an essay and a QRG (images).

• I really did admire his ability to make the QRG entertaining with his tone, but also was able to share the information professionally. Although the tone of my academic essay must be a bit less sarcastic, I think that I could make it a bit lighter than it is right now.

Peer Review 9a

For this post I peer reviewed another academic essay, which was really beneficial for discovering the thought processes of my peers and for learning how to improve my own essay.

• I peer reviewed Jackson Starmer's blog and his essay on publishing with in the mathematics field.

• Although I misunderstood the directions and performed all four of the activities, I would like to focus on the genre convention of organization. 

• I suggested that he use fewer paragraphs because the current amount was rather overwhelming. Combining a few of his ideas would make the essay flow much easier, and significantly shorter. Both of these things would just put his essay on the next level.

• I drew from the genre conventions that we discussed at the beginning of the semester, as well as the examples that were provided. I also drew from our conversation about rhetorical strategies from the beginning of project two.

• The thing I took the most from his essay was the amount of specific detail and quotations he included. It was very impressive the amount of details he analyzed from a multitude of sources, and I plan to mirror that in my edits to my own essay.

Open Post to Peer Reviewers

This production week, I posted my introductory and closing paragraphs in my blog posts. I think they are a great start to a professional and convincing paper. However, I also think that they could be developed even more as my ideas develop in my body paragraphs. Here is the working link to my rough draft.

• I think that it is important for my reviewers to know that there are many possible genres to post in within the environmental field, but journal articles and blog posts are the genres that were the primary focuses of my interviews. I chose to focus only on two because there is so much information for both of them, and in order to cover all of it I felt it was best to only focus them.

• I think that there are points in my paragraphs, especially in the closing paragraph, where the direction and drive seems to get lost. My thoughts seem to wander and become on focused from the previous one. I need to really sit down and focus on each idea and see if it makes sense.

• I think the language I used is appropriate for an academic essay, but is still accessible to people who may not be familiar with the genres and their conventions. This is important for a good argument essay, and I think I really nailed this convention.