What, if anything: How to deconstruct an AP story

[Miss Authoritiva]

What, if anything: How to deconstruct an AP story

Incredibly, this AP story about White House Chief of Staff designate Rahm Emanuel and alleged attempts by Illinois Gov. Rod Blogojevich to “sell” Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat took two professional reporters plus an additional contributor to produce. Let’s see what we get for all that effort.

Headline: Senate-for-Sale Case Threatens New Chief of Staff

Motivating factors for story: silence* has “prompted questions”; any “hint of scandal” damages Obama and potentially could destroy his presidency before it even begins

Unique sources: 2 tangential people and an indeterminate number of anonymous aides, sources, and supporters not authorized to speak on anyone's behalf

Main rhetorical hedges: "believed to be"; "what, if anything"

Adjectives of note: troubling, friendly

Nouns of note: ties, liability

Phrases of note: troubling liability, close ties, perception of wrongdoing

First astonishing fact: A lot of people live in Chicago and a good many of them are politically active

Second astonishing fact: “a friendly rapport” or “a friendly relationship” might not constitute “a close friendship”

Moment of inscrutability: “It was not clear whether Blagojevich inferred Emanuel's motive for advocating (Valerie) Jarrett….”

Wasted-space (we have to file something) acknowledgement: "The coming days will offer the first answers about Emanuel's recent interaction with Blagojevich and discussions about filling Obama's Senate seat."

Tidy moralistic conclusion useful even if Emanuel did nothing wrong but which damns him anyway: "We're not going to end corruption in Illinois by arrests and indictments alone," the prosecutor (US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald) said. "What's going to make the difference is when people who are approached to 'pay to play' first say no, and, second, report it."

*Prosecutor-requested silence

Well, that’s it. What, if anything, did you learn that you didn’t already know before this article was even written?

By Grace Nearing @ Scriptoids

[Mr Rabble]

1. Important post! Kick. Recommend.

It really does require a substantial effort to decode this crap, in a way that is easy to articulate.

[babylonsister]

2. Rec'd, and I hope this winds up in GD for more eyes if this doesn't work.

And btw, Rahm has been cleared, I hear...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/21/obama-report-on-blagojevi_n_152664.html\
Obama Report On Blagojevich Contacts: Rahm Exonerated

[Wilms]

3. A few tweaks and that critique would be appropriate for the Connell story.

:(

[madrchsod]

4. my city`s high school journalism students have more integrity than ap writers.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. K&R - Typical Media BULLS**T!!!!

[stillcool]

6. Was this 'breaking news'?

thank you for that deconstruction. I bookmarked in case I want to play by myself.

[NJCher]

7. what's also troublesome

Is what a concerted effort it is. This so-called story is being beat to death by TV & radio.

In the other stories I've seen they have come right out and reported Emmanuel said nothing that could be construed as conspiring with Blajo. So why isn't that the headline, then?

"Obama Camp Refused Blajo."

What's wrong with that?



Cher