Topic > A Rhetorical Analysis of The Washington Post's Vaccination Video Testimony

In the media, images can have as great an effect on an audience as the message itself. This is true even when not a lot of content is being displayed, as the images do not necessarily have to be as complex as the message they are trying to convey, as is the case with most journalism in the justice context. Taylor Telford, Isaac Stanley-Becker, and Lena H. Sun all contributed to the article "Teenage Testifies He Got Vaccinations Despite His Mother's Opposition," which incorporated a video of Ethan Lindenberger's testimony against the ideals Antivaxxer. The article was published on the Washington Post website on March 5, 2019 at 7:49 pm EST, but while the rights to the video belong to the Washington Post, Ethan can be credited as the author because he is reading his written testimony. Throughout his narrative he uses rhetorical devices, logos and ethics, reinforced by the visual conventions of the video itself. With this video, the Washington Post attempts to expose the dangers of false medical information on the Internet by telling a victim's personal story firsthand, providing raw evidence free of outside bias, and presenting the victim in a professional manner to build credibility. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The way the Washington Post describes Ethan's story adds to a larger narrative about how falsehoods on the Internet can be harmful to ill-informed families. Ethan Lindenberger grew up in a family with a mother who believed vaccinations were dangerous. She eventually began to question her mother's ideals when she saw how much reaction she would receive online. When he entered high school, he began to make his own decisions and pursue the truth. Ethan told the Washington Post in an interview: "I feel like if my mother hadn't interacted with that information, and hadn't been influenced by those discussions and stories, it could have potentially changed everything, my whole family could have been vaccinated." , demonstrating how not only he himself, but his entire family has been negatively affected by the spread of misinformation. Ethan says he approached his mother numerous times with concrete evidence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but she refused to listen to him and clung to the conspiracy and paranoia built up by Facebook, which is common for women with children who have fallen down the Antivaxxer rabbit hole. These mothers don't realize there are other avenues to find information about vaccines, and most of their information comes from websites they find on the Internet, rather than from doctors' offices or hospitals. At age 18, Ethan went against his mother's wishes and sought vaccination, testifying before Congress to plead his case and telling the story of his mother's experience with Facebook Antivaxxers, giving him credibility in the larger conversation wide. He is now an advocate for the truth about vaccinations and hopes to get the rest of his family vaccinated too. Ethan turns to Ethos in this context because he is able to recount his personal experience living in a family that refuses vaccination, giving him first-hand experience that makes his argument more reliable. In most cases, visual icons have more impact than symbols like text. Images are more immediate, clear, memorable and persuasive. When it comes to the story, visuals will always win and become the focus. Therefore, a recording of theEthan's testimony is a much more powerful persuasion tool because the audience can physically see and hear the person hurt by this phenomenon. For example, if The Washington Post incorporated Ethan's written testimony as text instead of the court recording, viewers would feel less attached to Ethan's story. When people watch the news, they want information, not opinions. For this reason, they are more likely to watch a broadcast that only provides them with the news in its raw form. The video consists of Ethan talking and that's all, making him free from any external bias that would make his claims less credible. It focuses on Ethan speaking with the background blurred, making it the visual key to the video. It's also neat and turned on its head, which makes it look more professional. The public can expect raw footage of the testimony, unedited, so they can express their opinions on the topic. The images in the above story are simple and direct, which is exactly what the American people want when it comes to news. The audience can feel as if they are sitting in a courtroom, watching Ethan deliver his testimony in real time. This video is also relatively short in length, averaging around four and a half minutes, so audiences are less likely to lose interest. If this video were longer, say thirty minutes or so, the audience would be less inclined to watch it all and consequently miss important details about the case. Knowing how to communicate effectively with diverse communities is a powerful tool when trying to make a point. The tone and voice can be adjusted to fit a certain mold depending on the rhetorical situation and audience. Tone is the emphasis placed on a certain aspect of speech or writing. This emphasis is generally related to the tone of a certain piece of literature or other form of expression. Voice is the tone of spoken words and often includes the tone of the speaker. Ethan is described as smart, clean and serious despite his age. He is taking on the role of an educated student who has researched health and safety, taking into account the environment in which he is speaking. When this technique is used effectively, the impact of the speech increases. Ethan retains a little of his awkward teenage demeanor when he stammers and looks down at his notes, as any teenager would under great pressure. Despite this, he manages to maintain a strong and clear voice and does not fidget or laugh due to his nerves, conveying a sense of sovereignty and discipline. His tone helps deliver his testimony accurately and objectively, a technique suited to the audience he is addressing. The testimony itself is given with the same care and precision that an experienced adult would do in a similar case. Ethan's mannerisms remind the audience that he is indeed still a young adult, which may elicit some sympathy in his favor; his age however does not detract from his trustworthiness, as his clothing gives him an appearance of authority. He wears a suit and mentions how he joined the debate clubs at his school, in which suits are stereotypically worn when holding large-scale meetings. Overall, Ethan's rhetorical identity during his testimony demonstrated his ethics in the Antivaxxer argument giving him a reputation for professionalism. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Ethan sends a clear, concise message about how dangerous misinformation can be especially when it pertains to medicine..