A SOAP is a rhetorical guide that helps the writer to grasp the precise nature of a writing assignment. For the three news analyses you will be conducting this semester, your SOAP can be broken down as follows:
- Subject = A summary on a news or journal article
- Occasion = An evaluative summary that demonstrates the student’s knowledge of how to format and write a proper summary, as well as analyze and evaluate the content of the original source.
- Audience = Your instructor.
- Purpose = The purpose will be to summarize and analyze/evaluate the article you have chosen.
Your writing task: Choose a story that has appeared in the news within the past 60 days. Find at least two articles about the event you have picked to use as part of this story.
First, write a section about news literacy
Then, you will need to choose an event and two articles–the articles should be from two different sources. Pick something timely and something that you have an interest in. Next, summarize the articles. Be sure to include the most relevant details and leave out the unnecessary and extraneous details. Third, evaluate the articles. Was the writing clear and concise? Did the author do a good job of conveying the information to you as a reader? What do you think about the information being reported? How do the articles compare/contrast to one another? Is there similar information? Different viewpoints or perspectives? Finally, proofread for errors.
Write a conclusion that brings your work to an end — is the event you picked still ongoing? What are some of the takeaways you can offer to the audience about the event? How can people continue to stay informed and what are the best strategies for consuming the news.
Develop your thesis statement. Conduct research. Organize your evidence and prove your point. Conclude thoughtfully. Cite your sources in text!
Here is a sample of the sections your work should include. The template is attached:
- Introduction: Begin the work, discuss the relationship or concept of new literacy (what is news literacy?) and how it links to the course theme (Building Resiliency from Tragedy: Understanding Hate, Loss, Violence, and Reconcilation).
- About News Literacy: provide information on the pros/cons of news literacy. Use some of the resources we discussed at this point in the semester (Week 6 and Week 7 folders) and illustrate the challenges of news literacy, the role fake news plays, etc.
- Analyzing the News: Here you must summarize and evaluate each of your articles. This section should be at least three paragraphs. The first paragraph is about the first article; the second paragraph is about the second article; the third paragraph is the comparison/contrast of the articles.
- Conclusion: End the work thoughtfully. Recap the major points and explain what the reader should have learned from the work. If applicable, make recommendations on how to improve news literacy in society.
Remember: Websites like Wikipedia.org, eNotes.com, etc. are not considered academic sources for this assignment. Your personal opinion is not necessary—write in the third person voice.
You may also choose to incorporate comments and reflection on video content (anything that we saw in class or video you have found that could support your ideas).
After you have done your research, write your work.
- Be sure you write a strong introduction. The introduction should introduce the concept of your work, defining important ideas and terms. The introduction should end with a specific thesis that makes a clear informative or persuasive stance
- The body should discuss the evidence that supports your thesis (with specific examples from your researched articles). Remember to connect the material and explain its importance to your audience. Don’t just summarize the information, but show how it exemplifies your thesis. State the so-what. Say what you what to say and then explain why it’s important.
- Finally, the work should have a strong conclusion that sums up the work and tells the reader what the takeaway of your research is; how significant is all this? How does it connect to our course theme?
Please implement APA style in-text citations and create a References page, using APA style.
Your work should have a proper title page as page 1; and then an abstract on page 2. Your work should begin on page 3.