The title of the article is An American tragedy by David Remnick, who is a writer and editor for many reputable publications and the author of several politics-related books.
Public or Private Entity?
This article was published in The New Yorker, which is a magazine and a private entity.
Audience
The author tries to reach a wide audience, in particular US citizens. This aspect is emphasized by the fact that Remnick (2016) appeals to American ideals and also uses a fairly simple and accessible language without an abundance of specialized vocabulary.
Playing to a Specific Ideology
From the first lines of this article, and even from its title, one can understand that the author is promoting a certain agenda. In particular, Remnick (2016) refers to the Trump election as a triumph of “nativism, authoritarianism, misogyny, and racism” (para. 1). Additionally, he makes comparisons with other candidates and former President Obama, describing them as more preferable options. The author also notes that Trump’s election to the presidency is a cause for sadness and anxiety. Thus, the author, to a greater extent, is playing more to liberal ideology, opposing it to the authoritarianism that the new president represents.
Credibility of the Article
The article uses such media techniques as priming, framing, and slant, which makes this material biased and not credible. Remnick (2016) uses slant from the first paragraphs, as it initially sets a negative assessment of Trump as a political actor. There are no opposing points of view in the body of the article that could describe it from the other side for critical evaluation. Priming and framing thus serve to focus the audience’s attention on the problem of the leader’s authoritarianism and its potentially negative impact on the future of the country. Trump is portrayed as the worst choice available, which convinces readers to form a preconceived notion of him based on the facts chosen by the author. Thus, this article is not credible, as it does not contain objective information but only the view and perception of a particular group.
Reference
Remnick, D. (2016). An American tragedy. The New Yorker. Web.