cOLUMN 6: other sources of rhetoric
This week, we examine a new source- the satirical online journal known as The Onion. From the transformative piece, "College Newspaper Staff Know Exactly How They Would Respond If Editorial Freedom Challenged" the concept of freedom of the press is strongly advocated for. By the hyperbolic phrases riddled with enriched verbs ("scathing editorial cartoon" and ) and outrageous scenarios ("the paper would move quickly to publish an open letter"), The Onion argues in favor of freedom of speech by way of media. It was their way of lighting a small fire under American readers, not enough to smoke them out to action but enough to evoke a sense of urgency. Their rhetoric, perfectly exemplified in the statement "Any editorial we run would definitely include a quotation from Thomas Jefferson about the importance of a free press," pokes fun at the social issue that media and politics poses; the fight for media to be more open and honest, and politics to be facilitating that openness. The author of this particular example of satire wanted readers to find comical relief in the midst of an over dramatized social and political tension. Mission accomplished.