Andrew Taylor

De Piero
Writing 2
7 December 2015
Know Your Genres: The Key to Writing Success
What makes a news blog a news blog? Is it defined by the freedom the author has to
express his own opinion? Or by the way readers can discuss the topic in the comments section?
Understanding why textual genres use the structures they do is very useful to us as writers and
readers. Genres are defined by their conventions, and if we can identify those conventions, we
can better analyze the pieces within the genre. Understanding a specific textual genre can help
someone utilize it properly. In Kerry Dirks essay, Navigating Genres, she writes, knowing
what a genre is used for can help people to accomplish goals, whether that goal be getting a job
by knowing how to write a stellar resume, winning a persons heart by writing a romantic love
letter, or getting into college by writing an effective personal statement (Dirk 21). When we
compare works from three different varied sources of internet news blogs, we can view
similarities and differences to better identify the genres conventions, structure, and rhetorical
devices, thus allowing us to utilize the genre for our own work more effectively.
A great way to gain an in-depth understanding of a genre is to compare and contrast
multiple sources that fit in the genre. By doing so, we can determine the conventions of the
genre based on the consistencies found in each sources. We can also better understand the
variation within that genre by identifying the inconsistencies. For example, let us focus on the
particular textual genre of internet news blogs. This genre is very interesting because there is a
lot of variation within it. Many internet news blogs are notorious for having a particular bias or
format. To make sure we include varying viewpoints, we will include sources known for being
each more left-wing, right-wing, or middle ground. We will examine articles from The Huffington

Post, Business Insider, and Gawker. Now, at first glance, these are three very dissimilar
websites. All of these blogs seem to discuss different topics and approach them in different
ways, but the truth is that they exist within the same genre and abide by the same conventions.
In this essay we will examine how each of these blogs approach a similar topic. In this case we
will use the topic of the recent mass shooting and Umpqua Community College in Oregon.
The best way for us to identify the conventions of this textual genre is to perform a
rhetorical analysis of a specific piece from each source. We will start with the article Mass
Shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, 10 Reported Dead from The Huffington
Post. The audience of this article is internet users primarily those looking for news in the United
States. It is evident that the purpose of this article is to inform as it is considered a news blog,
but it also seems there is a persuasive or suggestive purpose in the background. This could
possibly be a result of the bias that each blog is known for. This source could be
subconsciously pushing an agenda that lines up with the authors political or social beliefs. The
article uses a serious and formal tone as it is a tragic news story, but it also seems to present a
slightly more charged tone when it discusses possible solutions or lack of action. An example of
this is when they present a chart titled There have been 45 school shootings in 2015. While
this is not specific information on the particular incident, it connects the incident to the ongoing
problem that the Huffington Post would like to have the reader think about. The context of the
article is a news response to a tragic school shooting that happened amid an ongoing
discussion about gun control, which plays a factor in the tone of the writing. Structurally, the
article fits the conventions of a typical internet news blog post. It has a large title that gives the
main point of the article, a summary along with pictures, and a comment section below that
allows for discussion. We will dissect the other two sources and return compare the rhetorical
features as a way to better understand the genre.

The next piece we will look at is the article Police: At Least 10 Dead After Shooter
Opens Fire at Community College from Business Insider. This particular post is very similar to
that of the Huffington Post as it also targets American internet users looking for news and the
story comes in the same context. The purpose of the article is also to inform of a news event but
there is also a clear background political agenda the article seems to be pushing. We will return
to discuss this tactic. This article maintained a formal and informative tone but it clearly
presented a slight bias and tried to influence the reader. Structurally, it maintained the
conventions discussed in the first article.
The third piece we will examine is the article 10 Dead After Mass Shooting At Oregon
Community College from Gawker. This article is rhetorically very similar to the first two with a
few exceptions. The audience of this piece continues to be American internet users. The
purpose of this article is also to inform but this particular piece maintains its formal tone and
does not appear to force an ulterior agenda in its writing. This is evident in the word choice
throughout the article. For example, the author writes CNN reports that four guns were
recovered from the scene. All four are believed to have belonged to the gunman. This quote
clearly is meant to be informational and makes no assumptions or arguments. The context
remains the same, but perhaps has less relevance in the greater discussion of gun control as it
does not provide as much commentary on the topic. The structure of the post remains
consistent with the exception of a number of updates. This article appears to have been
published and update constantly as the event was actually happening rather than posted
afterwards. This could be a possible explanation as to why it remains informative rather than
persuasive or suggestive.
After performing a brief rhetorical analysis of a piece from each source, it becomes
easier to compare and contrast them in order to identify conventions. The obvious similarities
we can find come from the aesthetic and structural aspects of the pieces. All three articles are

presented with similar informative titles, a summary, a number of pictures related to the topic,
and a section for comments. The audience remains consistent and it is fair to conclude that it is
a convention of online news blogs to target internet users seeking alternative news sources.
There are some discrepancies between the articles when it comes to purpose and tone
and this shows an interesting aspect of the textual genre. After examining these pieces, it is
clear that internet news blogs have a bit of leeway when it comes to expressing opinion. It
appears that these blogs have the option of remaining purely informative and giving only facts,
or allowing some opinion to leak through and influence the reader. An example of the former is
the article from Gawker. This article maintains a strictly informative and factual structure. At
least ten people are reportedly dead after a gunman opened fire this morning at Umpqua
Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. At least seven were injured. This is clearly not at all
opinionated and only provides a factual report of the events.
Not all internet news blogs appear to take this approach however, as demonstrated by
the article from The Huffington Post. As discussed earlier, this article appears to be pushing an
agenda in the background and attempts to influence the readers in their particular ideology or
opinion on the topic. An example of this is when the article writes, The incident is the 142nd
school shooting since a man opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown,
Connecticut, December 14, 2012, according to the organization Everytown for Gun Safety. The
goal of saying this is to connect the event to other similar incidents and raise a discussion about
a bigger issue. The difference is, the informative approach focuses on the one event and allows
the reader to make their own inferences and connections, while the opinionated approach
steers the reader into a particular direction and sparks a discussion. This also affects the
context of each piece and how a genre can change that context. By sparking a discussion in the
comments, as this genre almost always does, pieces can be used to broaden the spectrum of a
particular issue or event and influence readers to think a certain way. This illustrates that pieces

within this particular genre have the option to inform as well as influence or persuade. With this
new understanding we can determine exactly when and how this genre would be most effective.
Referring back to Dirks discussions, learning the best use for a genre is perhaps the most
important reason to understand it in the first place. By analyzing pieces from different sources
we were not only able to identify the conventions of the internet news blog textual genre, but we
were also able to identify the real application of this genre which is the ultimate goal for
comprehending a genre.