UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.

Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.

EvaluationReportof
2EbolaTexts.

Name:
RobPettit.
Tutor:

BeverleyHancockSmith
Submissiondate:
22/04/2015


UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.

Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.

Contentspage.

1.
2.
3.

4.

5.

6.

7.
8.

Abstract.
Introduction.
Summary.
3.1.
SummaryofTextOne
3.2.
SummaryofTextTwo
Keyfacts.
4.1.
KeyfactsofTextOne
4.2.
KeyfactsofTextTwo
AudienceandPurpose.
5.1.
AudienceandPurposeofTextOne
5.2.
AudienceandPurposeofTextTwo
Evaluationoflanguagechoicesusedtocreatebias.
6.1.
TextOne.
6.2.
TextTwo.
Conclusion.
Appendix1.


UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.

Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.

1. Abstract.

Abriefsummaryofthewholereportincludingwhatthereportsetouttodo
anditsfindings.Itiseasiertowriteyourabstractlast.
Thisreportattemptstoanalysethestructure,contentandstyleofcontrasting
journalisticattemptstoportraytoreadersthedevelopmentoftherecentEbola
outbreakinAfrica,andthestoriessurroundingit.Hopefully,itdemonstrates
howandwhycertainpublicationsreportnewsinordertostereotypeand
manipulatethemindsetsoftheirtargetaudience,whileothersattemptto
challenge,educateandengage.Thiscanbeseenfromthepropagandaand
scaremongeringononeside,totheaffirmationofmansincreasing
understandingandcontrolofnatureontheother.Forcertainpublications,
withoutcontroversythereisnonewsandimpartialitydoesnotsellcopy.

2. Introduction.

Ashortparagraphintroducingtheaimsofthereportandwhatitwillcontain.
Theaimsofthisreportaretosummarisetwotextstakenfromdifferent
publicationswrittenabouttheEbolaoutbreakinWestAfrica.Thereportwill
outlinethemainargumentsputforward,andevaluatethosetextswithregard
tothelanguagechoicesandtechniquesemployedinordertocreatebias.
Additionally,theintendedaudienceandpurposeofeachtextwillbediscussed
andalistofkeyfactsfromeachtextwillbeidentified.


UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.

Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.

3. Summary.

3.1

SummaryofTextOne
(Ashortsummaryofthemainargumentsputforwardintextone.The
summarymustbeinyourownwords.Thesummarycannotinclude
quotes.300wordsapprox.)

ConcernisincreasingoveradeadlyEbolavirusoutbreakinAfrica.Theworst
spreadisinWestAfrica,withover1,200peoplebecominginfectedresultingin
670deaths.

ExpertsnowfearthatitcouldbetransmittedfromcountriessuchasLiberia,
GuineaandSierraLeonetootherpartsoftheworld,includingtheUK.

DoctorsacrossBritainarenowonthelookoutforvictimsofEbolaHemorrhagic
Fever,thediseasecausedbytheEbolavirus.Thevirusisoneofthedeadliest
knowntoman,comparablewithrabiesandanthrax,althoughitisthoughtto
becontainableindevelopedcountries.

AmanrecentlydiedofthevirusafterflyingfromLiberiatoNigeria,raising
concernsthatinternationaltravelwillaidtransmissionacrosscontinents.
Thereisnovaccineandnospecifictreatmentforsufferers,andtheviruskills
between5090percentofvictimsdependingonthestraincontracted.


UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.

Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.

3.2

SummaryofTextTwo
(Ashortsummaryofthemainargumentsputforwardintexttwo.The
summarymustbeinyourownwords.Thesummarycannotinclude
quotes.300wordsapprox.)

ThecurrentEbolaepidemicinWestAfricahasresultedinmorethan670
deathsinwhatisnowtheworstoutbreakofthediseaseinrecenthistory.The
majorityofcaseshavebeeninSierraLeone,GuineaandLiberia.
Itisfearedthatpeopletravellingfromthosecountrieswillbecarryingthe
diseasewiththem,causingittospreadevenfurthertoplacessuchasLagos,
Africa'slargestcity.Withapopulationofaround21million,anoutbreakthere
wouldbedisastrousasmanyoftheresidentsliveincrampedconditionswhere
thediseasewouldspreadrapidly.
Scientistsandhealthworkersreturningfromtheaffectedareassaythatthe
priorityshouldbetotraceallcontactsofinfectedindividualswhohavelanded.
Victimsexperienceacutefever,musclepain,weakness,headaches,asore
throat,vomitinganddiarrhoea.Astheinfectionworsensitleadstoexternal
andinternalbleeding,asthevirusdamagesthecellwallsofbloodvessels
causingthemtoleak.
Thevirusisthoughttobetransmittedbetweenspecies,whichmaybethe
reasonthenumbersinfectedhasproliferated.
Identificationofcarriershasbeendoneverbally,bysimplyaskingpeopleif
theyhavesymptomstotakingtemperatures.Nobloodtestsarebeingdone
despitesymptomsbeingverysimilartothatofotherdiseases.Treatment
generallyinvolvesrelievingthesymptomsofthedisease.
Ignorancesurroundingtheconditionhascausedvictimstoberemovedfrom
hospitalbytheirfamilies.SomenursesinSierraLeonehavebeentoldby
landlordsnottoreturnhomeastheyriskbringingthediseasebackwiththem.


UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.

Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.

4. Keyfacts.

4.1

KeyfactsofTextOne
1.Anumberedlistofkeyfactsfromtextone
2.Ideally5or6keyfacts:

1. Theviruskillsonaveragesixintenvictims(60%).
2. Over1,200peoplehavebecomeinfected.
3. Therehavebeen670deathsinLiberia,GuineaandSierra
Leone.
4. Victimsdevelopsymptomsbetweentwodaysandthreeweeks
aftercontractingthevirus.
5. Thereisnovaccineandnospecifictreatmentforsufferers.

4.2

KeyfactsofTextTwo
1.
Anumberedlistofkeyfactsfromtexttwo
2.Ideally5or6keyfacts

1. TherecentEbolaepidemicinWestAfricahassofarclaimed
morethan670lives.
2. Ebolaishighlycontagiousandhasa90%fatalityrate.
3. Currently,thereisnocure.Treatmentgenerallyinvolvessimply
relievingthesymptomsofthedisease.
4. A32yearoldhairdresserfromthecapitalofSierraLeonewas
thefirstknowncaseamongresidents.Shelaterdied.
5. Onehospitalwardwasreportedashaving55confirmedpatients
butonlyonenurse.


UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.

Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.

5. AudienceandPurpose.

5.1

AudienceandPurposeofTextOne
Describethetypeofpublicationthisis.Whoistheaudienceforthis
publication?Whattypeofarticlesdotheynormallypublish?

TheDailyExpressisadailynational
middlemarket

tabloid
newspaperin
the
UnitedKingdom
.InMarch2014ithadanaveragedailycirculationof
488,246.Itisanopensupporteroftheconservativeparty,butinrecent
yearshassupportedtherightwingand
eurosceptic
politicalparty
UKIP
.
ManyofitsarticlesfeaturepropagandasurroundingtheRoyalFamily,
immigration,Islamicterrorismandotherleadingstoriesofthedayandithas
lostan
unusuallylargenumberofhighprofilelibelcasesoveritsreportingin
theseareas.AccordingtothenewYouGovprofilingapp,readersofthe
DailyExpressarepredominantlyrightwingmalesaged60+livingnorthof
theMidlands.Theytendtobeworkingclass(C2DE)andworkinmale
dominatedprofessions,suchasthemilitary,constructionandengineering.

5.2

AudienceandPurposeofTextTwo
Describethetypeofpublicationthisis.Whoistheaudienceforthis
publication?Whattypeofarticlesdotheynormallypublish?

The
NewScientist
isa
UKbasedweeklynon
peerreviewed
English
languageinternationalsciencemagazineandalsoavailableonline.Itis
soldinretailoutletsandonsubscription.Themagazinecoverscurrent
developments,news,reviewsandcommentaryonscienceandtechnology.
Readerscancontributeviaaletterspageoronlineforum.Itiswrittenby
professionalsciencejournalistsforscientificprofessionals.Coveringall
areasofscience,itkeepsitsreadersuptodatewiththeworldsofbiology,
chemistry,physics,technology,healthandpublicpolicy.Themajorityof
readerstendtobeinformedmoderateindividuals,educatedtodegreelevel
andfromamiddle/uppermiddleclassbackground(ABC1).Witha
relativelyyouthfulreadershipofpredominantly1824yrolds,theNew
Scientistmagazinehasanauditedcirculationof150,574andareadership
ofover855,149scienceenthusiastsworldwide.


UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.

Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.

6. Evaluationoflanguagechoicesusedtocreatebias.

6.1

TextOne.

Evaluatefivetechniquesthewriterhasusedtocreatebias.Giveanexampleof
eachtechniqueandanexplanationofhowithascreatedbias.Usethechartinthe
backoftheworkbooktohelpyoustructureyouranswer.Writeinfullsentences.
Techniqueused:

Examplesfromtext:

Whyhasthewriterused
thistechnique?

Factsandstatistics.

Thevirusisoneofthedeadliestknownto
man,killingonaverage
sixintenvictims
.

Inordertoaddscientificweight
totheargumentandtoenable/
drawcomparisons.

Expertwitnessand
quotes.

CambridgeUniversitysDrPeterWalsh,a
lecturerinarchaeologyandanthropology
andEbolaexpert,said:"Itspossible
someoneinfectedwillflytoHeathrowhaving
infectedotherpeople
sittingnextto
them..

Inordertogivethestory
credibilityandabasisinfact
(thereforeitmustbetrue?)

Medicaland
technicaljargon.

DoctorsacrossBritainhavenowbeen
warnedtowatchoutforvictimsofEbola
HemorrhagicFever
,thediseasecausedby
theebolavirus.

Inordertogivefurther
credibilityandincreasepublic
concern.Ithasaname,
thereforeithastobemore
serious?

Exaggerationand
repetition.

ThisstrainofEbolaisprobablythesecond
mostdeadlyvirusintheworldafter
canine
rabies
.Ifyougetcaninerabies,
youre
goingtodie
.
"Thisisworsethan
anthrax
.."

Toemphasiseperceivedfears
andtoscaremongerwithout
goodqualitydatatobackup
anyclaimsmade.

Powerofthree

Victimsdevelopsymptomsbetweentwo
daysandthreeweeksaftercontractingthe
virus.Theseincludea
fever,throatand
musclepain,andheadaches
.

Tohammerthepointhome.To
increaseconcernandfear.It
mustbeserious?


UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.

Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.

6.2

TextTwo.

Technique
used:

Examplesfromtext:

Whyhasthewriter
usedthistechnique?
Inordertoinstilla
senseofofdisgust,
horrorandfear.
Emotivelanguagesells
newspapers!

Useofgraphical
/descriptive
language.

Astheinfectionworsens,itleadstoexternal
andinternalbleeding,asthevirus
breaks
downtheepithelialcellwallofblood
vessels,causingthemtoleakfluid
.

Useof
references.

Thevirusisthoughttobetransmitted
betweenspecies:
fruitbats
(
Nature,
doi:10.1038/438575
a)maybethe
naturalhostsofthevirus
,

Togivetheimpression
thatthisisaserious
scientificarticlethatcan
becorroboratedacross
peergroups.

SowhatisEbola?
Ebolaisahaemorrhagicvirusitcauses
extensiveinternalbleeding,andcanlead
tothoseinfecteddyingfromshock.

TheNewScientisttextis
setoutlikeascientific
reportwithheadingsand
subheadings.Thesetake
theformatofanFAQstyle
document.

Scientificstyle/
structure.

Speculative.

Personification
andmetaphor.

Bauschthinksitisunlikelythattheoutbreak
willspreadthroughEuropeortheUSif
someoneinfectedgetsonaninternational
planetotheseplaces."Couldithappen?I
thinkitcould.Wouldwegetsustained
transmission?Idon'tthinkwewould
.

Toinstilafearofthe
unknown.Toraisefalse
hope.Toprovokediffering
opinionwithinthe
readership.

......
y ousimplycan't
model
allofthefactors
involvedinthespread(ofthedisease)
......

Togiveeffecttoa
statement.
To
model
isnormallya
wordassociatedwitha
physicalprocess,buthas
formanyyearsbeenused
asametaphorinthe
abstractsensefortesting
theoreticalconceptsin
science,mathematicsand
medicine.
9


UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.

Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.

7. Conclusion.

Aparagraphdrawingtogetheryourideasonbothtextsandhowthey
havecreatedbias.Nonewideastobeincludedinhere.

Althoughbotharticlesappearverysimilaronfirstreading,theDailyExpress
usesfarmorespeculativeandemotivelanguagethatintendstoleavefear
andcontroversyinitswake.Itsscaremongeringlanguageisbasedupon
propagandaintendedtosellnewspapersandcreatebiasinsupportofany
hiddenagendaitmaysupport(forexamplesupportforUKIPsanti
immigrationpolicymaybethereasonithasemphasisedrepeatedlyinthe
articlethedangersofimmigrantsbringingthediseaseintotheUK).
TheNewScientistontheotherhandattemptstogiveabalancedview
baseduponfactsprovidedbypeersandexpertwitness.Itissympathetic
tothehumansideofthestory,bothvictimsandcarers,andthelives
affectedbythistragedy.Itlooksattheoriginsofthediseaseandthe
reasonswhyitissocontagious,leadingittospreadoutofcontrol.Italso,
inabalancedway,giveshopeforthefutureinthatbyadoptingthecorrect
proceduresthespreadcanbeslowedandeventuallystopped.Fearsofa
pandemicarealsoallayed.

10


UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.

Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.

8. Appendix1.
Putacopyofthebookletcontainingthetwotextsinappendixone.

11