Grecia Jimenez Gonzalez

Zack DePiero
Writing 2
14 October 2015
The Sides of Black Lives Matter
Social justice journalism has been around since the beginning of times. Throughout the
existence of man, there has always been someone trying to expose injustices and to tear down the

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:22 AM

Comment [1]: Dig the title -- it keys me
in on the topic and the "there are multiple
sides to this" aspect.

beliefs that disunite us--while others have worked to dismantle and discredit the movements that
seek to bring awareness. One of the hottest topics of the past couple of years has been the Black
Lives Matter movement. Social injustices and police brutality against the Black community
have offset an uncounted amount of activism by infuriated Americans and even gained
momentum around the world. The Black Lives Matter movement, however, has also prompted
some social justice movements by Caucasian and other light-skinned folks who dont believe
in the validity of institutionalized racism and police brutality against black and other non-white
Americans today. On their end, movements like White Lives Matter, White-Out, and most

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:23 AM

Comment [2]: Do you need to go this far
back? Also, I'd like you to find more of an
attention-grabbing "hook."

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:24 AM

Comment [3]: Great transitional phrase
here to show me you're switching
perspectives (or, at least, presenting a
different perspective). Small little
words/phrases like this go a long way
towards helping your reader follow your
thought process. :)

recently Blue Lives Matter have been created in response to social justice campaigns focused
on black Americans. The Black Lives Matter movement has been featured in many
mainstream news sources such as The New York Times, Fox News, and MSNBCit has been
portrayed in both positive and negative ways by these different media outlets-- and they have
inspired attention in favor and against the movement.
The New York Times, Fox News, and MSNBC are well known news platforms that are
recognized by their exposure and reactions to news. The New York Times, for example, is well
known for being a more liberal newspaper and news site with a wide variety of audiences since

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:26 AM

Comment [4]: I like how you've clearly
laid out the overview of your topic and the
three sources you'll be examining, Grecia.
However, I need more of a specific,
driving thesis statement. What, exactly,
are you going to be arguing here? And
what specific points are you going to use
to make that case? What about the
conventions within this genre will you be
emphasizing? Also: do you think itd help
your reader (technically, me) to lay out
which specific sources youll be using to
make your case?

its first issues in the 1850s. The New York Times exigenceor its expected responseis much
higher than that of, say, Facebook or Twitter. The New York Times is a highly respected news
source that can prompt action from its readers and, in some cases, from the people who disagree
with their articles--all thanks to its vast outreach. Regarding the Black Lives Matter
movement, The New York Times has been one of the most supportive news platforms in regards
of the movement. Its enlightened tone and scholarly style have helped raise awareness and
support of the movement. Rather than purely opinion, The New York Times includes factual
evidencesuch as statistical and testimonial evidencethat adds to its credibility. This past
February, for example, The New York Times published an article entitled Beyond Black Lives

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:28 AM

Comment [5]: Can you support this with
any textual evidence? You want (I want
you to) get *super specific* and explain in
detail what, exactly, in these sources helps
support your argument.
(I also need to know what your argument
is.)

Matter, which discussed the positive effects of typically criticized aspects of the Black Lives
Matter movementsuch as looting and so called anarchy. In the article, which highlights the
awareness that has resulted from the Black Lives Matter movement, the author, Charles M.
Blow, backs up his article with data regarding the number of black fatalities in comparison to
police fatalities-- 461 felony suspects were fatally shot just in the past year (Johnson; Blow).
Blow made sure to include data from other news sources (including the previous number) such
as USA Today, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and even Buzzfeed.
Among the many news platforms that have featured the Black Lives Matter movement
is Fox News. Fox News, while still a somewhat respected news source, is known for being highly
conservative and sometimes even racist. As opposed to the New York Times, Fox News coverage
of the movement has been unfavorable. Just several days ago, on October 8th, 2015, Fox News
published an article entitled Black Lives Leader Defends Looting in Yale Lecture. Simply
from the title, it is easy to see that the author, Perry Chiaramonte, is not a supporter of neither the
movement, nor looting. Throughout the article, Chiaramontes only sources are Kyle Olson of

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:29 AM

Comment [6]: OK, I think this is your first
big piece of "juicy" info -- yes, absolutely!
Data is hugely important. Is it worth
devoting a whole paragraph to?
Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:30 AM
Comment [7]: Two questions
1, is this relevant to *your
argument/point*? If so, how?
2, I'm not really sure what you were trying
to accomplish in this paragraph, Grecia.
Background info about the NYT?

EAGnews.org and a syllabus. The article constantly criticizes the leader of the movement, DeRay
McKesson, by calling him inexperienced and insinuating that Yale students are not getting their
moneys worth by attending a lecture taught by a man with only middle school teaching

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:31 AM

Comment [8]: OK, great -- the different
sources and movements that this
particular article invokes is definitely
important. Fodder for your thesis
statement? (Just like data, above?)

experience (Chiaramonte). The article, although still using a somewhat scholarly style, has a
much more condescending tone, as well as more opinions as opposed to facts. Its audience is
probably composed of readers who do not support the movement either. Despite its negative
outlook, this article serves the purpose of exposing the Black Lives Matter movement and one

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:31 AM

Comment [9]: Back this up.
Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:32 AM
Comment [10]: Yes, huge! Dig into this
s'more!

of its aspects to the public, whether it is supporters or critics and has the power to influence their
opinion on the matter--the article is easily accessible to either. Journalism with similar themes
and outlooks as Fox News is a big reason for the movements in opposition to the Black Lives
Matter movement, such as the Blue (Police) Lives Matter.
Another news platform that has followed the Black Lives Matter movement is MSNBC.
MSNBC tends to be more liberal as well, although a lot of its pieces are written from a neutral
standpoint. MSNBC is a popular online news source, more so than Fox, which has in part
resulted in its younger and more liberal audienceand also the fact that it is simply known for
being liberal. On October 10th, 2015, MSNBC published an article that compared and contrasted
the Black Lives Matter and the Blue Lives Matter movements and the feelings they have
evoked in the community. The article, entitled Blue Lives Matter Billboards Spark
Controversy, does not use many outside sources, but it also does not use much opinion. It
simply discusses the movements and the response of the public--which in my case happens to be
in support of the Black Lives Matter movement--and the growing popularity of the Blue
Lives Matter movement, which appears to be spreading, promoted by police unions in
response to a series of ambush killings of police officers. Late last month in Los Angeles, for

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:33 AM

Comment [11]: Grecia, remember: these
news platforms are not genres; the articles
that they publish, however, are. Make
sure not to conflate the two.
Also, Grecia, Im wondering if your paper
would benefit from re-structuring the
organization. Instead of
-Source #1
-Source #2
-Source #3
Could your paper/argument unfold a more
integrated/interwoven way if you did
something like:
-Idea #1 (and then incorporate sources 1,
2, 3)
-Idea #2 (and then incorporate sources 1,
2, 3)
-Idea #3 (and then incorporate sources 1,
2, 3)?

example, about a hundred local officers joined community members for a flag-waving march
through Hollywood. Many of the marchers wore shirts emblazoned with Blue Lives Matter
(Dokoupil).
All the previously mentioned news sources appear very similar at first. They include the
same basic expected elementsor conventionsof an online news source. At first glance it is
easy to find an author, a title, an article, and sometimes an embedded video that depicts the
article or is related to it in some way or another. However, upon further inspection, it is evident
that all the news sources depicted the Black Lives Matter movement in different manners.
Some used more outside sources than others, while some used mostly opinion or almost no
outside sources at all. Despite not explicitly stating their audiencesor the Who cares? and

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:34 AM

Comment [12]: Do you think it'd be
worth laying all of this out at the get-go?
Could that help guide your reader along
your thought process more clearly?

Why does it matter? as Birkenstein and Graff advice, these news sources reputations attract
different types of audiences to read their articles and affect them in different manners. MSNBCs
article, for example, has little effect on those who are not deeply involved with the Black Lives
Matter movement, but because MSNBC attracts a more liberal audience, its article is capable of
inflaming supporters of the movement, as well as informing them of the newest opposing
movement. Meanwhile, Fox News, with its reputation of being a conservative news source, is
likely to attract the more conservative or Republican spectrum of readers and is likely to increase
discontent with the Black Lives Matter movement and its leaderwho they now believe to be
an uneducated and violent guy because, according to Fox, he supports and defends looting
(Chiaramonte). The previous point brings me to my next point, which is that titles play a big part
in differentiating different sources within the same genre. When comparing and contrasting the
three different news sources provided, it is easy to see that Black Lives Matter leader defends
looting in Yale lecture is more likely to spark sentiment than the title Beyond Black Lives

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:36 AM

Comment [13]: Agreed. Is it worth
devoting a whole paragraph to this?
Could there be a way to use *the different
news platforms' use of titling this topic* as
a clue to their political stance/leaning?

Matter could. While both news articles are opinionated, the titles set the mood of the reader
from the very beginning. All of the articles share some basic conventions, and they are all part of
the same genre, but they all have different predispositions, audiences, purposes, tones, and styles.
In a way, these different sources are like triplets. They may look similar but they develop
individual characteristics, they like different things, and perhaps they do not share the same
beliefs. They are connected by bloodor their genrebut they are not the same. These news
sources are all different for one simple reason: they were all written by different people and for
different people. Different people with different experiences, different educations, and different
personalities will write and take in information differently from each other. That is just how it
works.
So how is genre important? If everyone writes differently then there is no point in
learning genre, right? Wrong. Learning genre is essential for writers regardless of their skill
level. Genre tells you what your audience is, the exigence of your writing, if you have any
constraints, the formality that is expected of you, and how much of your own flair you can add
(Carroll). It is not, however, necessary to learn every single genre in the world. According to
Kerry Dirk, author of Navigating Genres, through reading different styles of writing we
become familiar with different kinds of genres and their conventions. So yes, learning genres is
important, but it should not feel like a chore. Genre is one of the most important aspects of
writing--it is the basic structure of writing. If you understand genre and conventions then you can
effectively write just about anything. Genre is what pulls writing together. It makes writing fit
into a category but also make it different from everything else. Genres make writing unique and
change the way in which writing affects its readers.

Zack De Piero 10/19/15 12:37 AM

Comment [14]: Could it enhance your
overall argument if you busted this out
earlier on? Not necessary -- just some
food for thought.

Works Cited
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/09/opinion/charles-blow-beyond-black-lives-matter.html?_r=0
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/10/08/black-lives-leader-defends-looting-in-yale-lecture/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/11/police-killings-hundreds/18818663/
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/another-black-lives-matter-rebuttal-stirs-controversy
Dirk, Kerry. "Navigating Genres." (n.d.): n. pag. Rpt. in Writing 2. Santa Barbara: Zack DePiero,
2015. 17-30. Print.
Carroll, Laura Bolin. "Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis." Writing
Spaces: Readings on Writing. Vol. 1. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.

Birkenstein; Graff. So What? Who Cares? N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.

Writing 2 Feedback Matrix for WP1

Table of Textual Features
Did Not Meet
Expectations
Thesis Statement
Use of Textual Evidence
from Genres
Use of Course Readings
Analysis
Organization/Structure
Attention to
Genre/Conventions and
Rhetorical Factors
Sentence-level Clarity,
Mechanics, Flow

Met Expectations

Exceeded
Expectations

-
-
-

Grecia,
Other Comments
This paper has a bunch of potential, and I know that you can get
there. I think that the most important step you can take here is to
consider: what, exactly, am I arguing here? What conventions am I
hoping to analyze, whats their significance, and why?
Id also like you to weave in a LOT more textual support -- win me

over with evidence, then remind me about how/why this evidence fits
into your larger argument (think: analysis).
Please review my comments and let me know -- always! -- if you have
any questions.
Z
7/10