The Paper

On the evening of February 26, 2012 Trayvon Martin, a black teen, was shot and killed by twenty-eight year old, neighborhood watchmen, George Zimmerman. In the weeks, months, even years that followed the circumstance; Americans would be barraged with sensationalized news articles pertaining to the investigation and its court verdict. Many of the articles were concerned with whether Trayvon Martin was murdered or whether George Zimmerman was simply defending himself. It became evident after following the case for more than a year that some news organizations tended to have certain one-sidedness about the case. While some organizations like the Washington Post leaned towards the idea that Martin was murdered and the following verdict was wrong, others like Fox News were more sympathetic to Zimmerman’s self-defense claim and the jurors’ decisions. Through the use of connotative language and appeals both Fox News and Washington Post twist the story to arouse interest amongst their audience.

The heading of an article is what hooks the reader, and the connotations implied with it are what keep them reading. Fox News and the Washington Post are no strangers to using connotations to fulfil their core agenda and do so adeptly in this case. The Washington Post, which is favored by a more liberal and diverse audience, introduced the aforementioned verdict with the news title “Anger flows at acquittal of George Zimmerman in death of Trayvon Martin” ("Anger flows at acquittal") as oppose to Fox’s headline “George Zimmerman cleared of all charges in shooting of Trayvon Martin, released by judge” ("George Zimmerman cleared of all charges"). Both of these articles present and suggest two different views regarding the Martin/Zimmerman case. With...

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As one can see the media tends to have a way of distorting stories to fit their viewership and agenda. Your feeling on the Martin/Zimmerman case could go either way depending on which article you read first. The Washington Post and Fox News both presented the same Martin/Zimmerman case, yet readers are left with entirely different perspectives depending on what piece they read. The Washington Post and Fox News successfully employ the use of connotative language and strategic appeals in order to get their audience either side with the case that Trayvon Martin was murdered and deserves justice or that George Zimmerman was simply defending himself from an aggressive teen. It is important for us as members of society to take every word we read with a grain of salt because in more cases than not it is only one side of the story.