General Interest Article Prompt

An extension of the objective/journalistic genre is the general interest article; rather than focusing on a single pop culture item, this genre focuses on a broad trend or newsworthy development in an area of popular culture, as modeled by Rosenberg reading: http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2014/02/10/3271191/lego-movie/, (In sample reading(Rosenberg), she elates the plot of The Lego Movie to current movie trends, by comparing scenes and themes from the film to specific film-making trends. She use scenes from the movie and connect it to a larger trend that she recognizes in the entertainment industry. Rosenberg takes an idea present in the movie and transforms it into a bigger social issue, she says “The LEGO Movie never pretends that the products of mass media aren’t outrageously entertaining–that would be a willful denial of reality. Instead, it asks us to consider what we’re losing out in that homogenization.” In this case, she points out that mass media, as entertaining as it is, is systematic and predictable; it leaves no room for creativity and variation. Also, Rosenberg informs the reader she has no stance on whether the plot of the movie is good or bad, she simply states what it is as a fact. By remaining impartial to the events of the movie, she is able to bring in outside sources that are relatable to scenes in the movie which demonstrate an idea that encompasses a larger context.)

using Rosenberg’s reading as a model sample.

Instruction:

Register: Consultative

POV(point-of-view): 3^rd person

Stance(writer’s relationship to subject matter/audience):

• Stance toward the topic is interested but generally impartial; often hedges such as “Some observers claim…” are used to introduce more judgmental interpretations.
• Stance toward the audience is that of a reporter informing individuals who might be affected by certain events.

Most important: Don’t sound too much like your conclusion, instead, use specific examples from the popular culture item itself, (for example, if you choose a film as the popular culture item, use specific scene or exchange of dialogue from the film as examples), and connect it to the trend you identified.

Format: MLA