SOAPSTone Analysis of "Of Course Trump's Anti-Smoking Guru Made Money Trading Tobacco Stocks"1/31/2018 In a Vanity Fair article published earlier today, journalist Bess Levin writes about Brenda Fitzgerald, the former director of the CDC, who resigned Tuesday, January 30. Fitzgerald is currently under fire for purchasing tens of thousands of dollars" in tobacco stocks. Levin, a journalist avidly focused on politics, seems to lean liberal and writes about Fitzgerald with evident scorn. This is an extremely relevant article, seeing as this information just recently came out and Fitzgerald resigned only yesterday. As mentioned in the piece, it seems to be a trend for Trump's cabinet members to completely contradict their work. There have been several scandals, famously that of Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education, who never came into contact with the public school system before being appointed to her job. This article will likely reach a large audience due to its prevalence and its 'political scandal' aspect. Levin speaks of how Fitzgerald completely opposed what she was supposed to be working towards by purchasing the stocks. This article sheds light on the scandal and how it seems to be a reoccurring issue with Trump's staff. Fitzgerald even spoke on tobacco and voiced her support of ceasing sales, then immediately turned around and bought the stocks. Governmental officials are evidently not seen in a great light as of late. Bess Levin's tone in this piece seems to be scornful and condescending of the Cabinet and it's scandalous officials.
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This Vanity Fair article was written by Corby Kummer, a writer of mostly food/drink related articles. As an obvious Trump critic, he speaks on the quality of the new Trump wines with the help of a wine expert. Donald Trump, the current president of the United States, did indeed recently come out with his own wines, notably soon after the Charlottesville riots. Kummer voices his suspicion that this may have been a tactic to distract from the white supremacy riots in Charlottesville. This article may be directed towards those who are interested in why Trump released wines and how they taste. Wine drinkers and Trump critics alike might enjoy this piece. The piece, itself, was written to answer the many questions surrounding Trump wine. The wine expert Kummer brings with him to taste the wines describes some of them as, at best, "unoffensive". Most of the rest of the beverages gain rather terrible reviews. The main idea of the article serves as the author's comparison to Trump's presidency: Trump wine is quite simply substandard. Kummer narrates this piece in a sarcastic, humorous, and lighthearted tone. It is obvious in his word choice and article title that he dislikes Trump, and this is prevalent throughout. This piece provides a seemingly honest and comical review of the newly released Trump wines.
In his recent Vanity Fair article, author Nick Bilton writes about how social media is a corrupting influence and damaging to those who use it. Bilton is a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, which means he gathers and reports news, articles and information for them. By his other recent articles and his writing in general, it can be assumed he leans liberal or democratic. Bilton shows several signs of bias in this article. He mentions many times throughout his piece that he thinks social media should be abolished, that it is harmful, etc. He also cites his own book as a reference point for validation. He views this very current social media phenomenon as a "destructive fad", one that causes more harm than good. Social media is used everywhere today and it's opportunities are endless. It can lead to important and healthy communications such as online friendships or marketing, but it can also allow a platform for terrorists and bullies to prey on. This article is likely directed at those who use social media, as a platform or for fun. He gives facts and relays testimonies of those who have felt harmed in one way or another by social media to prove his point. The purpose of this piece was to bring awareness to the detrimental effects and unyielding power of these social platforms. Bilton underlined his main point and hope that social media would soon be done away with, or at least hugely reformed. He spoke of the division and turmoil it caused. Bilton narrates this piece in an easygoing and relatable way. He tells jokes but also brings to light the seriousness of the situation. This article explores the not usually talked about, but very visible dark side of social media.
Recently, many women in the film industry -- and victims all over the globe -- have come forward about their experiences with sexual abuse. In this Vanity Fair article, the author, Hilary Weaver, provides stories of women who have shared their abuse with the world. Weaver seems to be almost entirely unbiased in the writing of this piece, as she only relays the stories as they were told and gave no real analysis or opinion. This article is especially current and relevant. This is due to the recent scandal with Harvey Weinstein, who was accused of sexually assaulting and harassing numerous women. Cara Delevingne was one of the many women who spoke out about him sexually assaulting her. The article highlighted the recent phenomenon wherein women who shared the story of their sexual abuse inspired others all over the world to do so as well. This article, as mentioned before, is pertinent due to the scandal. It is a hugely popular topic and debate as of now and articles written about it are extremely common. In fact, Vanity Fair writers have written several articles pertaining to it. The piece will most likely reach a large audience. The purpose of this article was to spread the influence of these women's stories and inform the public that the epidemic of sexual abuse, especially in the film industry, is apparent and does not start or end with one person. The general topic of the piece is relatively the same: sexual abuse is not uncommon and can happen to any person in any situation. Weaver keeps her tone unbiased and informative throughout the article. She provides the readers with no real in-depth explanations or elaborations and instead keeps it simple and newsy.
This Vanity Fair article, written by Evgenia Peretz, delves into the true status of the Trump marriage, including how it came to be and how it fares today. The author of this piece has been working at Vanity Fair as an editor since 1999. She is likely middle aged and it can definitely be assumed that she leans liberal. Her tone during this piece seems condescending or possibly pitying. She formats this piece in a way that makes it easy to follow and understand. She begins with a background on both Donald and Melania and goes on to explain their relationship leading up to present day. She focuses on Melania and her experience in a marriage with Donald Trump. She highlights how, supposedly, Melania never wanted Donald to run for president and is uncomfortable with her new position as First Lady. Peretz cites several sources, whether they be friends and family of Melania or psychologists who analyze her behavior in public. This article could reach a broad spectrum of people, more directly those interested in Melania and/or her present role as First Lady. Articles devoted almost entirely to her are not extremely present in media as of now so this is a very informative article for the general public. The unstated purpose of this article was likely to bring awareness to the unstable dynamic of the Trump marriage. Obviously marriage is a personal issue but this particular marriage affects America as a whole. Melania is seemingly and almost obviously unhappy in her marriage and, as stated before, had very little interest in Donald becoming president. This compromised her integrity as First Lady even before her husband stepped into office. She has since declared her "mission" as First Lady to defeat cyber bullying, however, she has done nothing earth-shattering to that effect since Donald's presidency began. The main point of this piece was to explore Melania's side of the marriage and how she is affected by this presidency and how she now affects us. Peretz formats and narrates this piece in a light-hearted and humorous yet informative tone throughout. It explores many different points of view and overall gives the readers a good sense of how America's most famous couple came to be.
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January 2018
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