Journalists Tamara Audi, Cameron McWhirter, and Betsy McKay, in their article, “Ebola Virus Infects a Third American Missionary”, shares knowledge on the third American missionary infected with the lethal Ebola virus and the risks that missionaries face in diminishing the disease.
The twenty-four paragraphed-article was published by the Wall Street Journal and uploaded to the newspaper firm’s website. The Wall Street Journal is an accredited newspaper firm, by which supports the article’s ethical appeals. The article is presented with black Times- font text on a white background included with website widgets on its left margin and links to relating articles on its right margin.
The journalists’ motives in this article are to focus on the implication of the Ebola virus spread and on the security of American missionaries handling the virus. In increasing its pathetic appeals, original photography is embedded into the article. The article also contains statistics sourced from the World Health Organization, in which supports its logical appeals. The journalists produce an emotional, pressing tone in order to express the seriousness of the Ebola cases and the vulnerable positions of missionaries.
This text is mainly intended for Americans, specifically readers of present news, those interested in the Ebola virus outbreak topic, educated individuals, and international travelers. Audi, McWhirter, McKay opens the Wall Street Journal article, appealing to the audience’s informative reactions, by stating that there has been a third American missionary infected with Ebola in the country of Liberia. A photograph above the first paragraph of two Beckworth 2 people wearing hazard suits throwing an Ebola-infected corpse into a fiery pit creates pathetic appeal to the reader.
Although the journalist team did not reveal ample personal information on the missionary, the opening paragraphs tell a piece of background information about the missionary, whom is a male doctor working for Christian organization, SIM USA. The paragraphs also tell about the evacuation and recovery of the other missionaries infected by the Ebola virus. In the last opening paragraph, the journalists update readers on the status of the third infected missionary by expressing that he is well and is in good spirits. The final sentence concludes with SIM USA exploring the best options for the missionary’s recovery.
These leading paragraphs relay the authors’ purpose by displaying the provocative photo of the hazard duo handling infected bodies and explaining in text, the current situation of the third infected missionary. However, the opening paragraphs could of presented more details about the infected missionary’s background for better effectiveness, therefore readers can have a complete understanding of who the person is. The next set of paragraphs opens with details that the nameless American missionary lived in Liberia for a short period of time and was sent in after another missionary went down with the disease.
Audi, McWhirter, and McKay braces readers with how soon it took for the missionary to contract the lethal disease. Subsequently, the paragraph set announced statistics of the number of people the Ebola virus has infected in select countries. Logically and pathetically appealing, this serves readers with critical knowledge of the amount of people who suffer from Ebola and who have died from it. The last paragraph in the set concludes with the president of SIM USA describing a pressure in sending missionaries who are mindful of the risks they will encounter. The effectiveness of this set of paragraphs is solid.
The journalists expressed the seriousness of the topic by providing readers with how quick the third missionary contracted the Beckworth 3 disease, statistics of the number of people suffering from Ebola and who have died from the disease, as well as the decision of whether or not the experienced missionaries should serve despite the risks involved. The article then shifts to a set of paragraphs that details the purpose for American missionaries to put themselves at risk for the aid of others. Journalists Audi, McWhirter, and McKay ask the audience questions regarding the lives of missionaries: How much should they risk for the aid of poor civilizations?
Is it fair to receive care not available to others? And what significance do they make on the populations? Such questions are effective in visualizing the thoughts that possibly run through the minds of American missionaries. The writers utilize people from personal experience by interviewing a missionary that explains the experience of asking him questions to understand the reason for him to become a missionary. By interviewing people who have experienced the topic the writer is relaying, it displays legitimacy throughout the text and helps the reader connect with a real-world perspective. The writers then relay information from the history of missionaries.
The most effective use of this information is shown in the text stating that in the 1800s, missionaries would pack their possessions in caskets, expecting to die in countries away from their home. This set of paragraphs concludes with asserting that modern American missionaries use the advancements of telephone and the Internet to communicate with home. The writers now progress through the article to a set of paragraphs with strong pathetic appeals.
The article now has progressed away from the focus of the third American missionary infected. The concluding paragraphs reveal details of a Southern Indian who struggled whether or not to evacuate from a remote hospital in Liberia. His name was Augustine Aiyadurai. The article states he grown seriously ill and due to the growing cases of Ebola patients occupying Beckworth 4 local hospitals, he was unable to get proper treatment. Within this portion of the article, an embedded photograph of an Ebola body-removal team member spraying down a citizen with chlorine to disinfect them helps represent the emotional appeal of the article.
To see and visualize people in hazard suits spraying down citizens to prevent the spread of a disease convey the idea that the article is designed to make readers feel how critical the issue is. The article further denotes that Aiyadurai unfortunately died after a week of searching for a hospital that can care for him and his disease, which was assumed to be malaria. With the support of his widow, she disagrees with the statement made by church officials who detained Aiyadurai that they made plans to evacuate him.
These concluding supporting details made by Audi, McWhirter, and McKay are tied to the notion that the Ebola outbreak was as severe as to patients with other diseases where not receiving proper care due to the weight of the Ebola Virus. The article closes with the focus of Aiyadurai’s family hoping to one day visit his gravesite one day. The writers leave readers pondering how big the Ebola outbreak can grow and for the insurance of their own health growing at risk.
The article could have been more effective in displaying more photos of those suffering or managing with the Ebola virus outbreak or could of displayed a video of news journalists reporting about the Ebola outbreak in Liberia with interviews from current or former American missionaries discussing their personal experience with asserting their lives at risk for the greater good.
However, the article’s structure is informative. The style of the text compliments the subject discussed as well as presenting photography that helps the audience visualize the setting that the article takes place in. Ultimately, the article is effective in relaying the significance of the Ebola outbreak in African countries; nevertheless, the article is more effective if more information about the third missionary was presented.