WP1 Outline - No formatting



- Introduction

o Digital media shaping the way we access information

§ Quick, saves resources

o Online environmental news articles let us know what’s going on with our environment from the comfort of computer

o Certain conventions of this genre exist to appeal to emotion, logic, and ethics to increase awareness of environmental issues in most efficient and effective manner

- Body

o Who is the writer and why do they want to write this genre? Who is the audience and what do they want to gain from reading?

§ Exigence: ignorance to dynamics of environmental degredation

§ Writers: journalists, scholars in environmental field, nature enthusiasts

§ Goals are to inform, spread awareness, inspire action/involvement

§ Audience: nature enthusiasts, scholars (primary), politicians, those indifferent/averse to nature (secondary)

§ Want to be informed efficiently, quickly, in concise detail

o How is this accomplished? Conventions of genre?

§ First to get reader to read, title should draw reader in with informative/descriptive title, or one general enough to peak curiosity

· Possible heading to summarize article

· Examples

§ Inform/spread awareness

· Efficiently, effectively, credibly

· Format should be short paragraphs up to 2-3 sentences for simplicity

· Word choice is formal, somewhat technical, assume basic knowledge of environmental/scientific terms, give definitions (hyperlinks), explain acronyms

o Don’t want to confuse or baby reader

o Example

· Concise sentence structure

o Don’t want to exhaust reader, allow to read other articles

o Positive experience

· Cause and effect with evidence, or typical essay organization

o Straight forward, gets point across in organized manner

· Use pictures/diagrams

o Facilitate understanding, deepen appreciation (of beauty, issue)

· References in form of hyperlinks in addition to normal citations

o Quick, direct access to references, data, info

· Constraint: must write as if neutral position on issue is held for credibility/professionalism

· Information on author

§ Inspire action/involvement to help environment

· Appeal to logic

o Reader should care because environmental issues directly affect them

· Appeal to ethics

o Environment is inherently good, save for its own sake

o Responsibility as inhabitants

o Loss of life

· Appeal to emotions

o Reference to past/present conditions, lament over future degradation

o Loss of life, of which people may cherish

§ Other conventions unique to Internet

· Comment section to facilitate discussion, awareness

· “Follow” links for various media sites to stay informed

· Citation tools for other writers, students

- Conclusion

o Values of discourse community

§ Seek direct solutions to issues through society

§ Wish to recruit to further agenda

§ Better the environment through community action



o Summarizing statement

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