The satire site I chose for this assignment is The Onion. A gender-related theme being parodied by the site is about generosity. The site talks about a helpful man who took the initiative to share ideas of a coworker with their boss thus saving her the effort of doing it (The Onion, 2017). These days, we have a multitude of competing mediums making it easy for one to pick news sources. For my case, I find my news from the radio, internet, Television and newspaper. I use Google search engine and browser the BBC website. Additionally, the RSS feeds of BBC and Sky Sports provide me with sports news. With newspapers, I read the local newspapers such as USA Today and The New York Times. The news from the radio is significant to me in two ways. First, I listen to the news when I am outside and not using the internet. Second, the radio allows me to listen to foreign stations that offer news that I cannot find in other sources. Regarding the TV, I watch it at 12 O’clock and in the evening to fill in the gaps with information from BBC World News, CBS, and Fox.

A liberal-leaning legitimate news source that I searched using Google is The Guardian while the conservative-leaning legitimate news source is Fox News. The issues covered by The Guardian include the following. First, the news source talks about the significance of generosity. Generous individuals find success in helping other people succeed. Besides, they believe that changing one life is worthwhile. In the article by the Guardian news source, Rebecca Sinclair a resident of Swan Hill portrays generosity by donating blood to the Australian Red Cross to save lives (Bate, 2017). According to the article, generosity is a virtue that saves lives. The second issues that the article explain concerns increased number of donors. Generous people think that life is short and they embrace the reality fully. People should recognize that they have a short time to live; therefore, we should cheerfully offer our resources to achieve our dreams. In the article, plenty of people from Swan Hill are regular blood donors. For instance, Sara Alexander had six donations while Rebecca Sinclair had given blood 27 times (Bate, 2017).

Regarding the Fox News, issues covered by the news source include the following. First, the news source talks about how generosity leads to greater happiness. Individuals who provide experience happiness and purpose in life. Similarly, those who receive gifts from generous people tend to experience a changed life. The article explains how Pizza Hut waitress is no longer homeless after receiving a generous gift from the customer (Fox News, 2017). Krystal Kramer said that she found herself homeless after the flood destroyed her apartment and she could not afford a new home. Kramer is an independent person who moved into the hotel to earn money to survive the hard conditions (Fox News, 2017). She had been receiving donations from the Red Cross, but they could not help her with the problem. The $588 tip from the generous customers was enough to help Kramer to find a new home and live happily (Fox News, 2017).

It is possible for one to distinguish real news from fake news. First, one can determine fake news or real news by checking at the source. One should pay attention to the domain and URL of the news source. Organizations that offer real news usually own their domains. Moreover, those domains have a standard look that the audience is familiar with. For instance, in the above two articles, we have the guardian.com and foxnews.com. A site with domain such as theguardian.com.co is probably not legitimate. Second, I can distinguish real news from fake news by looking at the person who wrote the news. You will know an article provides real news when it contains real byline of a real journalist. Fake news does not contain such things. After finding the byline, you can look at the biography of the author to identify whether the journalist wrote the article with the intention of informing the audiences.

Legitimate news sites engage in parody and satire to entertain the audiences. The sites offer audiences with funny news on the current situation in the country. Additionally, the sites have real political effects on those who watch them. People who watch satirical news choose news source that matches their attitude. Both liberals and conservatives will choose sites that they find conformable.

One can discern author bias by looking at the generalization of the article or text. If the author is not specific when presenting the information, then he/she is biased. Also, you will know whether the author is biased when he/she makes broad statements. Second, the author is biased when he exaggerates the information. Overstating something portrays biasedness. In the two articles, the author’s main point was on the significance of generosity. The authors tried to explain the importance of being generous, and the impact generosity has on a person.

In conclusion, I will consider The Onion as the best satire site in terms of brand recognition and readership. When determining whether the site offers real or fake news, the beauty of the website’s layout makes it look like a regular news source. Most people use the internet or TV to get news. When distinguishing between fake and real news, one should concentrate on the domain of the source and the author.

References

Bate, J. (2017). Generosity is a life saver. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com.au/story/4419397/generosity-is-a-life-saver/?cs=12

Fox News. (2017). Pizza Hut waitress says she’s no longer homeless after generous tip. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2017/01/20/pizza-hut-waitress-says-s-no-longer-homeless-after-generous-tip.html

The Onion. (2017). Helpful man saves woman effort of telling idea to boss herself. Retrieved from http://www.theonion.com/article/helpful-man-saves-woman-effort-telling-idea-boss-h-55501

 
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