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RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF NEWSPAPER’S EDITORIAL COLUMN

ON EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS

IN THE PHILIPPINES

By:

Anabel A. Abuso Kristine Flores

IV-AB English IV-AB English

University of Mindanao, Digos Branch

2016
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CHAPTER 1:

INTRODUCTION

What is called "rhetorical criticism" in the Speech Communication discipline is often

called "rhetorical analysis" in English.

A rhetorical analysis refers to the process of analyzing a text, given source or

artifact. The text, source, or artifact maybe in written form or in some different sort of
communication. Through this analytical process, an analyst defines, classifies, analyzes,
interprets, and evaluates a rhetorical artifact. Through this process a critic explores, by
means of various approaches, the manifest and latent meaning of a piece of rhetoric
thereby offering further insight into the field of rhetorical studies generally and into an
artifact or rhetor specifically.

The process of analyzing a text or artifact so called “rhetorical analysis” will be the
focused of the study in order to determine the writer’s purpose in writing the article, the
messages it tried to conveyed and the rhetorical devices being used by the writers.

The study is focused to analyze twenty (20) editorial articles culled from the
websites of the four (4) local newspapers in the country namely: Sun Star newspaper,
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Cebu Daily News and the Philippine Star with the specific issue,
the issue of extrajudicial killings which is one of the biggest problem of the country now a
days.

The main goal of the study is to determine the rhetorical strategies, how
newspapers writers use rhetorical devices to promote, persuade, and strengthen their
arguments and interests in the issue of extrajudicial killings.
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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The purpose of this research is dual. On one hand, it attempts to identify the
rhetorical devices and structure and on the other hand, it endeavors to find out as well the
writer’s messages on writing the article on the issue of extrajudicial killings in the four
published newspapers in the country namely; Sun Star Newspaper, Cebu Daily News,
Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star newspaper.

Since the study revolves around rhetorical analysis to determine the rhetorical
strategies and devices used, the following research questions have been designed:

1. Determine the rhetorical strategies used by the writers of the four local
newspapers;
2. The rhetorical devices used by the writers in writing the editorial to address the
issue on extrajudicial killings;
3. Determine the writer or the author’s message or stand on the issue of
extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.
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REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

I. Related Literature

Editorial

Editorials are comments on news items of national concern which attract the
attention of the editor. Such news items may be political, economic, educational, religious
or general socio-cultural issues that border on the welfare of the people. These written
comments are published in the national dailies or magazines and are collectively known
as “editorials”.

According to Butler (2011) all dailies have editorials which may not be published in
thesame page for all magazines and it is always obvious that an article is in fact and
editorial... editorial is one part of the paper which is based more on personal opinion than
facts and for this reason the article may deliberately support one rather than another of
the argument.

Ogunsiji (2001) asserts that editorial is the view of a magazine on a particular

public issue. An editorial may criticize, praise or merely discuss the actions of some public
functionaries or group.
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Rhetorical Modes or Strategies

According to Aristotle, rhetorical strategies are the methods for "finding all the
available arguments" (Bk. I, Ch.2) on a particular issue.

A rhetorical mode is a strategy, a way or method of representing a subject through

writing or speech. Below is a table of representation of the different rhetorical
strategies/modes that can be used when rhetorically analyzing the text.

STRATEGY DEFINITION

Exemplification Provide examples or cases in point

Description Detail sensory perceptions of a person, place, or thing

Narration Recount an event

Comparison and contrast Discuss similarities and differences

Division and classification Divide a whole into parts or sort related items into
categories

Definition Provide the meaning of terms you use

Cause and effect analysis Analyze why something happens and describe the
consequences of a string of events

Repetition The constant use of certain words

Counterpoints Contrasting ideas such as black/white, darkness/light,

good/bad

Imagery Language that evokes one or all of the five senses: sight,
sound, touch, taste, smell

Metaphor and simile A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are
compared, often in a phrase introduced by “like” or “as”

Style, tone, and voice The attitude a writer takes towards a subject or character:
serious, humorous, sarcastic, ironic, satirical, tongue-in-
cheek, solemn, objective
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Analogy The comparison of two pairs that have the same relationship

Flashback A memory of an event in the past

Hyperbole Exaggeration or overstatement

Personification Giving human qualities to animals or objects

Irony An expression or utterance marked by deliberate contrast

between apparent and intended meaning, often humorous

Oxymoron A contradiction in terms such as “faithless devotion,”

“searing cold,” “deafening silence,” “virtual reality,” “act
naturally,” “peacekeeper missile,” or “larger half”

Paradox Reveals a kind of truth which at first seems contradictory;

Red wine is both good and bad for us

Symbolism Using an object or action that means something more than

its literal meaning; A skull and crossbones symbolize death.

Parody Reveals a kind of truth which at first seems contradictory;

Red wine is both good and bad for us

Sarcasm Using an object or action that means something more than

its literal meaning; A skull and crossbones symbolize death

Satire Literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or

weakness, often with the intent of correcting, or changing,
the subject of the satiric attack

Diction An author's choice of words

Parallelism The use of identical or equivalent constructions in

corresponding clauses
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Rhetorical Appeals

An appeal is an attempt to earn audience approval or agreement by playing to natural

human tendencies or common experience. There are three kinds of appeals: the
pathetic, the ethical, and the logical.

Ethos

Ethos is related to the English word ethics and refers to the trustworthiness of the
speaker/writer. Ethos is an effective persuasive strategy because when we believe that
the speaker does not intend to do us harm, we are more willing to listen to what s/he has
to say.

Pathos

Pathos is related to the words pathetic, sympathy and empathy. Whenever you
accept a claim based on how it makes you feel without fully analyzing the rationale behind
the claim, you are acting on pathos. They may be any emotions: love, fear, patriotism,
guilt, hate or joy. Many texts from the modern press are heavily dependent on pathetic
appeals.

Logos

The Greek word logos is the basis for the English word logic. Logos is a broader
idea than formal logic--the highly symbolic and mathematical logic that you might study in
a philosophy course. Logos refers to any attempt to appeal to the intellect, the general
meaning of "logical argument."
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Rhetorical Devices

Alliteration - the recurrence of initial consonant sounds

Allusion - a reference to an event, literary work or person
Amplification - repeats a word or expression for emphasis
Analogy - compares two different things that have some similar characteristics
Anaphora - repeats a word or phrase in successive phrases
Antanagoge - places a criticism and compliment together to lessen the impact
Antimetabole - repeats words or phrases in reverse order
Antiphrasis - uses a word with an opposite meaning
Antithesis - makes a connection between two things
Appositive - places a noun or phrase next to another noun for descriptive purposes
Enumeratio
Epanalepsis - repeats something from the beginning of a sentence at the end
Epithet - using an adjective or adjective phrase to describe
Epizeuxis - repeats one word for emphasis
Hyperbole - an exaggeration
Litotes - makes an understatement by denying the opposite of a word that may
have been used
Metanoia - corrects or qualifies a statement
Metaphor - compares two things by stating one is the other
Metonymy - a metaphor where something being compared is referred to by
something closely associated with it
Onomatopoeia - words that imitate the sound they describe - plunk, whiz, pop
Oxymoron - a two word paradox
Parallelism - uses words or phrases with a similar structure
Simile - compares one object to another
Understatement - makes an idea less important that it really is
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II. Related Studies

The study of Galacgac and Viray (2012), Styliaitic Analysis on the Editorial
Coverage of the Maguindanao Massacre concluded that the editorial coverage of the
Mindanao Daily Mirror, Sun Star Davao and Mindanao Times exhibited the following
stylistics: introduction that give background information, clear statement of opinions,
reasons and evidences are organized on the basis of relative strength, conclusion,
restates opinion, direct terms euphemisms and the use of Standard English spelling,
punctuation, capitalization, sentence and paragraph structure, grammar usage and diction
appropriately.

The present study is related to the study of Galacgac and Viray (2012) since the
present study analyzes editorial article however, they differ in the method of analyzing the
text since Galacgac and Viray’s (2012) study is focused on the stylistic devices while the
present study focused on the rhetorical devices.

Stevanovich’s (2012) study on Rhetorical Analysis of Successful Brands in Social

Media Discourse illustrated that the connection between phatos and social media’s
success as well as building relationships and communities with the audience was another
important take-away from the study. That in order to produce a persuasive message and
achieve success in social media discourse; brands must produce engaging and
compelling content in the same way the brands in the study have been doing.

Stevanovich’s (2012) study is related to the current study in terms of utilizing the
rhetorical analysis as the method of study. However, they differ in the scope of the study
since Stevanovich’s (2012) study analyzes Successful Brands in Social Media Discourse
while the present analyzes editorial article on the issue of extrajudicial killings.

Dr. F. Farrokhi, S. Nazemi study on The Rhetoric of Newspaper Editorials based

on the rhetorical analysis of editorials from The New York Times and The Australian
based on Hyperbole and Metaphor and Metonymy concluded that The New York Times
and The Australian, were identical and similar in their use of rhetorical device categories.
This identical way of approaching the issue might be the result of the language the editors
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speak and its direct influence on the thought pattern and cognition of the community
members.
The present study is related on the Dr. F. Farrokhi and S. Nazemi’s study in for
both studies utilizing rhetorical analysis of editorial as the method of the study. On the
other hand, they differ in the scope since the present study focused on the editorial from
the 4 local newspaper of the Philippines namely Cebu Daily News, Philippine Daily
Inquirer, Sun Star Newspaper and Philippine Star while Farrokhi and Nazemi’s study
focused on the editorial from the New York Times and The Austrian.

THEORITICAL/CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The Rhetorical Triangle and Three Rhetorical Appeals

Aristotle defined rhetoric as "the ability to see or identify in any given circumstance
the available means of persuasion. Analyzing rhetoric focuses on the "how" and "why" of
persuasion rather than what specific things people say or write in order to be persuasive.
One way of breaking down the components of a rhetorical strategy is to use
the Rhetorical Triangle. This model puts into a generalized framework the interactions
among various actors and devices in persuasion. The Three Rhetorical Appeals are the
main strategies used to persuade an audience and are also important devices to
understand when constructing or deconstructing an argument.

1. The Rhetorical Triangle. Allows to effectively analyzing different texts and arguments
for rhetorical strategies and devices. The model shapes the rhetorical process into
manageable and distinct parts through the Rhetorical Triangle and Three Rhetorical
Appeals;
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2. Rhetorical Triangle. Made up of three components which are present in any

persuasive process:

Author - the person who generates text.

Audience - the person/people who receive/s text.
Text - the message being conveyed from the author to the audience

3. Rhetorical Appeals. The three main avenues by which people are persuaded.

Logos - strategy of reason, logic, or facts. Any type of argument which appeals to
someone’s rational side is appealing to logos.
Ethos - strategy of credibility, authority, or character. Appeals to ethos to
demonstrate the author’s trustworthiness, expertise and honesty and attempt to put
the author in a more positive light to the audience.
Pathos - strategy of emotions and affect. Pathos appeals to an audience’s sense
of anger, sorrow, or excitement.
Aristotle argued that logos was the strongest and most reliable form of persuasion;
the most effective form of persuasion, however, utilizes all three appeals.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Contributions to the type of Media

Studies like rhetorical analysis of editorial column could be an initiative to better

understand the genre of media in general and editorial sub-genre in particular among the
public. The study may be able to encourage more researchers to examine editorial sub-
genre for better understanding of the writer’s purpose.

Contribution to the Students

The study can be beneficial to the students who plan to conduct study on editorial
article. The study can also be their reference in the future.
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Contribution to the Student Writers

The study will help student writers to have an understanding in the function of
editorials and the effects of the use of rhetorical strategies and devices in reaching out its
readers.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION

The study utilized 20 samples of editorial articles from the 4 local newspapers namely
Sun Star Newspaper, Cebu Daily News, Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star
newspaper which covers the period from July 2016 up to December 2016 and limits it
study in analyzing the samples using the rhetorical strategies/mode, appeals and
rhetorical devices.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Extra Judicial Killings (EJK) - is the subject of the editorial articles gathered from the 20
sampled editorial articles which covered the period from July, 2016 to December, 2016 of
the present administration.

Rhetorical Analysis– rhetorical analysis is an essay that breaks a work of non-fiction into
parts and then explains how the parts work together to create a certain effect whether to
persuade, entertain or inform.

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The researcher used the descriptive-qualitative method in the research because

the researcher has analyzed the editorial articles in order to determine the rhetorical
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devices, rhetorical appeals and techniques used by the writers. There are 20 samples of
editorial articles being analyzed.

The study is of qualitative in design as it tends to interpret the editorial articles

and expressed it in words.

Corpora of the Study

The corpora of the study includes the editorial articles on the issue editorial articles
on the issue of Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines which covered the period from
June, 2016 to December,2016 from the four local newspapers; Sun Star Philippines,
Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Cebu Daily News.

Instruments

The researcher used thirty (30) editorial articles accumulated from the four (4) local
newspapers culled from the newspaper's internet websites.

Procedure

The following procedures were done by the researcher in accomplishing the study:

1. Visualizing the title research to be conducted;

2. Seeking the approval from the advisers for the chosen title of the study to be
conducted;
3. Looking into the internet websites the description of the study and the references
for the study;
4. Asking sample study related to the present study for basis from the adviser;
5. Analyzing and interpreting the corpora of the study through rhetorical analysis;
6. Validating the data through outline and final defense.
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References:

Dr. Farahman Farrokhi, Sanaz Nazemi (2015). The Rhetoric of Newspaper Editorials.

English Department Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages,

University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran. Available at ffarrokhi20@yahoo.co.uk and
sannazemi@gmail.com.
Awoyinfa, M (2009). “ABC of Column Writing” In Idowu, L (Ed.), Nigerian Columnists and
Their Arts (pp. 17-23). Lagos: Diamond Publications Ltd.
Gideon O. Burton, Brigham Young University (Retoric.byu.edu), 1994.
Maja Stevanovich (2012). Rhetorical Analysis of Successful Brands in Social Media
Discourse, Published by ProQuest LLC (2013)

C. Galacgac, K. Viray (2012). Stylistic Analysis on the Editorial Coverage of the

Maguindanao Massacre
K.B.C Ashipu (2012). A Rhetorical Analysis of Selected Editorials of News watch and
Tell Magazines

Sun Star Philippines: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/opinion/2016/06/16/editorial-

culture-violence-479752.

Philippine Daily Inquirer: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/794598/kill-list-drugs-

duterte#ixzz4UTpe5fEY
Cebu Daily News: http://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/95434/price-tag-on-criminal-
suspects#ixzz4UTrhLPMT.