“One student presented very mild symptoms, and with their recent travel, met the criteria and are being tested for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus”.
This is a line from an email that one of my best friends received from university officials at Miami University in Oxford Ohio. These words are truly frightening. The U.S. has advised citizens to refrain from traveling to China as the coronavirus death toll tops two hundred. Due to the severity of this virus, many individuals are discussing the topic. Lots of health professionals, bloggers, and others are writing about this topic. I examined two different STEM blogs to gain a deeper understanding of the virus. My audience is other university students to shed some light on the matter.
The first blog I examined was Todd Ellerin’s post from the Harvard Health Publishing website. This site is associated with the Harvard Medical School. The second blog I examined was the Official Blog of the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. The second blog informs parents what they should know about the coronavirus where as the first blog gives general information about the virus. Both of these blogs have different purposes, audiences, and objective even though they are about the same topic. I rhetorically looked at each sight in order to understand the purpose of each blog.
Intended audience:
Writing Science In The Twenty-First Century states “The only writings that are meant for one reader are those meant to be read only by the writer.” I analyzed both blogs to see who the intended reader for each blog was. The Harvard Medical blog was intended for readers without specific scientific background. Ellerin states “These viruses are zoonoses, which means they can infect certain animals and spread from one animal to another.” Ellerin is assuming that readers do not know what zoonoses are. This allows his writing to be understood by variety of readers. For example, a blog intended for disease and infection specialists would not define the term zoonoses. The Children’s Hospital Blog begins with the header “Is my child at risk for coronavirus?” . The intended audience is guardians, parents, or child-care professionals. No specific scientific background is needed to understand this blog.
Ethos:
Science blogs should not be immediately taken for fact: “stand-alones have to create their own ethos”. Ethos or credibility is not given out lightly in a world of fake news and gossip sights. Both these blogs immediately sight their sources for facts to gain ethos. Ellerin states “At this writing, almost 1,300 confirmed cases and over 40 deaths have occurred in China, according to an article in the New York Times.” By quoting a fact in the New York Times, he instantly gains credibility. The New York Times is a reputable and well-respected News source. Additionally, Ellerin does not just randomly throw in facts. He backs them up with sources which makes his writing appear more credible. Moreover, the CHOC Children’s Blog responds to the question “Is my child at risk for Corona Virus?” by demonstrating the reputation and expertise of the doctor: “right now is low, says Dr. Jasjit Singh, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at CHOC Children’s”. Instead of simply saying one of our doctors, the blog goes into specifics of Dr. Singh. The blog mentions her specialty which gives her the authority to talk about the subject matter. Both blogs establish ethos early on in their post. This is a smart move because ethos is influenced by reputation. By introducing oneself from the start credibility is gained.
Visual media:
Visual media can be an extremely helpful tool to attract readers. Interestingly, only one of the blogs has visual media. The RHOC Children’s Blog opted to have no images of the virus or those infected by it. They are merely trying to convey facts about the virus to parents. On the contrary, Ellerin’s blog draws the reader in with an image of Coronavirus test tubes. Ellerin is using visual techniques to draw in readers.
By creating a rhetorical analysis of these blogs I gained a deeper understanding of each sites purpose. Looking at their use of visual media or lack thereof allowed me to understand who each sight was trying to reach. Moreover, looking at the ethos of each sight allowed me to understand the importance of credibility. Each other tries to relate and connect with the reader to become a trust worthy sight.
Much like these two blogs, I aim to discuss different scientific matters within my own blog. I want to be credible and will develop this through citing my sources and using trustworthy facts. One rhetorical purpose of my blog is to discuss the disconnect between stem and writing. I want to discuss the various literary elements and devices in scientific writing. Much like Writing Science In The Twenty First Century, I believe that we need to close the gap between writing and science.
Cited Sources:
Ellerin, Todd. “The New Coronavirus: What We Do – and Don’t – Know.” Harvard Health Blog, 1 Feb. 2020, http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-new-coronavirus-what-we-do-and-dont-know-2020012518747.
CHOC Children. “Coronavirus: What Parents Should Know.” CHOC Children’s Blog, 29 Jan. 2020, blog.chocchildrens.org/coronavirus-what-parents-should-know/.
Thaiss, Christopher J. Writing Science in the Twenty-First Century. Broadview Press, 2019.
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