Mary Renfroe
Trump’s closing argument on the virus clashes with science, and voters’ lives.
October 29, 2020
By Alexander Burns, Annie Karni, Michael Cooper, and Thomas Kaplan
Why is this story news
Fame, conflict, immediacy, and impact make Trump’s comments on the virus newsworthy. Donald Trump is the president and running for reelection, so any comment he makes is of interest to Americans. Trump’s statements that the virus is disappearing directly conflicts with what scientists say. Since the election is so close, his comments are of immediate importance. Finally, this has impact because people need to know that the virus isn’t trivial, and they still need to follow safety measures. This is good political reporting because it serves as a fact check against Trump.
How they reported the story
Trump and Biden are both directly quoted in the story. Both are official sources. Trump unfoundedly attacks Biden in one of his quotes, and the lack of basis in the claim is specifically cited. Biden’s opinion on the virus is quoted alongside Trump’s in order to give him a chance to respond to the attack. This allows the story to have fairness. The headline says Trump’s claims “clashes with science,” but there is no data or comments in the article to show what facts he’s clashing with. All that is mentioned is that specific statements are false or downplayed. The inclusion of the actual data behind this would’ve been beneficial to the reader.
How they wrote the story
The reporters use a summary lede, answering who, when, where, and what. Where, when, and what are also expanded on with each of Trump’s comments that the article mentions. The multitude of quotes really helps to directly describe Trump’s viewpoint. It shows rather than tells. The best quote was about Trump saying there would be no holidays or events if Biden is elected. The reporters precede this quote saying it is a claim “without evidence.” I appreciate this aspect of clarification for the reader. Names and locations are spelled correctly and AP style is observed, with the exception of NYT’s use of courtesy titles.