This essay will be analyzing if the article titled, “Putin Intent on Taking 'All of Ukraine,” Primier Says” which was written by Andrew E. Kramer and published on September 13, 2014 on the New York Times web-site is true and how so, to the elements of journalism.
The article strongly follows the elements of journalism and does not veer into any of the bad habits often found in the news now. Throughout the article, Kramer reported on what actually occurred and was said by the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk. Certain phrases such as “pessimistic assessment” which can be found in paragraph one, may be mistaken as Kramer interjecting his opinion on Mr. Yatsenyuk’s speech and violating element four which states that, “it’s practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover" but it is merely a factual descriptor of what was said.
Compared to the other articles included in the newspaper, the above titled article follows element eight in that it is both “comprehensive and proportional.” Not only does it covers the conference where the Prime Minister made the comment that sparked the article, it provides a back story for readers to see why he said the President Putin is aiming to take over the country. It established and verified previous times when Prime Minister Yatsenyuk expressed the same sentiments.
Kramer reported only the truth and now citizens can be aware of the situation in the Ukraine. This covers elements one, two, and six. Throughout the article, no discernible lies or tempting “facts” were discovered. It is because of this, that citizens were given the full picture and not just a few puzzle pieces with the instructions to fit them together in order to see what was happening. This in turn allowed citizens to be able to assess and critique the situation and to choose based on their morality, which country to support.
Kramer’s article does make a seemingly boring story interesting and readers are drawn in through his skillful use of the facts and all the information he provided. The second to last paragraph details how Prime Minister Yatsenyuk believes Russia plans to invade the Ukraine. His inclusion of this quote sums up what he had been reporting on throughout the article and also serves to bring home an international story.
In concluding, not only was it very well written, this article is an exemplary example of one that follows the elements of journalism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/world/europe/putin-intent-on-taking-all-of-ukraine-leader-says.html?_r=0
