Ethos, Logos and Pathos in Groundbreaking Journalistic Works: From Bly's Mad-House to the Present Anonymous College

Though rhetoric may have a long history of doubters toward the profession, suspicious of its claims and ability to persuade, it still pervades nearly every area of scholarship. After all, anyone who engages in writing which is geared toward a purpose is conducting an act of rhetoric on some level, whether they like it or not. In journalism especially, many people might colloquially refer to “rhetoric” as a dismissive term for overly manipulative writing, but journalists throughout history have employed tactics of rhetoric whether consciously or not, especially to appear more credible. This analysis will focus on the degree to which each of these articles, which have made a major impact in the world of journalism, adhere to or modify Aristotle’s principles of ethos, logos, and pathos, focusing especially on pathos and how its presence or lack thereof impacts ethos.

Of course, a brief definition of these terms is first necessary. Ethos is about the credibility of the speaker - “the audience’s trust in the speaker’s character and authority” (Bizzel 1277). Pathos is “the appeal to the audience’s emotions” (Bizzel 1277), particularly stirring emotions such as pity or anger. Logos is the “appeal to the audience’s reason or logic”...