Reading Journal #4

For this week's assignment I think I found a great article in the L.A. Times that is about a group affected by the news and a story that I think the author did a great job of really spending time with sources. The story, "In Indiana, ripples of discontent with Obama" by Seema Mehta is about struggling Midwestern states, specifically Indiana, that are unhappy with the lack of results they have seen since Obama was elected. The reason I loved this story so much is mainly that Mehta used a lot of anecdotal stories, like of a wife and husband who have lost their jobs and have been using food stamps and selling their personal belongings to make ends meet. I think the article was so successful in getting it's message across because there was an equal amount of facts, such as how many times Obama has visited the state and unemployment rates that provide solid background information for the reader.

The article struck a really nice balance between politics and how people have been effected by the economy, along with how people's feelings have changed in regard to how they feel about President Obama since he has been elected and how they feel they have been let down, in addition to what they are looking for in the upcoming presidential elections. The second article I read is more from sources that are explaining the news. In "Even Those Cleared of Crimes Can Stay on F.B.I.'s Watch List" by Charlie Savage, Savage discusses how there is an F.B.I. Watch List that people who have even acquitted of crimes or such related to terrorism can still be on the list regardless of innocence.

With this article I felt like the sources were persuasive and adequate because the sources are really official, like from the F.B.I., The Electronic Privacy Information Center and former Homeland Security reps. I think the article was interesting but that it was just so informational that it wasn't really interesting? Like, I felt like I couldn't relate because I'm not a terrorist, a police officer or in the government and it doesn't really effect me.