An Editorial on Goverment Secrets
Samantha Stromme
Mrs. Floading
AP Language & Composition
1/2/13
Editorial #6 In the article “Too many government secrets” (2012), the Editorial Board argues that the federal government is hiding too many secrets from Americans. The Editorial Board supports their argument with numerous studies, statistics, and several emotional appeals. The Board’s purpose to this article is to prove to Americans that the government is hiding uncounted secrets, and the issue is exceeding beyond our knowledge. The Editorial Board is speaking to all Americans. Throughout the article the writers appeals to logos multiple times. The Editorial board appeals to the audience in a logical way when they state, “There are enough 25-year-old records in storage to produce a backlog of 400 million pages” (“Too many government secrets”). This is significant because Editorial Board is trying to prove to Americans that records that are 25 years old are supposed to be reviewed and declassified; which the Government hasn’t done because there are hidden secrets that Americans aren’t supposed to know about within those records. Also, the Editorial Board appeals to readers in a logical way when they state, “The Federal Government keeps petabytes (that’s a million gigabytes each) of information secret every year…” (“Too many government secrets”). This statement confirms that the government hides an extensive amount of secret information, which results in readers understanding exactly how much information is being hidden. Overall, these facts are effective because it gives readers an idea of the amount of ambiguous information that is being kept by the government. The Editorial Board appeals to pathos numerous times in this article. The writers’ appeal to the audience’s emotions when they claim, “Americans have a right to know what the government is doing on their behalf or in their name..” (“Too many government secrets”). This claim is effective because the Editorial Board is
Mrs. Floading
AP Language & Composition
1/2/13
Editorial #6 In the article “Too many government secrets” (2012), the Editorial Board argues that the federal government is hiding too many secrets from Americans. The Editorial Board supports their argument with numerous studies, statistics, and several emotional appeals. The Board’s purpose to this article is to prove to Americans that the government is hiding uncounted secrets, and the issue is exceeding beyond our knowledge. The Editorial Board is speaking to all Americans. Throughout the article the writers appeals to logos multiple times. The Editorial board appeals to the audience in a logical way when they state, “There are enough 25-year-old records in storage to produce a backlog of 400 million pages” (“Too many government secrets”). This is significant because Editorial Board is trying to prove to Americans that records that are 25 years old are supposed to be reviewed and declassified; which the Government hasn’t done because there are hidden secrets that Americans aren’t supposed to know about within those records. Also, the Editorial Board appeals to readers in a logical way when they state, “The Federal Government keeps petabytes (that’s a million gigabytes each) of information secret every year…” (“Too many government secrets”). This statement confirms that the government hides an extensive amount of secret information, which results in readers understanding exactly how much information is being hidden. Overall, these facts are effective because it gives readers an idea of the amount of ambiguous information that is being kept by the government. The Editorial Board appeals to pathos numerous times in this article. The writers’ appeal to the audience’s emotions when they claim, “Americans have a right to know what the government is doing on their behalf or in their name..” (“Too many government secrets”). This claim is effective because the Editorial Board is
Cited: Board, Editorial. "Too Many Government Secrets." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 25 Dec. 2012. Web. 03 Jan. 2013.