Analyzing Messages in "Scandal Upends Toshiba's Lauded Reputation."

This blog post discusses some of the ideas about message and purpose in The Students Guide to First-Year Writing, and which of these ideas are important to my article, and which are not as useful.

"Message, Outline Icon." 10/03/15 via Iconfinder. Public Domain Dedication License.

The three most important bullets from the section on message and purpose are pretty clear.

The first is "respond to a particular occasion or text." The entire basis of the article is in response to an occasion, which is the resignation of the CEO of Toshiba. This resignation is a result of the revelation that the company was committing fraud, another event that the article focuses on.

The second important bullet is to, "reflect on a topic." The topic that the article reflects on is the honorable reputation of Toshiba, and how their leadership ruined their reputation by covering up illegal financial activity.

Third, the bullet "analyze, synthesize, or interpret," is important to the article. The article is analyzing what exactly happened with Toshiba. It discusses how their reputation was tarnished, why exactly this happened, the intricacies of the business' fraud, and how the leadership of Toshiba reacted.

I think the two least relevant bullets to the author's goal are, "advocate for change," and, "inform the reader about a topic that is often misunderstood." First, there is no change to advocate for. The controversy happened, caused certain repercussions, and there is nothing any audience can to do alter the effects of Toshiba's fraud. Second, there is no misunderstanding to be cleared up regarding the controversy. It is straightforward and clear that Toshiba was inflating their profits, and, upon being caught, some of the leader figures stepped down.

Their are no nuances or layers that the author is attempting to communicate. The general content of the article is explanatory. Most of it is helping the audience understand exactly how the Toshiba accounts were falsified, and the reaction of Toshiba leadership upon discovery. The rest of it discusses Toshiba's reputation as an honest company, and how this was ruined as a result of the scandal. This is all reporting, and the only real argument being made is that Toshiba's name is now tarnished as a result of the scandal. This does not have layers or nuances to it, and is very clear cut.