Political Writing - This I Believe

Today we live in a world populated by approximately seven billion people, adhering to enforced rules of distinctive social constructs and forms of governmental and political bodies. At times, such regulations must be challenged to bring about long-term benefits for the betterment of an evolving mankind. Viewpoints from abroad influence happenings on domestic soil.

History has validated this perspective and our willingness to take stances regarding economic and civil modifications, as in cases of power, respect, and financial gains. While some citizens across the world remain unaware, disconnected, or even desensitized to struggles and triumphs, others recognize the need to protect the interests of individual social groups. Ancestors have protested, battled, and perished as martyrs to acquire certain alienated rights, liberties, and justice for future inhabitants.

All in all, these historical and future heroes maintain a common objective – the progression of humanity – and with this I believe that we are all connected. Every experience, situation, and outcome relate to and affect all others. We are united, bound together to represent the Spirit of Brotherhood.

Political Writing - From the Center to the World's Margins

Most American scholars are taught at an early age about the keys of reporting and writing by examining main ideas, as well as focusing on the Who, When, Where, What, and How. Often such students are required to present newspaper articles covering current events across geographical regions – domestically and abroad. They analyze behaviors, ideas, and actions and reactions of tragedies and achievements. They investigate struggles, policies, and relationships of interests groups. Students then must make inferences and draw connections to determine measures in which their individual environments are affected by each situation through logical reasoning.

Over the next six weeks, I plan to take a similar approach of evaluating events and activities around the globe, particularly the United States' involvement in the Syrian conflict, while building upon those basic reporting concepts. My goal is to justify the significance of political reformation in ways that affect my state of consciousness, community, and beyond – from my center to the margins of the world.

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Throughout American history, the U.S. has actively intervened in foreign conflicts for one reason or another. Such conditions for interference includes, but of course are not limited to, constraining the spread of Communism, defending democracy, acquiring financial power and territorial control, preventing biological and (in the case of Syria today) chemical warfare. However, is the U.S. presence and participation in abroad conflicts worth the risks to American resources? Is this action conducted in the best interest of national citizens? How had media coverage of these historical events shaped our knowledge and acceptance of America’s foreign intermediation?

Fox News versus CNN Politics (political ticker)

It is often recited within the public spectrum that Fox News takes a more conservative approach, while CNN practices a liberal reporting methodology. They are the most widely used news resources, especially in consideration of domestic and international political affairs. Each medium serves its own agenda, circulating bias, skewed information while censoring imperative facts from audiences.

Reporting accuracy is essential. I believe credibility, subject matter authority, and reputation hold significant ethical value, and audiences must be able to rely on news delivered objectively. Weekly, I will examine information conveyed by U.S. government officials, Fox News, and CNN concerning the Syrian conflict and our nation's involvement to separate fact from fiction, bias and impartiality, as proper reporting mandates. 

The Art of Professional and Technical Writing

Professional writers are vital contributors to the communication process within an organization. We are liaisons between ideas and people, and are responsible for informing, entertaining, or persuading target audiences to make decisions or take action through the art of rhetoric. Our most important task is to successfully transmit usable data in efforts by means of multiple facets to plan and present information deliberately. We must strive to rationalize our purpose for writing, gain public confidence, and maintain ethical and legal accountability, with each element coexisting to deliver rhetoric effectively. Methods for overcoming obstacles we as professional communicators face have always been of interest to me.

From my introduction to Big Chief tablet paper and over-sized pencils as a young scholar, I became fascinated with the power of text and the impact words have on readers. While most children dreamt of securing a position in the medical or legal profession, among other lucrative career choice, I fantasized having a writing career. It was not atypical to find me positioned in a pecan tree with book, tablet, and pencil in hand composing the next best seller. And as technologies evolved to typewriters and then computers, I remained loyal to the compilation of words. I previously and continue to be memorized of how texts captivates and affect readers’ lives. We share a sense of ownership – one of encoder/decoder of messages.

I felt it essential to impart upon others expertise I had acquired through vast study of literature, academic, and professional writing and became an English/language arts teacher. Middle and high school students needed to only know basics, such as syntax, but I challenge them to explore creative, proposal, and other writing styles. Yet, I maintained faithful to my writing career through contract employment during extended academic breaks until I utilized my talents in full-time positions within disparate industries. I have writing and edited educational test competitions and SAT prep training material, agriculture instructional manuals to submit for EPA approval, documents for asbestos court proceeding, marketing and promotional materials for corporate clients, and so much more. Thus, I have demonstrated high comprehension level of governing standards and regulatory guidelines pertaining to confidentiality, copyright laws, and internal organizational policies.

Understanding various style guides, including The Associated Press, The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage, and The Chicago Manual of Style, has been instrumental to my writing and editing accomplishments. In addition, I own an array of resources – from Words into Type to The Copyeditor’s Handbook – and a wealth of materials in support of online writing. Formerly considered a tool, social practice within print and electronic arenas initiated a transformation in writing comparable with circumstances that arise due to informational availability and usage. I understand that there are significant differences in both writing mediums, and I take great measures to remain abreast of innovative practices through professional development or subscriptions to various industry-related publications. In the past, I have relied on my knowledge of technologies consisting of Microsoft Office, familiarity of HTML and visual software, Final Cut Pro, and other applications most of which I learned via on-the-job experience, exhibiting the desire to advance my skill set.

However, awareness of the conventions of writing and technologies does not make an effective professional writer. Productive writers must identify with and create social space with readers. Writers participate in research and risk assessment to situate readers in efforts to determine social and visual aspects of texts. Investigating cultural constraints that alter readers’ reactions permits information to become more usable. I am a researcher of not only information to initiate the communication process, but also of my target audience to engage reader interaction permitting texts to be well-received. Writing comprises perceptions and relationships built from idea conception to document development and beyond. It is necessary to view readers as participants in the writing process, and my foremost consideration is to develop user-centered documents while simultaneously adhering to organizational agenda to influence readers’ decisions and actions.

Writing is not merely an art form or a career choice. Writing is a lifestyle – a proficiency that continuously evolves. I intend to perpetually hone my talents for the betterment of my readership and organization encompassing skill, accountability, willingness to produce social space to enhance information exchange. In the near future, I anticipate securing a role as Senior Writer/Editor within an ever-changing, innovative company producing highly effective documents that greatly impact the everyday lives of audiences.