Summary
The scale of the problem of political corruption in contemporary society has been a topic of media debate for years. Due to the information they offer about current events and their influence on public opinion. Newspapers are essential in the current era. The story’s presentation and how its readers understand it may vary greatly depending on the newspaper’s genre and political leanings. Examining how the media covers political corruption is crucial for comprehending its societal effects. Within the context of a specific newspaper, this essay will analyze how political corruption is covered, whom the article is aimed at, what the article’s main arguments are, and how the paper’s political leanings could impact the story’s presentation.
Audience
Due to the fact that the Winyah Intelligencer primarily covers news and events occurring in the local area, most of the newspaper’s readers may be found in Georgetown County, South Carolina. According to what is mentioned in the masthead, the readers who are most likely to be interested in this newspaper live in Georgetown County and the areas immediately around it (Dass et al. 565). Since it is a local newspaper, it may be distributed without charge or sold for a nominal price. The Georgetown County newspaper is an outstanding resource for its audience because of its significant focus on local news and happenings.
What the Article Covers
In the 1890s, Georgetown County, South Carolina, in the United States, was plagued with political corruption. Politics in South Carolina were turbulent and corrupt at the time. Local authorities in Georgetown County have been accused of bribery, embezzlement, and other forms of corruption (Winyaw 1893). This section provides a detailed account of the corruption in the county, including the names of persons accused, the same offenses they are said to have committed, and the penalties they have faced. It also delves into how corruption influenced the county’s politics and society, dissecting its impact on the local economy and the public’s faith in its elected representatives. Furthermore, it looks at the initiatives to eliminate corruption and bring about a return to normalcy and honesty in the county.
Key Points
The decade of the 1890s in Georgetown County, South Carolina, was marked by political corruption and instability. Municipal officials were accused of a variety of unethical behaviors, including receiving bribes, embezzling money, and other financial misdeeds (Hossain and Kryzanowski 2070). This piece offers information on the facts surrounding the corruption that occurred in the county, including the names of those accused, the specific violations they are believed to have committed, and the sanctions they have been subjected to.
There is also a discussion of corruption’s political and social effects on the county. The country’s GDP fell significantly as a direct consequence of corruption since businesses and investors were wary of setting up shops there (Hossain and Kryzanowski 2020). As a result, trust in the government plummeted, and citizens started to doubt the legitimacy of every decision made by a corrupt official. The steps made to restore honesty and normality in the nation are discussed in this article. The state government was praised for conducting an investigation into the claims of malfeasance and prosecuting the perpetrators (Martin and Mccrain 386). As a part of this, special prosecutors were appointed to investigate the events and file criminal charges against the perpetrators. State officials were also required to undergo mandatory ethics training as an extra preventative step against future misconduct.
Despite this, a discussion is held on the long-term effects of political corruption in Georgetown County. It is noted that corruption has left an indelible mark on the region, resulting in a significant number of locals continuing to harbor mistrust against their government (Martin and Mccrain 378). It is also pointed out that the county is still working hard to earn back the trust of corporations and investors who fear the region because of the corruption that used to abound there. This was brought up as another point of emphasis.
Newspapers Affiliation
Yes, there is a correlation between the newspaper’s allegiance and its content. Content may be biased toward one political party or ethnic group if the publication is affiliated with that party or group. This may take the form of either intentionally or unintentionally publishing news that furthers the paper’s political goal or concealing facts that might have such an effect. A newspaper with a conservative or Republican connection could emphasize articles that support conservative values and policies. In contrast, a daily with a liberal or Democratic affiliation would emphasize stories that support liberal values and policies. Furthermore, a newspaper with a specific racial association may only include articles representing that group’s viewpoint or give more prominence to stories that center on the group’s specific race or ethnicity (Vera 666). A newspaper catering to a primarily white audience may, for example, ignore or downplay articles that feature persons of color in favor of those that generate more page views.
The primary goal is to encourage its readers to acknowledge the existence of political corruption in Georgetown County, South Carolina, in the 1890s. Many problems, such as the aftereffects of Reconstruction, the proliferation of Jim Crow legislation, and the ascendancy of the Democratic Party, plagued the state of South Carolina during this time. As a result, many powerful politicians became corrupt and took advantage of their positions for personal gain.
Recipient of the Persuasion
The article attempts to persuade its readers to be aware of political corruption in the United States of South Carolina Georgetown County in the 1890s. This tells us that the paper is trying to inform the readers of the current events in the United States South (Vera 665). Nevertheless, Carolina Georgetown County during the 1890s and to make them aware of the political corruption taking place during that time.
The piece will very certainly reveal proof of the corruption that was going on at the time. It will undoubtedly include instances of politicians abusing their positions of power to enrich themselves and their friends to the detriment of the general people. It will very indeed involve instances of political bribery and other sorts of corruption (Vera 660). It will also likely contain proof of the corruption’s impacts on the state, such as a lack of investment in infrastructure and public services. The article is most likely attempting to convince readers of the gravity of South Carolina’s political corruption issue and the need to take action to fix it. This article may inspire readers to speak out against corruption and demand more openness and accountability from their elected representatives (Dass et al. 663). It motivates readers to appreciate the significance of involvement in combating political corruption, such as refusing to vote for corrupt leaders.
Works Cited
Dass, Nishant, et al. Geographic Clustering of Corruption in the United States. Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 173, no. 3, 2020, pp. 577-597. Web.
Hossain, Ashrafee Tanvir, and Lawrence Kryzanowski. Political Corruption and Cost of Equity. Business & Society, vol. 60, no. 8, 2020, pp. 2060-2098. Web.
Martin, Gregory J., and Joshua Mccrain. Local News and National Politics. American Political Science Review, vol. 113, no. 2, 2019, pp. 372-384. Web.
Vera, Sofia B. Accepting or Resisting? Citizen Responses to Corruption across Varying Levels of Competence and Corruption Prevalence. Political Studies, vol. 68, no. 3, 2019, pp. 653-670., Web.
Winyaw, Intelligencer. Political Corruption. Georgetown Enquirer, 1893.