Rhetorical Analysis
Conor Friedersdorf’s article The Backlash Against Serial and Why Its Wrong is an article defending the podcast Serial, its producer Sarah Koenig and its sister program This American Life’s style of reporting. Serial is a podcast about Hae Min Lee’s murder, which took place in 1999 and if her ex-boyfriend at the time Adnan Syned, who was sentenced to life in prison actually committed the murder. Friedersdorf successfully defends Serial, Sarah Koenig and This American Life by addressing what the critiques have to say as well as his views on the podcast and why he agrees or disagrees.
In his article Friedersdorf sets the stage by asking a few rhetorical questions. “Did Adnan Syed, her ex-boyfriend, really strangle her” (Friedersdorf). He is trying to get the audience thinking and open their mind to the possibility of a different scenario. Friedersdorf is talking to all the skeptics and critiques of Koenig’s, Serial’s and This American Life’s style of reporting. As well as any person who listens to the podcast. Friedersdorf agrees that it is possible Koenig got some of it wrong, but that doesn’t mean to not report on the story. Friedersdorf admits he may have been bias initially, because he was a longtime fan of This American Life, Koenig’s past work and yet is also a fan of Kang’s work.
Dickinson 2
Kang criticized Serial saying “Sarah Koenig is white.” The two families involved in the story behind Serial are Adnan’s family which are Muslim immigrants and the victim’s family which are Korean-American. Kang believes the shows writing is based on Sarah Koenig’s obsession with the case. Friedersdorf defends Koenig and Serial saying it’s up to the audience how much weight to put on Koenig’s editorial choices. Friedersdorf uses this quote from Serial “Her diary by the way-well I’m not exactly sure what I was expectation her diary to be like, but it’s such a teenage girls diary” (Koenig). Kang read it as “what did you...