Mel Gibson made himself a major headline in the news again recently. Audio from arguments that he had with his girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, have been made public. Why is this a headline and why do we feel the need to read celebrity gossip? Even though average every day Americans have never met Mel Gibson, we believe that we know him. We feel that way from the countless roles he has played and from his many years in the spotlight. For these reasons many are curious about his personal life. Articles written on this topic from VanityFair.com, CNN.com, and FoxNews.com all use rhetoric to address their argument, credibility, and audience.
Vanity Fair’s, John Lopez, focuses on the ability of Mel Gibson’s career to be able to survive yet another public incident. Lopez doesn’t attack Gibson, but more accurately paints a picture of sympathy. He states “And even brutal tapes like these have a context: there is a full story the public will never know and probably should never know.” Most readers will probably agree to this, because it’s true; we don’t know the full story.
Another point that Lopez makes is that the loveable characteristics that made Gibson popular will be seen with different eyes after listening to these tapes. Regarding this issue, Lopez writes, “To see it employed so viciously could well taint our enjoyment of that personality on screen for a long time to come.” The writer’s argument is not that we should be angered because of his actions, but more troubled that this incident will ruin this man’s career and more.
To establish his credibility the writer acknowledges the point outright, “This is not to jump on the bandwagon and judge, condemn, or decry Gibson.” His tone is consistently sad to the point you start feeling sorry for Mel Gibson. The writer speaks to his audience appropriately. According to quantcast.com, most readers of this website are female and middle-aged.
From the very first statement that the CNN Article, written by the CNN Wire...