COM120: Media Industries and Trends Source Comparison Exercise Worksheet Name: Victoria Lama Assignment Guidelines: Find three recent articles, one of each type (scholarly, trade, and journalistic/popular), dealing with major issues or trends related to the media. At least one article must focus on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). See assignment guidelines for additional information. Answer each question below (except Question 1) using complete, grammatically correct sentences. 1. Using MLA style, provide a complete citation for each source under the headers below. In subsequent responses, refer to each article using correct in-text citation format. If you have never learned MLA style in a class, an excellent online resource is Purdue’s Online Writing Lab’s MLA page. If you still have questions, seek assistance from the Learning Commons. Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal Article http://libraryproxy.quinnipiac.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN =75063391&site=ehost-live&scope=site Trade Publication Article https://book-publicist.com/how-authors-can-benefit-from-booktok/ Journalistic/Popular Publication Article https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-01-29/authors-guild-urges-doj-to-stop-simonschuster-penguin-random-house-merger 2. What was the main point/argument of each article? Note: This response should offer a 1 – 3 sentence summary of each article. Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal: The purpose of this article is to show and analyze the technological strategies suggested by publishers and their representative organizations in the United Kingdom and the United States to address the increasing issue of e-book piracy. Trade Publication Article: This article talks about BookTok which is a community on TikTok where readers discuss their favorite books, series, and authors. The author states that users can create reviews, share their favorite books, show off their book collections, and even promote their own creations. Authors can learn what their readers love, find new fans, and answer questions from both readers and fellow authors. This article helps get authors started on the platform, if it is something they are interested in. Journalistic/Popular Publication Article: The main point of this article is to show how authors urge the DOJ to stop the merge between Simon Schuster and Penguin Random House. Mergers can have many negative impacts to the print industry due to its monopolizing nature. 3. What types of evidence/outside sources were used in the articles (direct quotes, paraphrased information, statistics, descriptive anecdotes, etc.)? How is information cited or attributed to the sources that are referenced? Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal: In this scholarly article, there are many sources and references shown. This is what makes this article scholarly. There are multiple authors and reviewers to this article as well, which is another sign that this article is an academic journal. Trade Publication Article: In the BookTok article, there are no citations or many statistics, other than important dates and number of users on the platform. Journalistic/Popular Publication Article: In this article, there are one or two references, and it is written by a professional writer for LA Times. 4. How do the publication date and timeliness impact the information presented in the articles? Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal: This article was not published as recently as the others, but it was important to add because of the importance of this to the print industry. Trade Publication Article: Booktok is a more recent innovation on the platform TikTok, and there is much more to learn about it. Journalistic/Popular Publication Article: This article was presented during the time where the two print companies wanted to merge, and people urged it to stop. The timing of this article was important to inform readers what may happen if they do end up merging, which would create issues in the print industry and more issues of DEI. 5. Do the articles detail a specific situation/incident or attempt to describe a broad pattern/address a larger issue? Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal: Yes, this article reviews and describes the increasing issue of e-book piracy in both the US and UK. Trade Publication Article: No, this article gives a background and investigate what booktok is and what the rave is about. It also talks about how booktok will affect the industry. Journalistic/Popular Publication Article: Yes, this article details a pattern in the print industry where monopolies are being created with the mergers of huge print companies. 6. What are the advantages of each type of article (scholarly, trade, journalistic/popular)? Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal: The articles in scholarly journals go through a peer review process, which means they have been checked over and given a stamp of approval by experts and scholars of a field. Trade Publication Article: A trade publication article provides industry-specific information, analysis and insights to professionals in a particular field, helping them to stay informed and make better business decisions. Journalistic/Popular Publication Article: A journalistic publication article provides diverse perspectives, investigative reporting, and comprehensive coverage of current events, making it a valuable source of information for a wide audience. 7. What are the disadvantages of each type of article? Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal: Articles in scholarly articles are not geared toward general interests. They are more focused on academic topics. Trade Publication Article: The content of a trade publication article may be limited in scope and biased towards a particular industry perspective, potentially overlooking wider trends or alternative viewpoints. Journalistic/Popular Publication Article: The main disadvantage of a journalistic publication article is that it may be subject to editorial bias, sensationalism, or lack of depth due to time or resource constraints. 8. How would you use each of these articles in your group presentation? Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal: I would use this article to touch upon the issues and struggles in the book industry and give the examples of the pirated e-books. Trade Publication Article: For this article, I would use it to show the future growth of the book industry, as the print industry is making way more money due to the internet and booktok. Journalistic/Popular Publication Article: For this article, I will touch upon the issues of DEI and use the book mergers as an example. 9. What did you learn from reading the articles? Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal: from reading this article, I learned that people are pirating books, and it is difficult to shut down the people doing this because it is underground. Enough people are getting pirated eBooks, that the print industry is losing money, and this is an issue in both the US and UK. Trade Publication Article: I learned that Booktok is fairly new and still evolving. Booktok allows people to recommend their favorite books for free, and in turn, give authors free advertising. Journalistic/Popular Publication Article: Although mergers aren’t new news, they are still trying to make as much money as possible. They are finding ways to continue to merge, in turn making more power within the industry.
