Unit 2 Feeder 1

In the video, Is Racism Fueling Protests? Howard Kurtz asks if the media is taking Obama’s race too far. Eric Deggons argues that the media should focus on Obama’s race for stories, in order to find where such Obama hatred is stemming from. Deggons uses the hate mail and racial jokes about Obama’s presidency to support his opinion. Deggons is good at keeping his voice, as made apparent by his brushing off of Amy Holme’s interruption. He doesn’t use a substantial amount of hard evidence, and at some points he tends to get off topic or avoid a question, such as when Kurtz questions him about his views on the critics of Obama.
Amy Holmes argues that the way the media portrays race doesn’t influence public opinion of Obama. She uses little hard evidence, one being the drop of support from Independents due to a story on race the Washington Post printed. To reinforce her argument, she points out previous experiences where the media overemphasized certain things, such as Bush and drug use. Holmes is very adamant and rude; at one point she attacks the Washington Post. She tries to out talk Kurtz when he is agreeing with her. At some points in the debate, Holmes tries to interrupt Deggons to counter his statement. Her argument is weakened by her abrasive attitude and lack of physical evidence.
Chris Cillizza argues that the media has no choice but to run with the Obama and race stories. Though the argument is substantial, Cillizza provides little evidence to support his theory. Though his explanation is sufficient, it offers no real answer to the initial question. Cillizza’s argument is weakened through the way he presents his evidence. He portrays a calm yet humorous demeanor throughout the whole debate.