Logical Fallacy in Journalism Essay Example for Free

Logical Fallacy in Journalism Essay The effectiveness of journalism hinges largely on its effective representation of the facts. This is not to argue that a news story cannot be inherently biased by such factors as culture, perception and even the intended audience of a specific journalistic outlet. However, it is to suggest that any claim made and unsubstantiated will serve only to diminish or discredit the value of a journalistic purpose. Such is a point notably evident in Clarence Page’s 2000 article, originally published in the Sacramento Bee and entitled â€Å"Keeping the Faith. . . To Yourself. † At the heart of this article is the assessment that the separation of church and state which Americans have long valued as a means to preserving individual religious freedoms is being eroded today by a resurgence in some contexts of what the editorialist refers to as zealotry. Page, who has a long a respectable resume as a nationally syndicated writer for the Chicago Tribune and as a frequent guest on such television news programs as The News Hour with Jim Lehrer and Hardball with Chris Matthews. (Wikipedia, 1) Having established himself with a considerable degree of recognition and credibility, Page is possessed of the responsibility to engage his subject matter with the utmost of objectivity. However, the concise editorial presented here fails in this effort, proceeding toward its point regarding the fading line between church and state by crutching upon a series of rational fallacies. These fallacies run the gamut of categorical errors in logic, ultimately reducing the article to rhetorical expression and opinion. There is little to recommend it as an empirical case examination or as a cultural study in American factionalism, though it seems to recommend itself as such. Indeed, the anecdote which stimulates the article is compelling enough. In a thought-provoking incident at a football game in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Page reports that when small group of students in the bleachers began chanting â€Å"The Lord’s Prayer,† it was only a matter of utterances before 4500 individuals where collectively engaged in prayer. Informal and culturally inherent in one regard and founded upon the indoctrination which Supreme Court decisions, Page reports, no longer entitle in public schools, this would suggest a remarkable undercurrent of religious commitment. It is Page’s intent to discuss with justified concern the implications of this natural occurrence to the importance of maintaining an atmosphere in our public schools which is comfortable and non-threatening to individuals of all religious dispositions and faiths. To the discredit of this article, Page does not employ a great deal of research or referenced support to endorse any of his claims, which renders a great many of them as outsized or disproportionately stated. While certain aspects of his argument seem rational and worthy of our consideration, the haphazard approach taken to the expression of information here suggests a less-than-journalistic value system in place. For instance, there is immediately a glaring absence of documented source support in instances where the nature of claims would seem to suggest that such is needed. Particularly, the article’s intent suffers from Insufficient Data. At the resolution of the article proposed, Page slips into a brief and theretofore unsuggested diatribe about the importance of America’s free market and the relationship of this market to religious freedom. Though not an objectionable statement, its phraseology is questionably hyperbolic given the absence of any definable support or pretense. Page contends that â€Å"America’s vitality owes a lot to its free market place of ideas, including religious ideas. It is a major reason more people clamor to get into this country than clamor to get out. The best way for the marketplace to keep its vitality is for us Americans to seek to understand each other’s belief, not coerce each other into joining ours. † Particular statements such as â€Å"major reason† and â€Å"the best way† are fully unqualified and the stated proportion which determines that there is a specific effector (i. e. religious freedom) which causes more people to clamor for entrance than exit from America. In this latter statement, there are two assessments made with unequivocal resolution that have no give evidence to support them and, upon statistic reflection, could even be held as incorrect. This is a clear journalistic shortcoming. So too is the frequency with which Untested Assumption mars the pertinence of Page’s argument. Essentially, the work is committed to the restatement of the theme that while the author does not wish to discredit faith or prayer, he does wish to recommend that religious leaders take a more sensitive and less public approach to encouraging and embracing it. There is, in this argument, a gesture which seems almost over-compensatory, by which Page attempts to assert the high esteem in which he hold religion and prayer even as he coins various phrases which portray organized religion with condescension. This is on clear display in his determination as to the likelihood of cooperative restraint on the part of Christian prayer advocates where he states, â€Å"I don’t expect to see much reduction soon in efforts by various believers—most of them quite well-meaning—to push their beliefs on others. † Among the more blatant of Untested Assumptions here is that which denotes that most Christians are well-meaning. Again, here is a statement which at its core does not necessarily provoke a sense of journalistic scrutiny. However, in its overstatement or in the failure to substantiate such as statement with closer inspection, the article diminishes the veracity of what might otherwise be considered a perfectly acceptable statement. It also tends to underscore the contradiction within the statement, which also voices explicitly (‘I don’t expect. . .) a professed knowledge as to that of which others are intended upon or capable. This could be conceived as a somewhat antagonistic or inflammatory bating of the Christian parties at subject in the discussion, ultimately producing an assumption which betrays ideological prejudices on the part of the journalist. The prejudices become inherently problematic to the intended value or veracity of the statements carrying the editorial. And even more troubling, in the rare instance where the article does reflect on some verifiable account of information or historical case, it has descended into the fallacy of False Analogy. Namely, it appears that little thought has been placed in the selection of examples by which to support the claims of the article. Particularly, we might expect that a useful analogy would compare the author’s desire to see a reduction in public display of prayer to another instance in which the public and governmental will had agreed to maintain the separation of Church and State. Instead, the author refers in a somewhat self-defeatist manner to examples of exactly the opposite. He notes that â€Å"past court decisions have ruled that â€Å"in God We Trust,† which began appearing on currency in 1860, has been in use so long as to have lost its religious significance. Obviously, it has not lost is religious significance in some minds. † In addition to the use, once again, of an untested assumption in the last statement which assumes that it is true and even obvious that there is a religious significance to the phrase â€Å"in God We Trust,† the false analogy here actually proves a greater cultural proclivity toward the mainstreaming of the practices which Page decries. Thus, it is a confusing and awkward choice of analogies. On the sum, the Page article proceeds to diminish the viability and appeal of a perspective which, if founded upon supportable statements rather than categorical fallacies, would be otherwise agreeable. Works Cited Page, C. (2000). Keeping the Faith. . . to Yourself. The Sacramento Bee. Wikipedia. (2008). Clarence Page. Wikimedia, Ltd. Inc.

Is the Notion of an Early Modern Military Revolution Tenable? Essays

Is the Notion of an Early Modern Military Revolution Tenable? The notion of an early modern military revolution is one which is a much debated subject among historians. Two historians who are very dominant in this field are Geoffrey Parker and Michael Roberts. Although they both agree that a military revolution occurred, they disagree on the timing of a revolution in war. Roberts argues that a military revolution started in 1560 and "by 1660, the modern art of war had come to birth." Parker, on the other hand, sees the military revolution as a "firmly sixteenth century phenomenon with antecedents in the fifteenth." Prior to the early modern period, warfare was based around castles and fortified towns and attempts to capture them. This changed very little in the middle ages. Armies had a maximum of forty thousand soldiers, many of whom were mercenaries (1550). Armies consisted of Pike men in square formations supported by cavalry and musketeers. Battles often ended in a stalemate and wars were very lengthy as a result of this. Through the military revolution emerged new tactics, technology and style of warfare. Michael Roberts acknowledged four revolutionary traits of what he called the military revolution. "First, the superiority of disciplined infantry - musketeers rather than pike men - armed and drilled to prosecute a field battle by the ordered application of firepower, not the hurly-burly of man-man combat; second, themanifestly greater size of these new-style, mostly musketeer armies; third, the emergence of bolder, more dramatic strategies designed to seek a decisive battle at the culmi nation of a sharp campaign; and fourth, a need for larger and more reliable and intrusive commissariats and military bureaucraci... ...tary revolution occurred is not tenable but the notion that the face of warfare, the order of the world and the way people perceived war changed in this period and has shaped the modern world definitely is tenable. Bibliography Jeremy Black Ed: European Warfare 1453 - 1815 (Problems in Focus) Macmillan Press Limited 1999 H. G. Koenigsberger: Early Modern Europe 1500 - 1789 (The Silver Library) Pearson Education Limited 1987 J. M. Roberts: The Penguin History of Europe Penguin Books 1997 Michael Roberts: The Military Revolution 1560 - 1660 Boulder, CO, 1995 G Parker: The Military Revolution: Military Innovation and the Rise of the West 1500 - 1800 Second Edition Cambridge University Press 1996 G Parker Ed: The Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare Cambridge University Press 1995 Stephen J. Lee: The Thirty Years War TJ Press (Padstow) 1991

Financial Data Analysis

Introduction Between the years 2009 and 2008 there were multiple financial changes to the Patton – Fuller Community Hospital. Using a combination of the balance sheet, statement of revenue and expenses, and also the 2009 hospital’s annual report we are able to see how the years differ in a financial situation. This paper will explain the differences in the finances that had the largest impact on the company as a whole. Balance Sheet The assets of the company played a large role in the large jump of the numbers between 2009 and 2008. Between the two years there was a total change of 7. 5 percent of the total asset which equaled $39,232 dollars. The largest change came from a 56. 10 percent increase in the patient’s accounts receivables, a change of $21,121 dollars. Cash and cash flow equivalents equaled a 45. 10 percent decrease, a change of $18,856 dollars. The inventories offered a 19 percent increase, a change of $10,026 dollars (Apollo Group, 2013). According to the annual report, there was a 1 million dollar donation that provided the hospital with an opportunity to buy new equipment and supplies (Apollo Group, 2013). The liabilities of the company also proved to have multiple changes over time.Due to the purchase of the new equipment there has been a large increase of the debt accrued by the company according to the annual report. Borrowing became necessary to cover all the necessary equipment. The report also stated that an increase of supply purchases would save money in the long run due to the discounted cost at the time of the purchase (Apollo Group, 2013). The current long term debt increased 114. 80 percent a change of $10,414 dollars. The accrued expenses also rose 119. 80 percent a change of $5,013 dollars, leaving a total liability increase of 16. percent companywide leaving a change of $248,703 dollars. (Apollo Group, 2013). The total equity of the company fell between 2009 and 2008. The hospital did not do so well, although most of the shortfall can be attributed to the increase of assets they accrued over the change of 2009 to 2008. The retained earnings between the two years fell 62. 50 percent a loss of $209,471 dollars. This pushed the total liabilities and equity up by 71. 50 percent providing a difference of $39,232 dollars. 2008 proved to be a better year for the company then 2009 (Apollo Group, 2013).Statement of Revenue and Expenses The Patton – Fuller Community Hospital ended the year of 2009 with a new income of a negative $373 dollars. This is actually an increase of revenue from the loss of $15,846 dollars they finished with in 2008. The percentage of change between the two years increased to 97. 60 percent. The total expenses between the two years can attribute to the large changes that were made with the net income. In 2009 the company had a total expense of $463,293 dollars, an increase of spending by 59. 20 percent from 2008 when the total expenses were $437,424 (Apollo Group, 2 013).Between 2009 and 2008 there were slight increases of the revenues by the company. In influx of patients were seen in 2009 leaving a 9. 90 percent change of $41,391 dollars between the two years. Other revenues also provide a 9. 87 percent change leading to a $277 increase for 2009. The total revenues equaled $41,668 more dollars for the company in 2009. With a 9. 89 percent increase of revenue 2009 made $462,982 dollars compared to the $421,314 dollars made in 2008 (Apollo Group, 2013). 2009 provided an increase of the fixed assets; in result of this we saw an increase by 44 percent for the depreciation and amortization of the company.The total operating income fell 98. 10 percent in 2009. Although the company was negative $311 dollars, it was still a better place to be then the $16,110 dollars from 2008. The company had a non-operating income loss of $62 dollars which was a 76. 50 percent change from 2008 of $264 dollars (Apollo Group, 2013). Conclusion When a company is provi ded with a large donation it can do great things for what the facilities are able to provide to their patients. With the increase of new equipment and supplies the company’s need to finance has become apparent by their financial records.Although it is good to have new amenities for the patients, running a company on credit is not always what is best. There is a large need for the Patton – Fuller Community Hospital to watch spending and decrease their financial debts. References Apollo Group, Inc. (2013). Patton – Fuller Community Hospital. Annual Report 2009. Apollo Group, Inc. (2013). Patton – Fuller Community Hospital. Balance sheet as of December 31, 2009 and 2008. Apollo Group, Inc. (2013). Patton – Fuller Community Hospital. Statement of Revenue and Expense 2009 and 2008. Financial Data Analysis Financial Data Analysis Daphnnee Johnson HCS 577 March 18, 2013 Sharon Gomes-Sanders Financial Data Analysis After reviewing the balance sheet for Patton-Fuller Hospital for 2008 and 2009, there are significant differences that are noticeable. The retained earnings (or â€Å"Net Worth† or â€Å"Unrestricted Fund Balance†) drastically decreased from 2008 to 2009 (Apollo Group, 2006). The dollar amount decrease is -209,471, this makes a decrease of over 65%. Long-term debt increase to more than 116% from 2008 to 2009 as well (Apollo Group, 2006). This is a massively huge increase.Total current liabilities also increase as a whole by 184. 09% (Apollo Group, 2006). Major differences are also noted on the statement of revenue and expenses. The operating income decreased by 98% from 2008 to 2009 (Apollo Group, 2006). Net income also decreased between these years by the same percentage. Non-operating income decreased by 77% as well. The total revenue and expenses all seem with in normal range, but the operating income, non-operating income, and net income all have decreased and drastically (Apollo Group, 2006). The total revenue increased by 10% that is $41,668. The expenses increased by $25,869 or 5. 1%. These all seem like reasonable slight increases (Apollo Group, 2006). Many factors can contribute to why there are so many fluctuations and changes between 2008 and 2009. This information usually can be found in the organization’s annual report. Upon reviewing the Patton-Fuller Community Hospital’s annual report, I could deduct some possible explanations for the drastic change in numbers from 2008 to 2009 (Apollo Group, 2006). One possible explanations is, â€Å"Utilities and other costs – contracted maintenance, some professional fees, and computer and other usage fees – do not fluctuate† (Apollo Group, 2006, p. ). This would be an accurate reason the revenue seems so different. Another factor that made Patton-Fuller C ommunity Hospital’s numbers change so drastically between the two years is the passing of the hospital’s benefactor, Abigail Baderman (Apollo Group, 2006). This occurred in 2008, but in 2009 in accordance to her will, the hospital received a money donation from her estate. This $1,000,000 donation is noted as an unrestricted donation (Apollo Group, 2006). This unrestricted donation is recorded on the Interim Statement of Income in December 2009 (Apollo Group, 2006). Declines in the stock market and real estate markets resulted in a sharp drop in the return on investment income. This caused PFCH to reassess the value of its investments and, on their auditors’ advice, to write down those assets (Apollo Group, 2006, p. 3). Another reason the number were so drastically different was because every December Patton-Fuller Community Hospital conducts an annual inventory (Apollo Group, 2006). When the hospital conducted its inventory their expenses for their supplies wer e way underestimated by about a million dollars (Apollo Group, 2006).So this had to be added on as a cost to December’s statement. This underestimate of supply expenses made January to November’s reports not correct, so December had to report the actual figures (Apollo Group, 2006). Therefore, December looked like it was a crazy month for the hospital. â€Å"Following the favorable settlement of some managed care contract disputes, net patient revenue increased by 9% over the previous year, with an average 6% increase in expenses. However, the new arrangement allowed slower payment by the managed care companies, and Patient Accounts Receivable have risen sharply† (Apollo Group, 2006, p. ). The Board at Patton-Fuller wanted to take advantage of a heavy discount on new equipment so they moved some money around to purchase the discounted equipment (Apollo Group, 2006). This was possible by using cash and releasing restricted assets, and borrowing as necessary (Apol lo Group, 2006). â€Å"Declines in the stock market and real estate markets resulted in a sharp drop in the return on investment income. This caused PFCH to reassess the value of its investments and, on their auditors’ advice, to write down those assets (Apollo Group, 2006, p. 3). In conclusion, there were some drastic difference between the ears 2008 and 2009 on both the statement of revenue and expenses as well as the balance sheet. However, all of these significant changes, whether they are positive or negative changes can all be accounted for by various factors. Some of the factors included a generous donation of a million dollars, favorable settlements of managed care contract disputes, investments in new, discounted equipment, and the underestimation of the supply expenses. References Apollo Group. (2006). Patton-Fuller Community Hospital [Multimedia]. Retrieved from Apollo Group, HCS577 – Financial Management in Health Care website.

The Treatment Of The Mentally Ill - 1581 Words

We can no longer ignore this on-going age old problem of dealing with the mentally ill by hiding those plagued, away in a prison cell to be forgotten. Despite the success of Dorothea Dix in solving the problems with adverse conditions in the prison system, we have come full circle and are currently back where we started over a century ago. There has been so much focus put on housing the mentally ill, we have all but forgotten about any type of treatment plans to help the overall growing problem. The handling of the mentally ill in the prison system was on a collision course with the Court. Most of the prison systems have one time or another violated prisoners’ rights under the 8th amendment, cruel and unusual punishment. According to Mills, Romano, Steinburg, of the Stafford Law School (2015), California’s correctional facility is one of the most overcrowded prisons in the United States with over 50% of its inmates with a mental illness because of the three strikes sentencing law. This serious problem spawned Proposition 36, in 2012 to help combat with prison overcrowding. Proposition 36 afforded an opportunity for those sentenced for life under the habitual felon â€Å"Three Strikes Law† to have a second chance and apply for early release. This program has helped release over 1700 prisoners to date, with a very low recidivism rate, however, has done virtually nothing for the mentally ill (Mills, Romano, Steinburg, 2015). Because mentally ill inmates have more disciplinaryShow MoreRelatedThe Treatment Of The Mentally Ill1836 Words   |  8 Pagesmany of us don t experience this, this is a cold hearted reality for the mentally ill. Not only were the mentally ill treated horrible in these â€Å"institutions† back then, but outside they weren t treated any better. In this research paper I am going to look into the treatment of the mentally ill in the mid-1800s to mid-1900s. Mental institutions in these times were horrible and brought more damage than healing to the mentally ill. However, the original intentions of mental institutions were more positiveRead MoreThe Treatment Of Mentally Ill Prisoners1522 Words   |  7 Pageslittle being done. The treatment of mentally ill prisoners is inhumane and better programs should be put in place in prisons in order to improve their medical and mental treatment and protect them from further abuse. The treatment of mentally disabled inmates in prisons is inhumane and deplorable as these prisoners have no control over themselves, but are shunned and severely punished because of their disorders. They often face mistreatment because facilities are ill trained to deal with theRead MoreTreatment of the Mentally Ill Essay1789 Words   |  8 Pagestorture. Many times, especially in early history, these people would be locked away and treated as if they had no purpose but to waste space. 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The most significant issues presented within the program were the medical treatment received both in and out of the prison system, factors that influence punishmen t, isolation and medication, the length of the sentencing the mentally ill receive, and why prisons seem to have become the new asylums. One of the most controversial issues regarding the mentally ill and the prison system is the medical treatment received. AccordingRead MoreMental Health Treatment Of Mentally Ill Essay1542 Words   |  7 Pagesservices to be insufficient for the mentally ill population. Mentally ill individuals were send back to society despite of their prevailing circumstances. The lack of assistance made mentally ill individuals to commit a high percentage of crimes due to their state of mind. Mentally ill individuals who had committed crimes were being incarcerated instead of forcing them to receive mental health treatment. 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The idea of mental health courts is noble, one should not view only the benefits but also the possible detrimental impacts they could have on the public before providing funding. One can only make an informed decision on the merits of mental health courts funding when they weigh the benefits recidivism rates, public safety, equality for the mentally ill against the detrimental effects such as reintegratingRead MoreChanging Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill and their Treatment in Japan1883 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction Historically, the treatment of the mentally ill has often been poor around the world. Hospitals like Bethlehem Hospital (Bedlam) in London, Lunatics Tower in Vienna, and La Bicetre in Paris treated their patients notoriously bad. The â€Å"unbalanced† were locked in asylums, rarely released. Asylum patients were locked in chains, tourists visited the asylums to see inmates, and patients were sometimes feed spoiled food. This was due to the stigma against mental illness which lead to