Opposing Sides of Media

Kennedy Lake
Sep 5, 2018 · 3 min read

American Kids Are Learning Islamophobia From Their Textbooks

This article misleads the audience by showing limited sides of an argument, placing sole blame of Islamophobia on textbooks and teenagers’ education and shying away from the effects of the media on American society’s view of Arabs and Muslims. The writer begins by arguing that most of teenagers’ exposure to the Middle East and Islam is from their world history class in high school. However, the author insists that only around three percent of textbooks cover material that centers around the Middle East and Islam. Most teenagers will walk away from a high school world history class forgetting the majority of the material they learned, so to insist that the three percent of material that covers the Middle East and Islam is the sole factor contributing to Islamophobia in America is a bit of a stretch. This article also fails to consider that while Islamophobia may be promoted by young people, they are certainly not the only ones participating in it. Negative portrayals of a small group of Islamic people in the news often lead to a negative stigma surrounding all Islamic people. Another key point that the writer uses to support her argument is that American textbooks fail to educate young people about the Arab and Muslim influence in American life, such as Apple products created by Arab American, Steve Jobs. It is not a fair argument to say that history textbooks, which are often outdated, are the only way that young people are able to become educated on the current influence of Arabs and Muslims. While school textbooks may contribute to the negative stereotype surrounding those from the Middle East, there are other factors contributing to the problem that this article fails to acknowledge.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-levinson-islamophobia-muslims-textbooks_us_5b68a263e4b0de86f4a40f92

10% of US Children Diagnosed with ADHD, Study Finds

This article is a beneficial analysis of the different factors that are associated with the increasing level of United States children who are diagnosed with ADHD. It acknowledges the fact that there is not one definitive reason for the increase and suggests different reasons for the increase without leading the audience to believe that one of these issues is more important than the other. The writer addresses the fact that in more recent times there may be a tendency to “overdiagnose” ADHD in comparison to the past. This article also references important sources of authority, including the American Psychiatric Association, data from the National Health Interview Survey, and professors from UC-Berkeley, UC-San Francisco, and the University of Iowa. It also points out more recent contributions to the increasing number of diagnoses in the United States. One of the main points of the article is that minorities are receiving better healthcare, and in turn, more diagnoses of ADHD. The diagnosis of this disorder is moving past middle-class white boys, increasing the diagnoses in girls and minorities. While the overall percentage of children with ADHD in the United States has increased, it does not seem to be as simple as a medical explanation for this problem, but also a social and economic change that has occurred. Rather than leading the audience to believe that some kind of unknown medical problem was causing the increase in ADHD diagnoses, this article points out how the United States’ healthcare is evolving to be more inclusive towards minorities.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/31/health/adhd-trends-study-partner/index.html