News Analysis on the First Presidential Debate

Source Information      

Date:  

October 3, 2012

What news organization (or individual) produced this?:  

The New York Times (Jeff Zeleny and Jim Rutenberg)

What is the type of news source?:    

Online News Paper
 

Content
 

What is the main headline?:  

Obama and Romney, in First Debate, Spar Over Fixing the Economy

What facts (statistics, important events, etc.) are included?:   

The topics that were discussed and some facts about the plans that were presented ($1 of tax increases for every $10 in spending cuts.)

Is anyone quoted? If so, who? What did they say?:    

Yes, both President Barack Obama and Congressman Mitt Romney were quoted many times on a variety of different subjects that were discussed. (“I like the way we did it in Massachusetts,” Mr. Romney said of his health plan.) (“At some point,” Mr. Obama said, “the American people have to ask themselves: Is the reason Governor Romney is keeping all these plans secret, is it because they’re going to be too good? Because middle-class families benefit too much? No.”)  

What information or ideas might have been left out?:    

The authors left out their opinions and it mostly showed only one side of most issues.

 

Message

Who is the intended audience?:    

The intended audience is people who missed the debate and wanted an opinion free recap of what was discussed and what happened.

Does the author seem to have an opinion? If so, what is it?:    

The authors seemed to try their hardest to not put an opinion into the article, but at parts it seemed as thought thew thought the candidates were generally evenly matched, but Romney had more style and Obama wasnt treating him like a serious competitor. 

What is the tone of the source?:   

The tone was very factual and informative, and a bit casual and non confrontational. 

What words or phrases create the tone?:  

"On a basic level it was a clash of two ideologies..."

 "The two quarreled aggressively over tax policy, the budget deficit and the role of government, with each man accusing the other of being evasive and misleading voters."

Is any one person or group discussed positively? Negatively?: 

No, they were both presented in a neutral, facts-only manner.