User:Ashleyksasaki/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article
This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.


 * Name of article: Influence of mass media
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate.
 * I have chosen this article to evaluate because it is related to the topics of our course, specifically the influence of media today. This article is similar to our media analysis assignment we had about our writing across digital platforms.

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?

Lead evaluation
The Lead has a concise introductory sentence which mentions the main topics of the article. It provides a roadmap of what the article is going to discuss, without being overly detailed. It provides a summary of the main points of the article. The Lead explains the extent of the influence of mass media on different aspects of an individual's life. It also provides points about the positive and negative influences of mass media.

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * Is the content up-to-date?
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?
 * Does the article deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps? Does it address topics related to historically underrepresented populations or topics?

Content evaluation
The article's content is relevant to the topic of influence of mass media. The article provides information on the evolution of mass media over time because the influence changed. In addition, it provides effect theories on the influence of mass media. The content is up to date in our digital age, but I think there could be more relevance to the current media platforms today. The article also focuses heavily on the political connection between media and political views. I think there could be more information on the influence across ages because media has become a strong force for Gen Z. The article mentions how studies on the influence take in account of the demographic attributes, as well as psychological factors.

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article neutral?
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?

Tone and balance evaluation
The article seems to focus heavily on the influence of media on politics and political decisions. The article does seem to carry a general tone when providing information on the different theories of influence. The article is not attempting to persuade the reader in favor of any position, but it is instead informative in conveying information. However, the oversharing of information on the effects on political views emphasizes a bias towards the effects of mass media.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
 * Are the sources current?
 * Are the sources written by a diverse spectrum of authors? Do they include historically marginalized individuals where possible?
 * Check a few links. Do they work?

Sources and references evaluation
Most of the information in the article is backed up by reliable sources. However, there are sources in the last paragraph that could have come from better sources. In addition, the last paragraph needs to have citations because there are not references to the facts the author is providing. The references come from a variety of sources that are related to the main topic. Most of the articles are from before the 2000s. I think there could be more current sources, especially because of the many media platforms today. The sources are from a variety of sources, offering valid facts.

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?

Organization evaluation
The article has some areas that are difficult to comprehend because of the terminology. And there could be further explanations on the facts the author provides. However, there are clear headers to define what the topic is being discussed. The organization also follows a chronological order when going over the evolution of the effects of media, making it easy to follow the direction of the article. There are no spelling or grammatical errors in the article. The article includes bullet points to define specific theories for the reader to understand. Overall, the article is well-organized and follows a structure throughout.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
 * Are images well-captioned?
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?

Images and media evaluation
There is only one image in the entire article that is used to support a visual representation of the effects of media usage. The image is a diagram so that the reader can better understand the range of effects of media influence. The caption explains what the image is showing, as well as referencing the topic it supports. However, I think the figure could have been placed closer to the section it supports, as well as a more thorough explanation of what the figure is showing. The figure does follow the copyright regulations by providing cc by-sa-4.0.

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

Talk page evaluation
The Talk page provides conversations on others providing feedback on how to improve clarity, as well as referencing sources correctly. There are also issues and conversations about bias within the article. Overall, there seems to be a conversation over different parts of the article, intended to resolve issues. The article is related of high importance and start-class. It is a part of multiple WikiProjects such as Media, Psychology, Sociology, Culture, Internet, and Internet culture. The article seems to have been contributed from other student editors.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * What is the article's overall status?
 * What are the article's strengths?
 * How can the article be improved?
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?

Overall evaluation
I think the article could be improved in providing sources, as well as more figures or image to support the facts. There are some areas that need clarification because of the jargon and terminology. The structure overall was easy to follow as a reader and made sense in the order of information presented. I think the article is well-developed, but has areas in need of improvement. The article is fairly written and provides facts from a variety of reliable sources, even though some information was not supported.

Optional activity

 * Choose at least 1 question relevant to the article you're evaluating and leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback

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