User:Jsussman02/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Political communication

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
I chose to evaluate this article on political communication because of how unfamiliar I am with it. I myself never really engage in political communication, but I realize how important it is for our world. In order for things to get done and for change to happen political communication must occur. My preliminary impression of the article was that it would discuss different ways world leaders talk to one another to ensure they can make a difference while serving their time in office. I also presume that the article will talk about many of the global superpowers and how interactions typically go between nations that resent each other.

Evaluate the article
Lead Section

The lead section of Political communication is well written and concise. Instead of outlining what will follow throughout the rest of the article, the lead section defines what political communication is, how it's used in practice, how the advent of the internet has affected political communication, and a brief synopsis of how the media intertwines with political communication. My only complaint with the lead section of this article is that the second sentence already mentions how the internet has altered political communication forever instead of leading off with what happened chronologically before the internet existed. I believe this would help make the reader understand how political communication has transformed over time.

Content

The content presented in Political communication is comprehensive and covers every field that political communication directly affects. For example, the article provides a lengthy "Defining the concept" subsection which informs the reader on different ways political communication can be used and how intent can influence the political landscape. The next section of the article gives the reader numerous contemporary examples of strategic political communication. These examples are listed from the United States, United Nations, and the Middle East. By providing the reader with diverse perspectives on political communication the reader is able to see how different groups of people use persuasion and leadership to their advantage. The last two sections of the article focus on fields and area of study as well as how political communication is used in relation to social media.

Tone and Balance

The first instance where I noticed tone in this article has to do with the subsection that explains political communication during the Bush administration. The article touches on controversial topics such as torture methods and censorship used by the administration. Persuasive discursive activity is cited as a clear example of how political communication ties into press conferences, media interviews, and live-action reporting. Strangely enough, when the article moves onto discussing the UN and Middle East, the examples used are less cynical and specific.

Sources and References

The list of references and sources is extensive, and I believe they are used in an appropriate manner. Every example used throughout the article that explains a leader or organization using political communication is cited with a reference. There are several instances where someone is directly quoted voicing their opinion on political communication, and the article provides references for all of these quotes. Furthermore, it seems that the references are not dated unless they are referring to a specific event that occurred years ago, like George Bush using political communication surrounding 9/11 for example.

Organization and Writing Quality

This article arranges itself quite nicely and the word choice is strong. The layout isn't daunting despite being this being a very extensive and prevalent topic. There are no instances to where I noticed a grammatical error to any degree.

Images in Media

I was surprised to see this article only use one image even with the media playing such an integral role in political communication. The one image used in this article appears in the lead section and showcases an image of George W. Bush delivering a speech on immigration in Glynco, Georgia. The image doesn't obstruct the page under any circumstances, and quite frankly I would've liked to see another image or two demonstrating political leaders interacting with one another.

Talk Page Discussion

The talk page discussion section of the article is very minimal and primarily consists of future plans to edit and tweak already existing sections. Additionally, one Wikipedia editing member proposed that one of the references wasn't specific enough to what was being discussed at that point in time of the article. Overall, I'd like to see more activity in the talk page about what can be done to improve the content of the article or lack thereof for that matter.

Overall Impressions

Political communication was rated as "Start-Class" by WikiProject Vital Articles meaning the article is still developing and could use some more detailed criteria. The framework of the article is of high quality, but there is definitely a fair bit of content that could be included to further strengthen the article. Political communication is such a broad topic that could branch off in so many different ways. While the definition description is detailed and the examples of The US, UN, and Middle East are adequate, it's a shame that this article isn't as lengthy as it could be given that this topic is as prevalent as it is.