The topic I have chosen is the toxic chemical spill that occurred when a train carrying vinyl chloride was derailed and exploded in East Palestine, Ohio. The toxic gas emitted by the chemical spill can cause serious environmental pollution and pose a significant threat to human health, raising safety concerns among residents and government officials. I read news articles about this topic from The Guardian, NewsNation and Fox News.
On the left is a news article from The Guardian. The title is “Ohio catastrophe is ‘wake-up call’ to dangers of deadly train derailment”. The article describes the Ohio freight rail derailment and presents the human health risks of toxic chemicals. In addition, the article mentions that most people currently live near areas where derailment explosions may occur, and discusses several similar train derailments that have occurred in the past. The purpose of the article is to remind and alert people of the great risks of transporting chemicals by rail alone, and the catastrophic hazards that can result when an accident occurs. The article also calls for attention to the accident and timely action to avoid deadly accidents.
The center is “Brockovich: Train derailment sparks water quality concerns” from Newsnation. This article focuses on the water quality concerns in local waters caused by the derailment and the response and actions of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and related agencies to the water quality issues.
On the right is an article from Fox News, “Ohio mayor furious with Norfolk Southern after train derailment: ‘We’re going to hold their feet to the fire'”. The article focuses on the East Palestine mayor’s strong words to the railroad operator, saying he would hold the company accountable. It also mentions that Norfolk Southern and related departments and officials will remediate the site and make appropriate remedial measures. Such as monitoring and addressing air and water quality issues.
All three articles describe the damage caused by the Ohio train derailment, and all quote the responses and actions taken by various departments and leaders in response to the accident. But I found that only the center article mentioned that the mechanical issues with the rail car axles caused the derailment in Ohio. I noticed the different wording in the three articles because they all write with different focuses. Just as the left article focuses on alerting people to the dangers of train derailments, chemical spills and calls for government and relevant departments to take action to address these issues. The center article focuses on the water quality after the accident. The article on the right focuses on the concern of the mayor of East Palestine for the local community after the accident and also mentions that the Environmental Protection Agency, local officials and the Family Assistance Center have said they will conduct home air and water quality monitoring to ensure the needs of residents. I did not find any particular leading or subjective words in the left and center articles. But according to the article on the right, when describing the East Palestine mayor’s concern for the local community and the residents, the author writes, “He told The Associated Press that the village’s drinking water system is being tested daily and is safe and that his his primary concern is the health of his constituents”. I notice that the author uses the word “constituents” rather than “residents” or “villagers”. I think the word “constituents” is a bit subtle and implies the purpose of the mayor’s concern.
2 thoughts on “Xinlin Luo Conversation 3”
Hi! The topic you discussed is really popular because it has indeed been discussed on the Internet recently. The incident in Ohio was also called “Chernobyl 2.0” on the Internet, and every news emphasized it and aroused everyone’s reflection. After I saw the news, I also showed more regret, reflection, and a little panic. That’s because news selects what people are interested in and publishes what the public wants to see. According of the three news articles you selected, it is found that most of them are about the impact of the incident because this topic has aroused everyone’s enthusiasm and discussion. But rarely mentioned the cause of the incident or analysis.
At the same time, you are really careful! As for the words used in the news, like the word “constituents” rather than “residents” or “villagers”. I think this really reflects the relationship between news and politics. Thanks!
I like the topic you chose, the toxic chemical spill causes serious health problems. The article on the right that only focused on the mayor’s well being seemed biased.