1. Rewrite the article into yellow Journalism. Requirements:(The rewritten article contains emotional language, sensational content, and reads like a tabloid news story.The rewritten article matches the length of the original piece.)

Question

2. Identify three examples of language use in your rewrite that you think reflect the yellow journalism style. Requirements:(There are detailed answers for the question.The answer provided is appropriate for the question. The question offers sufficient evidence to support the answer.)

3. What did you do to turn the original piece from traditional journalism into yellow journalism? Be specific about your writing process. Requirements: (There is a detailed answer for the question. The answer provided is appropriate for the question. The question offers sufficient evidence to support the answer.)

The 28,000-member Chicago Teachers Union’s money and organization made Brandon Johnson, a former CTU organizer, mayor. The CTU’s political machine is as mighty as Mayor Richard J. Daley’s was, 1955-1976. The CTU, like the city council’s socialist caucus, has praised recent Venezuelan regimes, and echoed pro-Hamas supporters’ calls for an Israeli cease-fire. The CTU’s head, Stacy Davis Gates, sends her son to private school, as did 30.5 percent of Chicago’s public school teachers, 2018-2022.

Spending on public schools (more than $24,000 per student, not counting debt service and capital expenditures) has increased 107 percent since 2012, but proficiency in reading and math in grades 3-8 plummeted 63 percent and 78 percent, respectively. Only 22 percent of 11th- graders can read at grade level, only 19 percent do math at grade level. Black students’ percentages are 11 and 8. While school enrollment declined 9 percent in 2020-2022, spending increased 35.7 percent, with one unionized employee for every eight students.

The meticulous Illinois Policy Institute, a think tank that chronicles and combats Chicago’s collapse, notes that one high school, built to accommodate 912 students, serves 35 students, but is getting eight new unionized staffers, bringing its total staff count to 30. The CTU, which insisted on closing schools during the pandemic, now opposes closing the 161 more-than-half-empty schools (26 percent of Chicago’s schools). But it wants to end the 11 selective enrollment high schools for “equity” reasons. Nearly half of these schools’ students are from low-income families, almost 60 percent are Black or Hispanic.

Student chronic absenteeism — missing at least 10 percent of school days — is 40 percent (46 percent for Black students), but even worse for CTU teachers, 43 percent of whom missed 10 or more days in the 2022-2023 school year. The CTU’s (leaked) more than 700 new contract demands include: 9 percent wage increases annually, 45 days off each year, police-free schools (see “school violence,” below), a 100 percent electric school-bus fleet, housing subsidies for teachers, a paid “climate champion” and a “gender-support coordinator” (or an LGBTQ+ specialist) in every school, and coverage for gender-affirming care. The CTU’s Gates stood at Richards Career Academy and vowed to create more schools like it. No student there tested proficient in reading or math on the state assessment last year.

The IPI says Chicago’s population has shrunk by more than a quarter since it peaked in 1950; in 2023, the city hit its lowest point since 1920. Cook County, which includes Chicago, lost 58,000 in 2023, the second-most of any U.S. county.

Chicago’s poverty rate is 36.5 percent higher than the U.S. average, the 12.7 Black unemployment rate is the highest among the 15 largest U.S. cities, the 10.25 sales tax is the highest of any major city, and combined city and state taxes would take over 12 percent of a U.S. median family income. Property tax levies have doubled in 10 years, and the downtown office vacancy rate — nearly 26 percent, a record — presages a doom loop: fewer people downtown, restaurants and retailers closing, the downward spiral inviting increased crime.

Crime is higher than in any other major U.S. city. Year-on-year, robberies are up 21 percent, assaults 7 percent, violent crimes in schools 26 percent. Chicago has led the nation in number of homicides for 12 consecutive years. Its murder rate is five times higher than New York City’s, but its homicide arrest rate is at a 24-year low. Johnson, who is Black, dislikes Chicago’s ShotSpotter acoustical technology that locates gunshots’ origins. He thinks it sends too many police into minority neighborhoods.

Walmart left four such neighborhoods that, the online publication Wirepoints says, experienced more than 5,000 crimes in 2022. Crime drives grocery stores from such neighborhoods, so Johnson proposes city-owned and -operated groceries. What could go wrong?

The four-day Fourth of July weekend’s toll was unusual: 109 shot, 19 fatally. The weekend of Aug. 3-4 was more normal: 48 shot, five fatally.

Chicago’s population has declined for nine consecutive years as education has cratered, crime has soared, and public services have withered because almost half of the city budget goes to debt service and government employees’ pensions. These have been negotiated with government sitting on both sides of the table: its employees demanding that it do what it wants to do — grow. The steep price of this progressivism is disproportionately paid by its supposed beneficiaries.

Answer 1

Rewritten Article in Yellow Journalism Style:

CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION: A POWERHOUSE DRIVING OUR CITY TO DISASTER!

In a shocking twist of fate, the Chicago Teachers Union—an astonishing force of 28,000 members—is the puppet master that catapulted Brandon Johnson, a former CTU organizer, into the Mayor's office! This political juggernaut is proving to be as daunting and tyrannical as the infamous Mayor Daley's reign from 1955 to 1976. The CTU, alongside its leftist allies, has openly praised disastrous regimes in Venezuela and shockingly aligns itself with pro-Hamas groups, calling for an immediate cease-fire with Israel! Meanwhile, CTU boss Stacy Davis Gates, a beacon of hypocrisy, sends her son to PRIVATE SCHOOL — and she's not alone; nearly a THIRD of Chicago’s public teachers did the same from 2018-2022!

Public schooling spending has exploded to over $24,000 per student! But in a jaw-dropping revelation, academic proficiency in reading and math for our K-8 students has CRUMBLED — plunging an astounding 63% and 78%, respectively! Just think about it—only 22% of high school juniors can read at grade level while a measly 19% can do math! The shocking truth: Black students are barely hanging on with stats of 11% and 8%! Enrollment rates have plummeted by 9% from 2020-2022, yet funding has skyrocketed by a staggering 35.7%, leaving us with ONE unionized employee for every EIGHT students!

The fastidious Illinois Policy Institute reveals the tragic fallout: one high school, initially built to serve 912 students, is now a ghost town with just 35 students! But hold on—it's gaining a whopping EIGHT new unionized staff members! The CTU, which aggressively lobbied to close schools during the pandemic, now OPPOSES shutting down a staggering 161 mostly empty schools—an outrageous 26% of the city’s schools! Yet, in a shocking bid for "equity," they want to dismantle eleven selective enrollment schools, where nearly HALF of the students come from low-income backgrounds and 60% are Black or Hispanic!

And it doesn't stop there! An appalling 40% of students are chronic absenters—when 10% of school days are skipped. This dismal rate rises to 46% among Black students! Ironically, teachers aren't faring much better, with 43% missing 10 or more days last year! The CTU’s leaked list of demands is staggering: a staggering 9% annual wage increase, a jaw-dropping 45 days off, and plans for POLICE-FREE SCHOOLS that could plunge the city into DISORDER! The demands also include a completely ELECTRIC school bus fleet, housing subsidies for teachers, and coverage for gender-affirming care—what a wild ride!

Meanwhile, Chicago's population is CRASHING, having shrunk by more than a QUARTER since 1950! In 2023, the city hit a horrifying low since 1920! In Cook County, over 58,000 residents vanished this year, making it the second largest population loss of any U.S. county!

Did you know Chicago's poverty rate is a staggering 36.5% higher than the national average? And the soul-crushing Black unemployment rate stands as the highest among America’s 15 largest cities! Taxes are off the charts—combined city and state taxes are siphoning over 12% of the median family's income! Property taxes have DOUBLED in the last decade while downtown office vacancies have reached a TRAGIC 26%—a true omen of disaster. Less foot traffic leads to restaurant closures and DECLINING property values, bringing crime surging back with a vengeance!

Year after year, Chicago tops grim national charts for crime. Robberies surged by 21%, assaults climbed by 7%—and brace yourself—violent crimes in schools skyrocketed by an astonishing 26%! For twelve dreadful years, Chicago has held the title for the highest homicide rate in the nation! The murder rate here is five times that of New York City with the lowest homicide arrest rate in 24 years! Mayor Johnson, unsurprisingly, is against using the ShotSpotter technology that detects gunshots because it puts police in minority neighborhoods.

And can you believe it? Walmart has abandoned four crime-ridden neighborhoods after those areas faced over 5,000 crimes just last year! Grocery stores are fleeing, leading Johnson to propose city-owned grocery stores. Will this solve anything or just lead to more chaos?

The horrors of the Fourth of July weekend left 109 shot and 19 tragically dead! The following weekend was chillingly normal with 48 shot and 5 deceased.

As education collapses, crime soars, and basic services disintegrate, Chicago's population has plummeted for nine horrifying years. With the city sinking deeper into this nightmarish cycle, it seems the well-intentioned decisions of progressivism are paying a terrible price—one that disproportionately weighs down on the very communities they profess to help!

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Three Examples of Yellow Journalism Language Use:

1. Dramatic However Unsubstantiated Claims: Phrases like "a power house driving our city to disaster!" and "this political juggernaut is proving to be as daunting and tyrannical" contribute to an emotionally charged narrative, playing on fear and outrage rather than presenting facts neutrally.

2. Hyperbolic Descriptions: The use of exaggerated phrases such as "the staggering 35.7%," "a whopping EIGHT new unionized staff members!" and "the highest homicide rate in the nation" sensationalizes the statistics, making them feel shocking and far more severe than traditional journalism would present.

3. Emotive Language: Words like “hypocrisy,” “tragedy,” “chaos,” and “nightmarish cycle” evoke a strong emotional response, serving to ignite fear and anger rather than a balanced consideration of the issues at hand.

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Writing Process to Transform into Yellow Journalism:

To convert the original article into a piece of yellow journalism, I focused on several key strategies:

1. Emotional and Sensational Language: I replaced neutral and factual phrases with emotionally-charged language to evoke stronger reactions. For example, phrases like “the mayor’s office” became “the puppet master that catapulted Brandon Johnson,” instilling a conspiratorial tone.

2. Exaggeration and Hyperbole: I inflated statistics and narratives, turning dry data into dramatic revelations. For instance, instead of simply stating the student proficiency rates, I emphasized the “CRUMBLED” statistics dramatically to suggest a catastrophic failure in education.

3. Adding a Sense of Urgency: I introduced a sense of doom and crisis throughout the piece (“Chicago’s population is CRASHING,” “the fastidious Illinois Policy Institute reveals the tragic fallout”). This amplifies the urgency and seriousness of the issues discussed.

By implementing these tactics, I turned the original piece into a sensational tabloid-style article that’s focused on evoking emotion and grabbing attention rather than presenting objective news reporting.