ARGUMENT173 [Dancing in the Dark] 第五次作业 by subtory

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TOPIC: ARGUMENT173 - The following is a memorandum issued by the publisher of a newsmagazine, Newsbeat, in the country of Dinn.

"Our poorest-selling magazine issues over the past three years were those that featured international news stories on their front covers. Over the same period, competing news-magazines have significantly decreased the number of cover stories that they devote to international news. Moreover, the cost of maintaining our foreign bureaus to report on international news is increasing. Therefore, we should decrease our emphasis on international news and refrain from displaying such stories on our magazine covers."
WORDS: 541          TIME: 01:10:01          DATE: 2009-6-16 11:23:23

In this memorandum, the publisher suggests that they should decrease their emphasis on international news and refrain from displaying such stories on their magazine covers. To justify the suggestion, he cites the evidence that their poorest-selling magazine issues over the past three years were those featured international news stories on their front covers while competing news-magazines have significantly decreased the number of such stories, and he also considers the fact that the cost of maintaining foreign bureaus to report on international news is increasing. Close scrutiny of the evidence and the fact, however, reveals that they lend little credible support to the suggestion.

First of all, the fact that their poorest-selling magazine issues over the past three years were those that featured international news stories on their front cover does not necessarily mean that people are not interested in international news and they should decrease emphasis on such news. Front cover news are not equal to the emphasis of the magazine. It is entirely possible that people do not like other parts of the magazine except of front cover stories. Even if people indeed do not like the part of international news of the magazine, it does not necessarily mean that they are not interested in international news. Perhaps international news in this magazine is so boring and of low quality, and people interested in international news prefer other magazines. Under such circumstances, what this magazine should do is increase the quality of their reports rather than decrease emphasis on international news.

Secondly, although competing news-magazines have significantly decreased the number of cover stories that they devote to international news, it is unclear if their emphasis on international news has truly been decreased. Perhaps their emphasis on international news has been unchanged or even increased although the number of cover stories of international news has been decreased. Even if they did decrease their emphasis on international news, it is unwise to suggest that Newsbeat should do the same thing. It is entirely possible that those magazines do not have enough qualified correspondents to report on international news and naturally they have to decrease their emphasis on international news. Besides, since many magazines have decreased their emphasis on international news, it is an excellent chance for Newsbeat to occupy the field of international news, and they should actually put more effort into reporting international news.

Finally, the fact that the cost of maintaining foreign bureaus to report on international news is increasing should not be a reason for Newsbeat to decrease emphasis on international news. It is unknown how much the cost has been increased and how it is compared with the income brought by international news. Even assuming reporting on international news is no longer profitable, international news is a necessary part for a news magazine, and if it can make the magazine more popular, it should be put more emphasis on.

In conclusion, this argument relies on several unconvincing assumptions. To strengthen the argument, some crucial evidence has to be supplied such as the popularity of international news of Newsbeat. And the suggestion should be made more reasonably according to the act of competing news-magazines and the change of cost of maintaining foreign bureaus.

写得比较仓促，感觉有点乱。。。

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