Dakota Access Pipeline 1

Dakota Access Pipeline

Robert C. Estrada

University of Texas at El Paso

Dakota Access Pipeline

Over the last year or so, there has been an on-going battle in North Dakota. Not a battle

between militaries, but rather between a government and its own people. The source of this

dispute originates with the Dakota Access Pipeline (or DAPL). A $3.7 billion-dollar pipeline that

is under construction and serves to transport 470,000 barrels of crude oil everyday over an

expanse of roughly 1,200 miles so that it may be refined and sold by oil companies. The only

thing standing in the way is a tribe of Native American activists who have banned together with

the purpose of stopping the construction of the DAPL and environmental consequences that

come with it. Needless to say, this stand-off in North Dakota has sparked the nations interested

and subsequently been covered by a variety of news sources. One of these sources being Amy

Sisks NPR radio news story, Dakota Access Pipeline Protestors, Nearby Residents Brace for

2017. The story mainly focuses on the people affected by the pipeline, protesters and citizens

alike, and the current issues they face. Meanwhile the BBC wrote an article, Dakota Pipeline:

Whats behind the controversy?, thoroughly explaining the issue and answering common

questions as to inform readers who may not be familiar with the subject. Those genres, and their

purposes, will be the subject of this analysis.

Audience and Purpose

The first genre, the National Public Radio news story, Dakota Access Pipeline

Protestors, Nearby Residents Brace for 2017, was aired on January 4, 2017 during the Around

the Nation segment. The purpose of this news segment being to inform listeners on current

issues and noteworthy accomplishments from around the United States. In this particular case,

they share the stories and hardships of protestors and citizen within the community affected by
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the dispute over the DAPL. The second genre, the BBC article, Dakota Pipeline: Whats behind

the controversy?, was posted on February 7, 2017 and serves the purpose of informing readers

who may have heard of the issue, but have no insight as to what has occurred and is occurring.

The NPR broadcast has an audience of primarily middle aged, working class type people

who tune into to FM radio while on their commute to and from work or school. This audience is

one that would normally be familiar with on-going issues in the United States and have a basic

knowledge of what they involve. Many of the people are regular listeners who rely on NPR to

stay informed on politics, news, and entertainment. This ties into how the story is presented,

because the authors assume that listeners are aware of the issue and know the reasons behind the

protest. This gives the news source an opportunity to provide a more personal take on the story,

highlighting personal narratives that may not otherwise be acknowledged. For the BBC, their

audience is one that would most likely not have any knowledge concerning the DAPL. It serves

to a more of an international community rather than to citizens of the United States. It provides a

greater amount of context concerning the DAPL, providing the purpose and history of it, as well

as the two varying points of view on the issue. It was written with the intent to encourage

general awareness among readers who frequent the BBC website. Both of the genres share the

similarity that they display both points of view on the issue as to stay neutral in the debate.

Structure and Delivery

The NPR story is one that was originally broadcast over FM radio. This means that the

authors of the piece must be clear and concise in how they portray the story, because the

Around the Nation segment is one that airs pieces with a length of around 3-4 minutes.

Listeners have to be drawn to the issue and interested in what is currently happening. The
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broadcast does this by providing first person narratives that listeners may not find encounter

anywhere else. It has a sequential order that first tells the story of the protestors and then shifts

to stories of those in the surrounding community that have been affected by the DAPL. It is

structured so that author provides some background on the person and then the person tells their

story. That way there is some context to their personal experience and the listener will not be

confused with that individuals situation.

The BBC article was posted to the BBC website, giving the author more freedom with the

length and amount of information theyre able to provide. This is important because the article

serves to help inform the general public on the issue, so it must bring readers up to date with

what is currently happening. The article contains certain topics that are underlined and in bold

text. Clicking on the bold text links you to another article written on that specific topic. This is a

way of bringing the reader up to date, because if they are not familiar with the topic, they can

now go read another BBC article that provides the information to bring them up to date. The

article is structured around a question and answer basis. The questions are posed to the reader in

a larger font as a way to grab their attention, so that they are aware of what will be discussed in

the following paragraphs. These questions are very broad so that they may simulate what

someone who had no prior knowledge on the subject would ask.

Both the BBC article and NPR broadcast use formal and professional language as to

appeal to a mass audience. They are both well-crafted pieces, that have been reviewed by fellow

staff so that they are void of mistakes. What really makes them stand apart is the lack of time

restraint and the use of pictures in the BBC article. The author includes those so that the reader

has a greater understanding of the scenario and those involved.

Rhetorical Issues: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

In the first genre, the NPR broadcast, the authors credibility is mainly established the new

outlet of which she is reporting, which is NPR. Since NPR stands for National Public Radio it is

inferred that a listener would trust the information that is given to them. They are funded and

facilitated by the public so they are upheld to a standard that may not be otherwise displayed by a

news outlet. They also attempt to stay un-biased in their reporting of the news, which offers

them credibility because they do so by giving listeners the facts. The personal narratives that are

told in the story are only given credibility by the host of the broadcast and since the they are first

person account they may be biased. The chunk of information provided about the individual

before their story is given so that the listener may be aware of their relation to the DAPL issue.

The second genre, the BBC article, establishes its credibility mainly based on its outlet as well,

the BBC or British Broadcasting Company. It is very similar to NPR because they are both

public service broadcasters, whos purpose is to keep the general public informed on current

events happening on their soil and abroad. The article mainly relies on the BBC name for

credibility because there is no author name given with it. Although it does earn more credibility

due to how it derives much of its information from direct quotes of those close to the issue. The

NPR broadcast also appeals to listeners emotional side in a way that the BBC article does not. It

does so by making people listen to the voices of those personal narratives. It adds an extra sense

of depth to the story, because now the listener is getting to hear that individuals story straight

from them. As opposed to an author who would normally take that audio and translate it into to

text. This gives the reader, as a human, a feeling of empathy for that individual who has been

affected. Meanwhile, the BBC article is based more around facts. It does a good job of providing

a logical appeal by using direct quotes from leaders, and numerical values to support information
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given by the author. The author wants the reader to get the facts and information surrounding the

issue so that they may form an opinion of their own.

The rhetorical strategies used by both genres lack in different areas. The first genre lacks

in the logos, or logical side, while the second lacks in the pathos, or emotional side. This is

because both serve very different purposes. The NPR broadcast wants to bring the already

informed listener a closer look at the issue from the eyes of the people who are experiencing it

first-hand, while the BBC article is trying to make uninformed readers aware of the situation at

hand. The way the NPR broadcast accomplishes its goal is by using pathos so that the listener

can relate to and empathize with those who deal with the reality of the DAPL in their daily lives.

The personal narratives that provide the pathos, do not similarly provide logos because the

people are expressing their personal experiences and not the cold hard facts of the issue. The

BBC article accomplishes its goal by giving the reader general information on the topic and by

supporting that information with facts. The author is not trying to provoke an emotional

response, the simply wish to educate the reader on this particular issue.

Conclusion

Both genres achieved their purposes, although through very different methods. The NPR

broadcast was effective in bringing in listeners and providing them with a closer look at the

people involved with the DAPL. It did so by letting listeners hear what those people had to say,

straight from them. The BBC article was effective in providing outsiders on the issue with

general knowledge through the use of a question and answer structure while supporting the

information given in answers with direct quotes and facts. The BBC article does a better job of

accomplishing its purpose of educating readers on the topic because it assumes that the reader
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knows nothing of the issue, while the NPR broadcast would require some prior knowledge on

events surrounding the DAPL.

References

BBC (2017, February 7) Dakota Pipeline: Whats behind the controversy? BBC News Retrieved

from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37863955

Sisk, A. (2017, January 4) Dakota Pipeline Protesters, Nearby Residents Brace

For 2017, National Public Radio. Retrieved from

http://www.npr.org/2017/01/04/506714991/dakota-pipeline-protesters-

nearby-residents-brace-for-2017