For Writing Project #1, you will investigate a problem and propose a solution. One of the most common writing projects often required by employees is to craft a proposal or recommendation. Unlike newspaper editorials, such a document is not intended to rouse emotions but to provide clear, reasoned advice to your audience regarding how to proceed. For Writing Project #1, you will be addressing the newly elected Congress of the United States.
THE PROBLEM
For almost a decade, social media has increasingly come under attack by both Democrats and Republicans alike. Republicans often claim that social media has a liberal bias and that conservative voices are often silenced for reasons that have more to do with political correctness than the accuracy of any given post. Democrats are more likely to suggest these social media platforms give conspiracy theorists and propagandists far too big a platform to provoke violence and spread misinformation. Towards the end of his administration, Trump even called for Congress to overturn section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act (CDA).
The CDA was passed by Congress in 1996 and provided a broad legal framework with which the internet would develop over the next 25 years. Section 230 of that act shields companies like Facebook, Google, Craigslist, Reddit, TikTok, and Twitter from legal liability in the event that a third party posts harmful content on their platform. Traditional media outlets like CNN, The Wall Street Journal, or even the Corpus Christi Caller Timesenjoy far fewer protections and can be held liable in civil and criminal court if their content proves injurious. For Writing Project #1, you will investigate this problem in further detail. What role has social media played in provoking civil unrest both here and abroad? Should social media be treated like other news outlets and be held liable for what their users post? How do other countries deal with these problems? Most importantly, either recommend specific changes to section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, argue convincingly for its repeal entirely, or make an argument that no changes should be made at all.Either way, you will need to develop a convincing and compelling argument that anticipate likely rebuttals and integrates several secondary sources to develop its claim.
THE PROPOSAL
Obviously, the specifics of the proposal will vary from project to project but make sure that your proposal is CLEAR. Your thesis statement should read something like Congress should do __________. The audience for this proposal is the United States Congress but you may choose to address a specific representative or senator.
RESOURCES
This paper requires a combination of 5 primary and/or secondary sources. Primary sources usually consists of interviews, polling data, and statistics that you yourself compile. Secondary sources usually consists of articles that a researcher locates on line or in a library. For newspaper articles like those in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, I highly recommend using NEWSBANK, one of the many databases available through the library’s web page. At least TWO of your sources must be from writers that disagree with your central claim.
REQUIRED READING
* Chapters 1, 6, and 7 from Current Issues and Enduring Questions.
* Chapters 12, 13, 14, and 15 from Easy Writer.
