Evaluation of New York Times Stories

I have just explored the New York Times website and I came across two articles from the science and health sections. They are titled Rate of Birth Defect of Abdominal Wall Increasing, C.D.C. Says and High-Rise Living Linked to Lower Survival After Cardiac Arrest, respectively. In this post, I will highlight the important pieces of the stories.

Who are the central or important characters?

Though neither of the articles have a main character, there are people mentioned who have lead roles in the stories. For example, in the Rate of Birth Defect of Abdominal Wall Increasing, C.D.C. Says, Dr. Holly L Hedrick and Dr. Leslie A Lusk are referenced. Both are experts in the field of birth defects and surgery.

In the article High-Rise Living Linked to Lower Survival After Cardiac Arrest, author of the Canadian Medical Association Journal and doctoral candidate, Ian R. Drennan is referenced. It is apparent that he was interviewed for the purpose of this article, as he provides specific details and responses to the ideas mentioned.

What is the setting?

In the article regarding abdominal defects at birth, locations mentioned include: a maternity ward, the hospital, and the fourteen states that the study was conducted in. On the other hand, the article regarding lower cardiac arrest survival rates takes place in residential areas in and close to Toronto, Canada.

The setting of the story influences the characters by changing the context of the situation. For example, if the high rise story took place in the United States instead of Canada, author Ian R. Drennan would likely have not been a part of the study.

What about debates?

Because both of the articles were statistically based, there was no dissenting viewpoint portrayed. If the articles had not employed the use of statistics and data presented as facts, there likely would have been other sides to debate with. Luckily for the characters, they were just presenting information instead of arguing their points.