Quality check
In this page the parameters to evaluate a piece of information will be explained for the user to have a guide in the submission of their evaluation. Every parameter will be explained and justified in detail.
- Literary quality: is the article distinguished by a good, poor, average, remarkable, excellent, great, qualified, extraordinary literary quality? Please point out the most appropriate adjective and evaluate it independently by the journalistic genre.
This parameter helps the reader identifying the literary style of the article, and helps reflecting upon its clarity and level of understability. The clarity of the language used to express an idea can highly influence the way the piece of information is perceived.
- Bias: is the author of the article part of any movement/organization/institution etc. that might have influenced his view of what he expresses in the article? Is there any bias due to funding received, pre-established ideals, or "company visions" ? Assess the writer's independence.
Bias is a relevant aspect when judging a piece of information, as it may be relevant how much the author is familiar with the topic, whether they are working at the service of a specific organization and whether the organization itself is or is not tied with specific political visions. The reader, once aware of the author's background is probably more akin to see the content of their writing in a perspective way.
- Vocabulary used: is the article polarized or neutral onthe language point of view? Please point out whether the vocabulary used is violent, provocative, misleading, neutral, detached or accurate.
By the kind of voabulary used, it is possible to understand the target audience of the author, the sensations and emotions they want the reader to feel, the modalities through which they express their ideas and data. Therefore, reflecting upon vocabulary is useful to understand the nature of a piece of information.
- Level of Analysis: containing validity of arguments, depth of analysis and breadth of vision.
This level of analysis of a piece of news is valued through different parameters. The first is the validity of arguments, through which the reader is asked to express about the validity of the arguments presented in the article. The second specification has to do with the level of analysis presented in the article. Finally, the breadth of vision is also taken into account. Analysing these three categories can shed light on the quality of the analysis proposed by the author, is it sufficiently deep? Does it take into account all perspectives? is it taking into consideration various angles of the issue/news it is analysing? By answering this question, the quality of the piece of news is also enhanced.
- Methodology: containing theory based, quantitative methods and qualitative methods.
This level of analysis is striclty linked with the previous section, as it analyses the methods through which the article was written. Was it based on facts and well-known theories? Did it explain an idea based on statistical data or data collected through interviewing and research? By looking at these parameters, the work that the author has put into the article's production will show whether the research was accurate or not.
- Emotional impact: is the article having an emotional impact on its audience? Please evaluate that on a scale from shameful, ridiculous, shocking, surprising, pleasant, excting, epic, enlightening or indifferent.
The scale aims at capturing the emotional impact of the article on the reader, and better understanding the reactions it caused and, after careful analysis, why were they sparking in the audience.
- Social impact: is the article having an impact on the narrative of the issue/news? Please evaluate that on a scale from dangerous, hazardous, neutral, inspiring or favourable.
In this case, the evaluation should put the article in perspective with other articles on the same topic. Does this one add a unique point of view, or data, to the narrative of an issue or a piece of news?