Nick Kristof’s published column Sept. 20, 2014 on The New York Times Sunday Review delves into Alicia Keys’ efforts to establish peace in a world of ongoing social injustice.
Kristof effectively uses language and differing styles to create an easy-to-read rhythm in his writing. Different from a straight-news story, the piece is conversational. Despite great word-choice, it appears pretty laid back for a high profile news story. One example of this relaxed writing is Kristof’s use of the first-person during quote attribution. He referred to himself as “me” following Keys’ quote. First-person use is not typically found in traditional straight news stories.
I enjoyed reading Kristof’s column. I could tell that he did his homework and he asked Keys questions that show prior knowledge. The resulting quotes and paraphrased sentences he gathered for the column positively lead the column forward.
Similar to a straight news story, the column’s form contains a captivating direct quotation within the third graph. The quotation provided is said by the subject of the story who is Keys, proving the source to be reliable and credible. The column shed light on vital information about Keys’ campaign with attention to prioritizing the most important bits.
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