Editorial Analysis

Photograph Source: (Urban Crime, twenty20.com)

Original article.

In my Critical and Opinion Writing class we were asked to analyze an editorial from the Toronto Star. My class voted and chose this one. It urges the Toronto police to ensure everyone’s safety, especially the LGBTQ+ community’s, while investigating an alleged serial killer. The accused, Bruce McArthur, is being charged after over a decade of his crimes targeting the Toronto LGBTQ+ community. The following is my analysis.

Topic:

The topic is about protecting the public during the investigation of an alleged Toronto serial killer.

This topic is newsworthy because it is current, important and close to home. It is current because these allegations and investigations are recent. The topic is important because we need the police to ensure our safety. It is close to home because Toronto is not that far away from Oshawa.

Writer:

The paper’s relationship to the topic is informing the public every time there’s an update in the investigation.

I know this because, The Star is updating the public whenever new information is released by police. The Star is the liaison between the public and the police. By being the intermediate, The Star will help protect the public as the investigation goes on. This is why it is so important for the police to keep updating the media.

Purpose:

The purpose in the Editorial Board writing this is a call to action for the police. The board wants them to know that this editorial isn’t about how the police have handled the case thus far, they want the police to ensure everyone’s safety especially the LGBTQ+ community’s safety. I know this because the last two paragraphs are about the concern and anger in the LGBTQ community and beyond. The editorial says the concern and anger of the public deserves a serious response from police.

The editorial is quoted by saying “The community and the city as a whole deserve a full accounting of how this happened and transparency as the investigation continues.”

I think this quote is important because it expresses how important and urgent it is for the police to help the public and community protect themselves.

Language:

I think the tone of the article is pretty persuasive in the way that it wants to compel the reader to be as angry as the community is. The editorial uses words like “horrifying allegations”, “prolific serial killer”, “profoundly”, “grisly”, and “disquieting”. The list of words like these go on and on but they all make the same point.

All of the words stated above, and all of the words alike in the editorial make the reader intrigued. Not only do these words hook the reader into the story and make them want to know more. But, when the reader realizes the great injustice that has been served to the city, they will (I hope) feel shocked and realize how horrible this situation truly has been.

Audience:

The intended audience for this editorial is the city of Toronto and the GTA.

I know this because the Editorial Board is reaching out to people in the community that will feel like they are in danger.

The article wants to city to be angry and to make the police force work harder to keep the public safe.

News Peg:

The news peg consists of two different elements in my opinion. Both of the elements connect as they are completely linked. The first factor is that Bruce McArthur was able to kill in Toronto for over a decade, basically ‘undetected’. The second factor is that the police is purposely ignoring cases that seem to have direct relationships with marginalized groups. Groups like, sex workers, people of colour and in this case the LGBTQ community. Both of these elements connect as they both rely on the police force and their actions. In McArthur’s case both of these factors come into play.

Position Statement:

“They [Police] must ensure that everyone in our city feels protected.”

I know this is the position statement because it is outlined throughout the editorial. It explains how McArthur targeted the LGBTQ community and the police did not to nothing for a decade. Therefore, this article is bringing attention to the point that EVERYONE deserves to feel protected, especially by those who work to protect us.

Supporting Points:

To back up the position statement using supporting points, the editorial uses evidence and experts.

They support the point that says McArthur was a serial killer for a decade by backing up that factor with the statement by Det. Sgt. Hank Idsinga.

A quote from the editorial reads “McArthur was indeed a serial killer, who had been murdering men for at least the better part of a decade.”

Hank Idsinga is ‘one of the best investigators’ with the Toronto police. He is no stranger to high profile crime cases and has more than 20 years of experience on the force.

Directly after stating that they back up their next point which is the fact police ignored the situation by saying

“The spate of disappearances from the Gay Village in recent years had led many to speculate that a serial killer might be at work. But police denied that there was any evidence to suggest that this was the case.”

The editorial then compares McArthur’s case to the serial killer Robert Pickton. While doing this they talk to the lead investigator in that case, Lorimer Shenher. Shenher talks about the biases being partly to blame for his forces failure to find Pickton.

Lorimer Shenher is a writer and a ‘recovering cop’. He is an expert in this field because he has experience the failure of catching the murderer first hand. I also think he is an expert in this because he has spent years looking over what he did wrong and what he could have done to prevent what happened or catch the serial killer.

They backed up their points again with the University of Toronto criminologist, Jooyoung Lee. Lee says serial killers typically select their targets from vulnerable groups, believing police and the media are more likely to ignore the disappearances.

Lee is an Associate Professor of Sociology. He has written two books that researches different ethnographic studies about violence and murders. His new work examines how murder transforms families and communities. His new work and background in criminology is what relates him directly this case/his knowledge on serial killers.

The last supporting point they used in the editorial was the fear that the 519 a community centre in Toronto’s gay-village feels.

The 519’s motto is “a space for change”. They help with refugee settlement to counselling, they serve the people of Toronto by supporting happy LGBTQ lives.

They offer free, accessible and accepting space where people can gather.

It’s important the editorial mentioned their statement because showing their anger and fear for the community because they are such a big part of the affected community.

Conclusion and Kicker:

The conclusion and kicker are the same as the news peg. The police must ensure the safety of everyone in Toronto. The premises do lead up to the conclusion. They do this by briefly explaining the situation of McArthur, introducing the effects this has given the LGBTQ community, getting expert opinions, and ending with the concern and anger flooding the LGBTQ community.