ACTIVITY 9.15
Evaluating Ethos

Ethos is a term often used in rhetoric to refer to the character or authority of the writer or speaker. Unlike in the world of print text in which documents are typically published by some entity that takes some steps to certify the quality of the writing, anyone with CMC, FTP, Gopher, or World Wide Web access can "publish" their ideas, views, and opinions. As a result, you have to work more diligently and critically to determine the intellectual value of E-texts you may find. In general, the greater ethos the writer has, the higher the level of validity and reliability. Here are some items to consider when evaluating the writer's ethos:

What can you learn about the writer's level of expertise on the subject? There are a number of ways to learn about the author in various E-texts. For example, CMC writers often include signature lines on their messages. Let's say you are researching a subject in biology and you join an appropriate listserv. The participants on that list may sign their messages with information that tells you about their level of education (Ph.D.), their academic title (Professor of molecular biology) and their professional affiliation (Harvard University). If that person were talking about some research in his field of expertise, you can infer the writer has a high ethos. Remember, too, that such information doesn't automatically give that writer authority. The opinion of a Ph.D. in molecular biology has weight in a discussion about molecules but not necessarily about censorship. If such information is not supplied, your evaluation of the author's ethos becomes more difficult. If your E-text is a World Wide Web site, you may have to search a little to learn more about the author's ethos. If the page itself doesn't offer information about the writer, poke around to see whether you can find a link to the author's home page. If she has one, it will probably offer crucial information about the writer's expertise and authority on the topic.

What can you infer about the author's ethos from the place where the E-text exists? Did you find the E-text, a WWW page, for instance, through a professional organization? The National Science Foundation, for instance, has its own Web site that includes links to thousands of documents. You can probably infer that such an organization has conducted at least a rudimentary evaluation of the document before offering to link to it.

What can you infer about the author's perspective or biases? If you were doing research on automobile safety, for example, and you found E-text on the safety of Chevrolets, you would have to evaluate the objectivity of the E-text. If you found it on General Motors' commercial Web site, which would have a .com suffix, you would have to consider the information in light of the fact that GM has a commercial interest in Chevrolets. You could expect a higher level of objectivity from a site that had no financial interest in the product. Also, numerous interest groups sponsor WWW sites. So, if you were doing research on gun control, you'd have to make sure you understood whether the writer or E-text was somehow affiliated with the National Rifle Association, which would not support gun control, or with some group that endorses gun control.

What can you infer about the author's point of view, perspective, or beliefs from the tone of the E-text? Does she reveal any biases in the kind of language she uses? Inflammatory or slanted language can indicate the writer's biases even if she doesn't articulate a bias.

What can you infer about the author's point of view, perspective, or beliefs from the content of the E-text? Does he reveal any biases in the kinds of evidence used to support his position? If the writer, for example, is arguing for a particular Presidential candidate, does he draw examples and support from nationally prominent conservatives, moderates, or liberals? Whom the writer chooses to quote can reveal much about the writer's own background and biases.

What kind of evidence does the writer use to support his assertions? If quantitative, statistical data are used, does the author show where that data come from? How reliable is that source? How close to the data is the writer? Has she conducted the research herself, is she citing someone else's research which she has read, or is she citing someone else's reading of the original research?

What does the writer not say? As you are reading, especially if you have some prior knowledge about the topic, it might have occurred to you that the writer didn't bring up an idea you believe to be crucial. Often what a writer doesn't say can also reveal much about his point of view, beliefs, or biases.