The Big Trade

Although two people can be discussing what is virtually the same thing, the way it is described can result in two completely different stories. As I looked through the New York Times and the New York Daily News, I saw many articles featuring the same current event topics from all over the world. The topic that I decide to settle on was the shocking National Basketball Association trade that sent the star small forward Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies across the Canadian border to the Toronto Raptors. The different perspectives and takes by the authors brought the story to the reader in very different ways.
The small differences can be seen as early as the first line. The opening sentence of both articles describes the trade that has been completed, but from the perspective of opposite teams. The New York Times article comes from the perspective of the struggling Raptors, and how the acquisition of Rudy Gay gives them hope on a possible entry into the playoffs. Meanwhile, the opening line of the Daily News article focuses on the Memphis Grizzlies’ money motivated makeover. Although it is only the first sentence, the difference in the use of words by the authors makes the outcome of the trade seem happy on one side, and somber on the other. This sets the tone for the rest of both the articles. The NY Times article makes the trade seem like a simple business move. The single quote used in the article comes from the Raptors’ general manager and his happiness in acquiring a new asset. On the contrary, the Daily News article takes a more personal view on the trade. The main quotes come from a few of the players and their sadness in leaving the places they have come to call their homes. The Daily News article also features a quote from one of the general managers. Unlike the other general manager who was celebrating the move, he instead discussed his sadness in parting with one of his long time players. I was surprised at how more in depth the Daily News article went than the NY Times one. The Daily News brought opinions of several players on the trade which is something that was not featured in the Times. This use of evidence brought readers a bit of a consensus on what the feedback of the trade was. The use of language can represent truth in many different ways. Although both articles were virtually on the same topic, the different perspectives of both authors strongly differed the two articles from each other. We sometimes do not recognize how much perspective can change our outlook on what is being said. What is true in our eyes may not be true in someone elses. Just like in the way one author perceived the trade, the other author’s opinion on it differed. They both conveyed the same story, but through their own truth and words.