Article of the Week 9/12: 9/11 Threat

This week's article is written by Susan Candiotti of CNN.com and discusses the heightened security and safety precautions that are taking place in New York and Washington DC. She writes about the discovery of intelligence founded by key U.S officials and from the raid at Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan. Revenge is also discussed from al-Qaeda since the U.S Military captured Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda officials in the past few months. This piece was written to describe and discuss the precautions and sources for a possible 9/11 anniversary attack. She uses a variety of government sources to prove credibility of the topic and possibility of a threat. Many officials, including Vice-President Biden, have spoken about the intercepted communications from Pakistan and other sources, "'This is the first ... credible piece of information we've gotten,' Biden told NBC's 'Today' show." She uses these specific quotes to tell her audience that the government has found key information regarding a possible attack and they are taking the proper steps to prevent an attack from doing horrific damage. She tells the general public that the government is controlling the situation by declaring it a priority for the weekend. She uses euphemisms to calm the reader down and does not try to create panic among the audience. "No changes have been made to the president's schedule for the weekend," this quote assures the reader that the President is not concerned with the possible threat of an attack and will continue his schedule activities for the weekend. The audience feels secure because how Candiotti shows the President's confidence in his safety without saying anything about how the possible threat could change his plans. Candiotti demonstrated her purpose by explaining what was going on this weekend with the threat of an attack, but also reassured her audience that the government has taken precautionary steps to keep both New York and Washington DC safe.