Genetically Engineered Crops Are Safe, Analysis Finds By Andrew Pollack

GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, have been a minor but relevant issue since they became popular. They exist almost everywhere in America, but countless people continue to debate whether they should remain. Andrew Pollack’s article “Genetically Engineered Crops Are Safe, Analysis Finds,” for instance, leans toward GMOs. In contrast, Danny Hakim’s “Doubts About the Promised Bounty of Genetically Modified Crops” gravitates against them. While exploring their perspectives of GMOs, the articles most prominently include an obvious audience, strong but contrasting uses of information, and various rhetorical appeals, all of which help demonstrate their purpose.
Andrew Pollack, the author of “Genetically Engineered Crops Are Safe, Analysis Finds,”
Throughout his article, Pollack references a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to support his claims and disprove false notions (Pollack). These repeated references to the report remind the reader that the author’s facts came from a credible organization. When describing this report, Pollack mentions that the advisory group who wrote it is “influential.” He doesn’t explain why they are influential, but uses that word nonetheless. This compels the reader to see both the group and the report as more credible even if they don’t have a discernible reason to. Additionally, the report is described as “...Written by a committee of 20, almost all of them from academia.” and having “...Roughly 400 pages…” (Pollack). This information isn’t imperative to the purpose of the article; however, it does add to the credibility of the report from the reader’s perspective. Generally, people assume that the longer a paper is, the more reliable it must be despite never having read it. Hearing that this report consists of almost four hundred pages would make readers believe that it is brimming with factual information regardless of what the report contains. The statement that it was written by a committee of people all from academia also expands on the credibility of the report that almost the entire article is based on. The readers now believe that, without a doubt, the report is trustworthy since it is both extremely lengthy and was written by educated