TOW #10—“Gay Air Force Veteran Sues to Earn Honorable Discharge” by Jason Silverstein

In the 1940s, Hubert Edward Spires was undesirably discharged from the United States Air Force for being gay. Today, Spires, now 91, has filed a lawsuit asking for an honorable discharge. The case is not yet over, but Spires, who had a very close encounter with death, has filed the same lawsuit before and has failed. Author Jason Silverstein, a national breaking news reporter for the New York Daily News, shares the story solely to inform the public of the case and the changes in society since the 1940s.

                Although Silverstein is seemingly unbiased in the article, his diction proves to create a sympathetic tone towards Spires. Silverstein, after telling about the case itself, goes into Spires’s past. He uses words such as “kicked out”, “sacrifices”, “threatened”, “horrific and unbearable”, and “grilling”. Though the rest of the article seems unbiased, these few words build to create a mood of sympathy towards Spires and his case. It develops pathos which lends the readers as to why Spires acted and is still acting in the ways that he is and why it is important to his audience. It also helps Silverstein refine his audience. This slight emphasis draws the attention of gay rights activists or those in the gay community. Though a news source, and therefore unbiased, Silverstein easily draws in the people who will most support his article.

                Silverstein additionally uses quotes from many people close to the case. He quotes the complaint itself as well as Spires’s lawyer. Though never quoting Spires himself, Silverstein adds in a video of an interview with Spires, again promoting sympathy. He also, however, develops his own ethos by utilizing such tools. Silverstein himself was not included in the case at all, so his knowledge of the case may be questionable. But by using the people involved instead of his own thoughts, he proves he has learned about the case more than sufficiently and can be trusted with the facts. 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/gay-air-force-veteran-sues-earn-honorable-discharge-article-1.2881158