Article Analysis - 4th Week

The following is an analysis of the article "Lifers as Teenagers, Now Seeking Second Chance," that was published on the front page of the NYT today by Adam Liptak. This is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/us/17teenage.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin.

The first thing I noticed was that I don't like the lede. I think that it may be a really good second or third paragraph, but I don't thnk that it gets to the heart of the problem right away; it doesn't mesh right with the headline. Even if one considers it acceptable, I don't think it's a good idea to start with "In December" because I read that and the first thing I thought was "Well if it happened in December why do I care now?" The paragraph itself is very important to the article, but I don't think it's the right way to start.

I thought that the one girl that Liptak used as an example throughout the article was a good one. He was able to show both sides to the story through her - how maybe some teenagers shouldn't get life without possiblility of parole, but it's a case by case basis, because some of them may need to be in there. I thought that it was interesting that he didn't bring up the possibility of mental facilities because that was something I thought of when I was reading the quote by the prosecutor who said that the girl doesn't have a conscience. If she doesn't have a conscience, that's a psychological problem but not necessarily one that's her fault, so should we punish her for life because of it, or try to get her help? I understand that psychological defenses are overused, but I do think that there are cases where it's appropriate. This article was really good at causing people to think about their own opinions, and how they may feel about this issue.

His facts were good and relevant and I thought that his sources (the prosecutor, the grandma, the girl herself, etc.) were well-rounded and unbiasedly portrayed. He also did a good job at taking her case and then talking about the entire country. I also thought that his ending was appropriate - sticking in an opinion of what should happen to the girl's boyfriend, who was also convicted, as it wouldn't really have fit anywhere else in the story. Overall, I really liked the article, and it was very interesting.