Introduction
Depression and anxiety are common psychiatric problems and require attention as they arise daily. Both conditions have close to similar symptoms and are highly likely to affect someone at the same time. They are both treatable but require high commitment from the patient to recover fully. Different scholars and health institutions have studied the two conditions to find out more about why and how they occur hence finding a lasting solution. Two articles, one from WHO and another from Kalin, described the differences in audiences, content delivery, and article writing purposes exhibited by different authors.
Comparing the Two Articles
Author’s Knowledge of Depression
WHO is an agency that works to promote health, protect the world, and serve the vulnerable. The organization concentrates on critically studying different health issues; therefore, WHO is highly knowledgeable about depression. Depression is universal, with an estimated 3.8% of the population, including 5.0% among adults and 5.7% among adults older than 60 (WHO). WHO had worldwide access to information and statistics involving the effects and spread of depression. The organization ensured the study’s continuity, constantly updated and published current issues and the latest news on depression.
Kalin wrote an article on the relationship between anxiety and depression in which information was sourced from past studies. According to statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the twelve-month prevalence of major depressive disorder in 2017 was estimated to be 7.1% for adults and 13.3% for adolescents (Kalin 366). The author’s knowledge would be limited because he did not study depression continuously and only wrote the article once and for a specific purpose. Research relying on other peoples’ findings could be biased, limiting the knowledge the researcher would get.
Language in the Article
WHO used texts and words that were easy to follow and understood by the audience. The article outlined the meaning of depression, symptoms and patterns, contributing factors and prevention, and diagnosis and treatment. Morphology relates to language processing and acquisition issues and analyzes parts of speech, stress, context, and structure of words (Jackendoff and Audring). On the other hand, Kalin used pragmatic language, where communication using references to past events dominated. The article compared depression and anxiety based on preceding texts that had explained the meaning of a population affected by the two conditions.
Article’s Validation
The two articles were valid depending on the audience targeted. WHO is known to deal with issues concerning the health and well-being of people globally, and therefore information about depression published in its article was acceptable due to the diverse sources used. Who was highly likely to avoid bias as it was more concerned about the health of a nation than interest in personal gains. Kalin’s article referenced other scholars who studied various dimensions of depression. The researchers had different motives when conducting research; using vast sources validated Kalin’s article.
Target Audience
Educated and affluent readers read newspapers and magazines to quench their thirst for new information. The magazine market is highly segmented, divided demographically and in terms of interests (Bonner 204). WHO’s article targeted people more concerned about health and depression, such as doctors and nurses. The primary issue addressed was depression which made the article brief and direct. Experienced research scientists, practitioners, and students in the medical field used journal articles such as Kalin’s during research. Journal articles were helpful during referrals and contained information from past occurrences that were difficult to trace through newspapers’
Organization of Information
The information in WHO’s article was well organized and easy to understand. The arrangement of paragraphs and use of subheadings on different depression issues to highlight the paragraph contents made it easy for readers to interpret the information in the article. An article contains the title, byline, lead, story, sources, and ending (Fleming). Kali’s article could be sketchier, considering that it needed to have subheadings that were critical in helping a reader. The article had long paragraphs from the beginning to the end, which made it difficult to follow and understand. It was pretty tiring when the reader wanted to refer to texts they had read earlier due to the massive number of words.
References in the Articles
Kali used different scholarly articles when writing his journal, and he has a wide range of references. The article quoted information from other articles appropriately, making it easy to refer to the article itself. The article on the relationship between depression and anxiety is rich in information and shows that the research was well done. The article by WHO on depression did not indicate the sources from which it got its information. The article consists of specific numbers and percentages, but it does not indicate the sources of the numbers.
Purpose of the Articles
The purpose of a newspaper as a form of mass media is to notify and educate readers on current affairs. Depression should be addressed without delay as it is rampantly increasing worldwide, and WHO fulfilled the article’s purpose by informing the readers about depression and its critical factors. On the other hand, Kalin wrote a journal article that provided valuable information to society. The society comprises scholars, professionals, and other members who do not belong to specific groups who would be satisfied by information from Kalin’s journal.
Conclusion
Two articles, one from WHO and another from Kalin, described the differences in audiences, content delivery, and article writing purposes exhibited by different authors. The essay considered that factors such as language, purpose, and audience of the articles differ and that newspapers and journals follow different dimensions when delivering information. However, it is essential to ensure that information is delivered correctly despite the different methods used.
Works Cited
Bonner, Frances. “Magazines.” The Media & Communications in Australia, 2020, pp. 193–208., Web.
Fleming, Grace. “How to Write a News Article That’s Effective.” ThoughtCo, Web.
Jackendoff, Ray, and Jenny Audrina. “The Texture of the Lexicon.” 2019, Web.
Kalin, Ned H. “The Critical Relationship between Anxiety and Depression.” American Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 177, no. 5, 2020, pp. 365–367. Web.
WHO. “Depression.” World Health Organization, 2021, Web.