The editor of a local newspaper sent the following memo to the managing editor of the paper:
“Three years ago when we surveyed our subscribers, they complained about the quality of the reporting and writing in the paper. Since that time, we have made a concerted effort to hire older, more experienced journalists. According to our most recent survey, these changes have made a vast improvement. Not only has our subscriber base grown by 13%, but they also rated us higher on both reporting and writing. Therefore, it is evident that to continue to increase our readership, we should hire the most experienced journalists we can find, and gradually fire our younger, less experienced reporters."
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation
Though the recommendation that hiring older, more experienced journalists and firing the younger less experienced reporters could lead to an increase in the quality of both writing and reporting, there are some questions that need to be answered and evaluated before this claim verified. This claim relies on the grounds that correlation implies causation and thus it needs to be scrutinized thoroughly for evaluation.
Firstly, the quality of the survey is in question. The quality of a survey is decided on the target audience and the form of the questions.
Who were the target audience of the survey? Did they represent a normalized reader base? Or it was just a sect of the subscribers? If, indeed the surveyed sample could represent the entire subscriber base then the survey could be deemed useful.
We also have to consider how the questions of the survey were framed.Were they asking for complaints or comments in general? Or was it a general survey asking questions? People when given the chance for comments or feedback tend to write negative points about the item in question, either with a tone of constructive criticism, or with a tone of contempt/ridicule.This phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that people only mention what they want changed and not what they are happy with. A survey with a general questionnare would be apt instead.
The same questions mentioned above could be asked for the second survey which showed an increase in rating questioning the validity of the survey on both the premises of audience and quality of questions.
Second , How different was the market back then and now? A major rival present back then and absent now? If this were to be the case then the increase in subscriber base cannot be attributed to the increase in quality of work.
Third.We should also consider the general trends of the times three years apart. What was the percentage of people consuming newspapers then? How about now ? Has there been an increase of consumption? An increase in consumption of newspapers by the general public invalidates the claim that the quality of work has improved.
Before anything can be concluded about younger journalists not performing on par with senior ones, one has to judge the quality of works of both the parties by comparing one with another to validate/invalidate the claim.
Even though a few numbers from a survey might seem compelling enough to conclude the claim that indeed the young journalists should be replaced by senior ones, a plethora of questions need to be answered prior before any conclusion can be made and definitely before any action be taken.
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 5, column 132, Rule ID: SENTENCE_FRAGMENT[1]
Message: “If” at the beginning of a sentence requires a 2nd clause. Maybe a comma, question or exclamation mark is missing, or the sentence is incomplete and should be joined with the following sentence.
... it was just a sect of the subscribers? If, indeed the surveyed sample could repre...
^^
Line 7, column 70, Rule ID: SENTENCE_WHITESPACE
Message: Add a space between sentences
Suggestion: Were
...the questions of the survey were framed.Were they asking for complaints or comments ...
^^^^
Line 7, column 365, Rule ID: SENTENCE_WHITESPACE
Message: Add a space between sentences
Suggestion: This
...sm, or with a tone of contempt/ridicule.This phenomenon can be attributed to the fac...
^^^^
Line 7, column 445, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
... fact that people only mention what they want changed and not what they are happy...
^^
Line 11, column 7, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
Message: Put a space after the comma, but not before the comma
Suggestion: ,
...ence and quality of questions. Second , How different was the market back then ...
^^
Line 11, column 106, Rule ID: SENTENCE_FRAGMENT[1]
Message: “If” at the beginning of a sentence requires a 2nd clause. Maybe a comma, question or exclamation mark is missing, or the sentence is incomplete and should be joined with the following sentence.
...rival present back then and absent now? If this were to be the case then the incre...
^^
Line 13, column 7, Rule ID: SENTENCE_WHITESPACE
Message: Add a space between sentences
Suggestion: We
...e increase in quality of work. Third.We should also consider the general trends...
^^
Line 13, column 250, Rule ID: GENERAL_XX[1]
Message: Use simply 'public'.
Suggestion: public
...ase in consumption of newspapers by the general public invalidates the claim that the quality ...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, first, firstly, if, second, so, then, third, thus, as to, in general
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 26.0 19.6327345309 132% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 14.0 12.9520958084 108% => OK
Conjunction : 15.0 11.1786427146 134% => OK
Relative clauses : 9.0 13.6137724551 66% => More relative clauses wanted.
Pronoun: 19.0 28.8173652695 66% => OK
Preposition: 63.0 55.5748502994 113% => OK
Nominalization: 12.0 16.3942115768 73% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2214.0 2260.96107784 98% => OK
No of words: 438.0 441.139720559 99% => OK
Chars per words: 5.05479452055 5.12650576532 99% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.57476223824 4.56307096286 100% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.90027071977 2.78398813304 104% => OK
Unique words: 209.0 204.123752495 102% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.477168949772 0.468620217663 102% => OK
syllable_count: 677.7 705.55239521 96% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.59920159681 94% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 4.0 4.96107784431 81% => OK
Article: 7.0 8.76447105788 80% => OK
Subordination: 4.0 2.70958083832 148% => OK
Conjunction: 3.0 1.67365269461 179% => OK
Preposition: 1.0 4.22255489022 24% => More preposition wanted as sentence beginning.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 23.0 19.7664670659 116% => OK
Sentence length: 19.0 22.8473053892 83% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 87.8642620434 57.8364921388 152% => OK
Chars per sentence: 96.2608695652 119.503703932 81% => OK
Words per sentence: 19.0434782609 23.324526521 82% => OK
Discourse Markers: 3.4347826087 5.70786347227 60% => OK
Paragraphs: 9.0 5.15768463074 174% => Less paragraphs wanted.
Language errors: 8.0 5.25449101796 152% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 7.0 8.20758483034 85% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 3.0 6.88822355289 44% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 13.0 4.67664670659 278% => Less facts, knowledge or examples wanted.
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.117308917967 0.218282227539 54% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0395027030772 0.0743258471296 53% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0299596397961 0.0701772020484 43% => Sentences are similar to each other.
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0556028904063 0.128457276422 43% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0319738878152 0.0628817314937 51% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 11.9 14.3799401198 83% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 60.65 48.3550499002 125% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 7.1628742515 43% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 9.5 12.197005988 78% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.01 12.5979740519 95% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.0 8.32208582834 96% => OK
difficult_words: 95.0 98.500998004 96% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 11.5 12.3882235529 93% => OK
gunning_fog: 9.6 11.1389221557 86% => OK
text_standard: 12.0 11.9071856287 101% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Maximum six paragraphs wanted.
Rates: 50.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 3.0 Out of 6
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.