Suicide is increasingly becoming a common consequence of cyber bullying. In the article “Immigrant Teen Taunted by Cyberbullies Hangs Herself” by Susan Donald James, Phoebe Prince is reported to be another adolescent to take her own life due to cyber bullying.
The case of Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old Irish immigrant, shakes a small Massachusetts community where Internet bullying is becoming all too common. The South Hadley Police Department has opened an investigation into the death after several classmates came forward to tell school officials Prince had been harassed via text messages and Facebook, Police Chief David LaBrie said in an interview with ABCNews.com.
Prince is not the only case of cyber bullying that has hit national news recently. A 13-year-old in Missouri, a 9-year-old in Texas, and an 11-year-old in Massachusetts are all cases of suicide due to cyber bullying in the last five years. “Some kids can be very mean towards each other using that medium,” South Hadley School Superintendent Gus A. Sayer told Boston Globe, and the problem just seems to be getting more out of hand.
“Immigrant Teen Taunted by Cyberbullies Hangs Herself” catches a reader’s eye on ABCnews.com as a basic news headline. Susan Donald James, the author, begins the article with a narrative lead, sparking the reader’s curiosity to keep reading. The nut graf, which follows the lead in the next paragraph, expands more on the narrative James has just begun.
As James continues reporting the basic information on this recent case, she includes short quotes and brief attributions to a variety of qualified sources. From the South Hadley Chief of Police to a psychologist who specializes in adolescents, facts are supported with quotes that compliment the article rather than overpower the author’s words. Thus keeping the article objective and accurate throughout.
Although the article’s length of two online pages could have been daunting for a reader, James organizes the piece with subheads. This format along with the use of strong verbs and the avoidance of any clichés facilitates reader comprehension. James wrote an easy to read article that could be useful and informative to a wide range of audiences.
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