User:APKnight25/Evaluate an Article
Evaluating "The Stabbing of Adele Morales"
[edit]I read and evaluated the Wikipedia article, "The Stabbing of Adele Morales," and have comments on the lead, content, tone, references, clarity, media incorporation, and the talk page of the article. All of these pieces led to my overall impression.
Why I Chose "The Stabbing of Adele Morales"
[edit]I chose this Wikipedia article because I find murder cases intriguing. I also believe that objectivity is key in these cases, so that people can make informed decisions without a bias point of view guiding them.
My initial impression is that it needs additional citations and that it seems overly wordy in some sections. The wordiness is distracting and takes away from the point. It made it difficult at times to read the text, and I found the first sentence under Incident especially egregious.
The last sentence also does not end with proper emphasizing. Instead, it’s confusing, convoluted, and flat. There are also some unbiased sections with emotional words outside of the quotes. Other than that, it was an engaging and informative article.
Evaluation Key Points
[edit]Lead
[edit]The first sentence is effective in describing the article. The reader knows that the article focuses on Norman Mailer stabbing his wife, Adele Morales. The lead also gives a brief idea of what to expect in the article, which is the event leading up to the stabbing, the actual stabbing, and the aftermath. “Stabbing of Adele Morales” has a brief, concise, and informative lead.
Content
[edit]The article has up-to-date information because there is not update past his confession of remorse. The page may be missing relevant information though, especially with the missing citations. Finding where the information came from can offer more facts about the incident. I felt as though the feminist perspective at the bottom was interesting, but I don’t know if it is necessary to include. If it is, I would suggest an entire separate section for feminist perspective on the incident.
I also think that the focus is on Mailer, which silences Morales’ voice. Including her perspective will benefit the neutrality of the story.
Tone and Balance
[edit]The article has some bias wording within it. If it were only in the quotes, then I believe it would be fine, but it the editor’s thoughts are throughout. As mentioned, the article overrepresents Mailer while underrepresenting Morales. As a woman, especially during that time, Morales was a silenced minority and deserves to have her voice heard. The article does not actively try to persuade readers.
Sources and References
[edit]There are missing citations, which means that there needs to be additional sources, but the Wikipedia has a well fleshed out reference page. It means that I need to investigate these sources to see if they can be reused or if I need additional sources. I would like to possibly get more book sources. There are many different authors cited, which makes the article seem less bias. Instead, it takes the information from many other sources.
Organization and Writing Clarity
[edit]The article is generally well-written, but it suffers from convoluted and long sentences. Generally, the syntax can be more concise. Besides the run-on sentences, there is no other grammatical or spelling errors. The timeline is also clear and easy to follow without backtracking.
Images and Media
[edit]There are no images or media in the Wikipedia article. While not necessary, I think an image of Morales and Mailer may be beneficial. These photos would give a face to the murderer and victim. I would need to workshop it with fellow editors because it could be harmful to show faces in such a sensitive case.
Talk Page
[edit]There is currently no discussion on the talk page, but there is a disclaimer. All unsourced media about a living person will be removed.
Overall Impression
[edit]The article has “Start” as its quality rating, which means that it is an incomplete article. It has a few strengths, such as an engaging writing style and cohesive timeline. It can improve by expanding on Morales’ point of view on the situation and cleaning up the text revolving around the party scene. It also has long sentences that can be more concise. With these changes, the article can be informative and trustworthy