Business and Administrative Communication 10th Edition by Kitty Locker,Donna Kienzler

Exercise 24

Analyzing a Letter
Dr. Joseph Biederman, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Chief of Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD, wrote a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal that appeared December 19, 2008, on page A16. The letter reputes the claim that he had a significant relationship with pharmaceutical manufacturers. Find the letter in your library's electronic copy of the Wall Street Journal. (In ProQuest, the letter is listed under the title "I was Doing the Right Thing." Authors of letters to the editor are listed as Anonymous in ProQuest.)
For a memo to your instructor, analyze the letter.
What was your first impression
Is the letter convincing to you
What part makes you most sympathetic to the doctor
Is there any part that works against the doctor
Who are the audiences
What is the purpose of the letter
After you analyze the letter as it is, look up some articles about Dr. Biederman. Three that appeared in the Wall Street Journal, including the one referenced in the letter, are
David Armstrong, "Harvard Researchers Fail To Report Drug Payments," Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2008, A2.
David Armstrong and Alicia Mundy, "J J Emails Raise Issues of Risperdal Promotion," Wall Street Journal, November 25, 2008, B1.
Jennifer Levitz, "Drug Researcher Agrees to Curb Role," Wall Street Journal, December 31, 2008, B3.
Do these articles change your opinion of the letter Why
Include both parts of your analysis, of the letter itself and the impact of the articles, in a memo to your instructor.