Tina Nguyen is a regular contributor to Vanity Fair, reporting for The Hive. She posts articles almost daily, covering politics and the media. Nguyen writes informative articles catered primarily to older adults, the most vocal demographic in American politics. This is partially reflective by the structure of her titles. For example, the title, “Paul Ryan Joins G.O.P. Retreat, Abandons Run in 2018,” is informative and political. It would more likely by interesting to an adult rather than a teenager. Despite the formality of her titles, Nguyen does make an effort to make them eye-grasping. For example, “Running Out of Punching Bags, Trump Turns on Mattis” would be less captivating without the “Running Out of Punching Bags.”
Because the main purpose of all of her articles is to inform readers, Nguyen primarily appeals to logos and ethos. In other words, Nguyen strives to provide the most reliable and credible content for her audience. In the article, “John Boehner, Cigarette Aficionado, Goes Green,” Nguyen discusses the growing acceptance of marijuana among republicans. She supports this information by including accounts from “Republican Dana Rohrabacher of California,” and “John Boehner, the famously orange former Speaker of the House and notorious chainsmoker.” By explaining who they are, Nguyen is able to show their connection to the subject, which further adds credibility to the information she is presenting.
Nguyen also heavily relies on complex syntactic techniques in her pieces. She uses many compound sentences and dashes to add supporting details to the informative she is addressing. In the article, “Trump Puts His Last Sane Adviser in a Sleeper Hold,” Nguyen discusses Trump’s recent announcement about sending the U.S. military to guard the border with Mexico. She notes that “the announcement about the deployment—which experts quickly noted might be illegal under a 19th-century law restricting how the military can be used—was quickly followed by a more official statement from the White House.” Nguyen includes the dashes to add a perspective from critics, which adds depth to the statement. In another portion of the article, Nguyen addresses Trump’s decision to withdrawal troops from Syria, which contradicted James Mattis’ (Trump’s secretary of the Defense Department), who repeatedly stated that they were staying there. She notes that there is still respect between each other: “As The New York Times Magazine recently reported, the president still listens to and respects Mattis, whose military bearing (“the closest thing to General George Patton that we have,” Trump has said) and “Mad Dog” moniker continue to impress.” Here, the author utilizes the comma after “Mattis,” and the statement from Trump in the parentheses to express the valuable characteristics of Mattis. Using these tactics further supported the point about the respect that Trump and Mattis still have.
The author uses a derisive and sarcastic tone in much of her commentary. In the article, Trump Doesn’t Know What Daca Is, But He Wants Dead,” Nguyen begins the piece saying, “As with most complex legislative initiatives, the president hasn’t even bothered to read the CliffsNotes.” This remark about reading Cliffs Notes was not only mocking towards Trump but to our legislators. Later in the piece, Nguyen briefly gives background to her conclusion about Trump by noting that it began with a meeting with “his more opinionated friends.” She italicized the word “opinionated” to add sarcasm. Similarly, in the article, “Hope (Hicks) Has Left the White House and All Hell is Breaking Loose,” Nguyen demonstrates the same tone in various parts. For example, she introduces the piece saying, “As of this morning, Hope Hicks is no longer working in the White House, depriving Donald Trump of whatever glue was holding his West Wing together.” The last part about the glue holding the West Wing was very mocking towards Trump’s office. The tone that Nguyen expressess in here pieces allows her to express her thoughts on the matters she is presenting to readers. It also adds a sense of comedy to her information packed articles.
Tina Nguyen writes on sensitive, controversial topics on politics and media with the intent to inform her readers, which is primarily American adults. She uses logos, ethos, and complex syntactical techniques to provide the best possible content for her readers. Nguyen is unique among other informative reporters in that she is not afraid to blatantly incorporate her own commentary and opinion in her pieces. Her willingness to consistently write such informative and bold articles, especially in our current political climate, shows why she is valuable toVanity Fair.