The Difference between Journalism and Social Research

The transgender service members and veterans will be the subject of this analysis. The term “transgender” refers to those who struggle with gender identity and express themselves in a way that differs from the gender they were given at birth. The term “transgender” is typically used to describe transgender people who seek medical treatment to change their gender. In other circumstances, persons who believe they are in the wrong body are also classified as transgender. Transgender people are those who cannot solely identify as either masculine or feminine. For instance, transgender women who feel it odd to wear women’s clothing and have male-like bodies are also women; this is the same case for people who feel like they are in the wrong bodies. There have been a lot of concerns since the US president Donald Trump, said that the transgender people are not allowed to serve in the military. It is a justice matter that will affect the American military operations and policies; this will, in turn, affect many people. Current reports show that more than 15, 000 transgender serve in the army and they might be hit by the declaration by the President. Since it is a current affair that is likely to change the policies of joining the military in the US, readers need to be on the look out to find out any change that will be made. The matter was presented by journalist and authors of a social science journal; the presentations have similarities and differences. For instance, the authors of the social science journal systematically corrected data, the data that is used has more ground in theory. The social science journal authors spend more time in conducting their research, in most cases, they also spend resources so that they get specific findings. In this case, the authors of the journal “Medical Aspects of Transgender Military Service” base their article on several research statistics that have been carried out in the past. After getting their findings, they base them on some theories, and they can develop their theories. It is not the case with the news article journalists, do not base their findings on any theory. The newspaper article writers do not state their conclusions or associate them with any principles as the social science journal authors. The social science authors wrote the journal for a particular audience. They have a target audience; they use a professional language in expressing their facts. The newspaper article journalist use a language that suggests that they have a broad audience, their language is expressive, and everyone can easily understand the points. It can also be noted that the newspaper article is time conscious, the journalists who wrote the article considered the events that were taking place at that point. The writers tend to inform their audiences more on the current affairs and news happenings around them. The social science journal authors take some time to conduct research and analyze their finding before they publish the magazines. In this case, the newspaper article journalist only uses the policies of joining the US military to explain an announcement that was made by the President via twitter. A lot of research has not been conducted in this case, and the findings are not analyzed. The author makes conclusions from the stated policies. The journal authors have done an in depth analysis of their results and based their articles on research that has already been conducted.

The social science journal article is more accurate and comprehensive; this is because the study findings have been analyzed. There has been extensive research on the topic, and the facts that have been stated have supporting evidence. However, the newspaper article was more compelling to read. It is because the language that was used in the article was easily understood, the facts were stated and opinions given in a short and precise manner. The newspaper article and the journal article have few similarities, they both state statistics from research and study that has been carried out before. In the newspaper article, they say that over 15, 000 transgender people serving in the army, the journal article also states that about 15, 500 transgender people serve in the military. Both items use facts that have been found in the past. Another similarity is that the articles state the implications of the proposed policy, for instance in the newspaper article it is said that if the ban is imposed then the justification of “the American thing to do” will be broken. In the journal article, it is stated that if the prohibition on transgender joining the military is lifted, then the health outcomes of the service men and women will improve.

References

“4 Dangerous Myths About The Transgender Military Ban.” Time.Com, 2017, http://time.com/4877230/trump-transgender-military-ban-myths/.

Elders, M. J., Brown, G. R., Coleman, E., Kolditz, T. A., & Steinman, A. M. (2015). Medical aspects of transgender military service. Armed Forces & Society, 41(2), 199-220.