Persuasive & Informational - SPCH - Ganakos

Persuasive & Informational Resources

In persuasive speeches, the speaker is expected to take a position on an issue.

Back up your arguments with reliable, convincing sources.
It is helpful to research and consider arguments about your issues that don't align with your position.

Informational speeches seek to provide information to the audience about a topic.

Your speech will be more believable if you tell your audience where you are getting this information about your topic (AKA, citing your sources!)

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Collection of e-books that contain short, informational articles on a variety of topics.

It is a good idea to research your issue on more than one of these websites to double check for reliability and bias!

AllSides
Presents views on current news stories from the Right, the Left and the Center sides of the political spectrum.
FactCheck.org
From the Annenberg Public Policy Center, this non-partisan website aims to fact-check public statements made by individuals in current American politics.
OpenSecrets.org
This website mainly tracks where elected American legislators get their money and which entities contribute to their campaigns.
Politfact
From the Poynter Institute, Politifact focuses mainly on fact-checking statements in the political sphere, but does include some entries on other subjects reported by American media. Non-partisan.
Snopes.com
This site fact checks stories from the news and popular culture, including statements by politicians, Internet memes, and urban legends.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
Online resource covering today’s hottest social issues. OVIC brings together all the information that’s needed to fully understand an issue: pro and con viewpoint articles derived from award-winning Greenhaven Press series
Academic Onefile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Articles from many different disciplines. Includes both scholarly and consumer sources.
America's News This link opens in a new window
Offers hundreds of millions of current and archived full-text articles from news sources nationwide in a single, fully searchable online database.

Procon.org
Non-partisan website that aims to educated the public on multiple sides of controversial social isses.
Politifact.com
Non-partisan, Pulitzer prize-winning website that provides fact-checking on public statements made by politicians and public figures.
Pew Research Center
Non-partisan research think tank that focuses on informing the public about issues that are relevant to American society.