Russian President Sends Obama Warning European Missile System

By Ellen Barry
November 6, 2008
New York Times
International Section

This article is about Russian President Dmitri A. Medvedev giving Obama warnings, using bristling language, saying he will place short range missiles of Russia’s western border if Washington decides to put missile defense system in Eastern Europe. Mr. Medvedev gave this speech on Wednesday and talking about liberalization. He said that America is the one to blame for ills, financial crisis, and the recent war in Georgia. He also has a problem on Obama’s plan to lengthen the presidential term to six years instead of 4 years.

The lede was well written, it included four w’s, it summaries what the article is about, and it catches the reader’s attention. It makes readers think, “God he’s been president for one day and already other countries are having “beef” with him.”

Followed by the lede is a small paragraph about how Mr. Medvedev didn’t congratulate Obama on winning the election a few hours before, and he didn’t even mention him by name when complaining about the missile defense system. The narrative is an ABAB type, because it quotes President Medvedev and it quotes other people who support Medvedev, and also two officials form the Bush Administration, who say it was not a coincidence that the speech was said after the presidential election. It makes readers wonder if other countries are after Obama. Obama is not quoted at all in the entire article, which he should have been so readers would know the reaction he had when Medvedev didn’t congratulate him or address him by his name.

The article ended with quote by Alexander Rahr, director of the Russian/Eurasian program at the German Council on Foreign Relations.