{"id":485,"date":"2025-11-08T12:47:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T17:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/migration-reporting2025\/?p=485"},"modified":"2025-11-08T12:47:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T17:47:21","slug":"week-10-frames-of-reference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/migration-reporting2025\/week-10-frames-of-reference\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 10: Frames of Reference"},"content":{"rendered":"

TIME\u2019s article about Israel\u2019s Use of AI in Gaza is heavy on quotes. The piece relies on experts to explain Israel\u2019s mounting reliance on AI to locate and suggest targets, and the humanitarian implication of this trend. While the article lacks a central character, expert opinions coalesce to form a daunting picture of warfare\u2019s future. The author writes that, according to experts, drones \u201care not yet fully autonomous,\u201d suggesting that soon, if international law doesn\u2019t implement guardrails, drones may target and kill with no human in the loop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though Serhan relies more on expert opinion than narrative detail, she manages to connect to readers through a deft balance of familiarity and distance. From the start, she implores readers to recall images they\u2019ve seen (\u201cAI warfare may conjure up images of killer robots and autonomous drones\u201d), creating a target of contradiction for what\u2019s to follow (\u201ca different reality is unfolding in the Gaza strip\u201d). Not only does this set-up allow readers to feel grounded in their imaginations, but it also creates suspense. Serhan primes readers to anticipate surprise. In this piece, what McPhee defines as \u201cframe of reference\u201d is the summation of images and news items covering the war in Gaza, and the role of drones in this conflict, that the reader has consumed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In both Robert Worth\u2019s feature about Aleppo after the rebels\u2019 siege of the city and Dan Barry\u2019s piece on Song Yang, setting is a central frame of reference. Both writers contribute their own observations of place to a broader story which, in each case, is largely about a set of characters\u2019 evolving relationship with that setting, the passage of time, and death.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Barry and Singer\u2019s piece is, no doubt, immersive. I was moved by the story behind it: Barry read a headline, it made him mad, so he decided to learn more. The story he and Singer follow is an investigation into the dead woman\u2019s life, circumstances, neighborhood, and the women who continue to toil under the exploitative conditions she underwent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This story is most successful when its frame of reference is consistent. About halfway through the narrative, Barry zeroes in on 40th road. Readers learn more about the aftermath of Song Yang\u2019s death. Her mother\u2019s grief and brother\u2019s conspiracies are central plot lines. This focus\u2013on the family\u2019s and neighborhood\u2019s reaction to Song Yang\u2019s death in Flushing\u2013recreated a textured world, making Song Yang\u2019s absence all the more apparent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the narrative jumped around, in time and setting, I lost interest. Song Yang is nowhere near as multidimensional a character in the story as her brother. The ongoing action of her brother\u2019s investigation into her death draws the reader in. And the reporter benefits from observing him in action. While the history of Song Yang is compelling, it lacks depth in writing. Further, anecdotes from her childhood are interwoven with details about her life in Flushing, and I found these transitions disorienting. If anything, the successes and shortcomings of this piece underscored the reliability of chronology as an immersive tool. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TIME\u2019s article about Israel\u2019s Use of AI in Gaza is heavy on quotes. The piece relies on experts to explain Israel\u2019s mounting reliance on AI to locate and suggest targets, and the humanitarian implication of this trend. While the article lacks a central character, expert opinions coalesce to form a daunting picture of warfare\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

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