Writer's Strike

In 2007, over 12,000 TV, film, and radio writers across America were on strike. The east and west sides of the Writers Guild of America joined forces from November 5, 2007, to February 12, 2008. The writers believed that they were not being payed fairly in comparison to the large cut that the big corporations kept for themselves, and wanted to double the residual income of DVD sales. When the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers refused their request, they picketed and held rally after rally to prove that they meant business. After months of negotiation between the WGA and the AMPTP, the WGA decided to negotiate with each studio individually and came to several agreements with them, showing how persevering is an essential part of public advocacy.

In this rhetorical situation, the exigence would be the WGA's need for a larger cut of the profits. They try to convey this to their audience, who is not only limited to AMPTP with intention to persuade them to see it their way and give them that cut, but includes all of America itself, persuading them to see the situation from their eyes and sympathize. The constraints would include their large audience. It would be almost impossible for them to talk to each person directly, so they must make a statement towards the group and hope that their message is decoded properly. The audience of the AMPTP, as well, may not be willing to listen to the WGA's problems, and so they must word their arguments in a way that can make the AMPTP sympathize as well.