> Does it add anything meaningful to the article? At times, in certain cases, it can serve to "align" the article relative to readers' expectations and beliefs

> Does it add anything meaningful to the article? At times, in certain cases, it can serve to "align" the article relative to readers' expectations and beliefs. When the article is promoting a controversial position, it can help to show readers that "people like them" agree with it. In most cases, though, it's more likely included as a sort of "Carthago delenda est" to beat the drum for the author's preferred cultural crusade.