Toefl practice essay

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television, newspapers, magazines, and other media pay too much attention to the personal lives of famous people such as public figures and celebrities.

　　Media have played an indispensable role in our lives. In Taiwan, it has long been discussed that the media mainly pay attention to celebrities and public figures instead of international news. While everyone has their own perspectives, I agree with this point of view.

　　There are at least two reasons for the phenomenon. To begin with, in order to persue a high rating, which brings higher profits, the reporters seize every opportunity to get any inside information and produce eye-catching news, such as gossiping about celebrities. These actions not only affect others’ privacy, but sometimes even breach the law. Take the news for example, a paparazzi was caught following a celebrity and was fined by the judge, for what he did had nothing to do with public walfare.

　　Secondly, besides traditional news media, such as televisions and prints, there are more and more self-media coming up, which makes the market more competitive. For the purpose of maintaining competitiveness, the media have to report news that can hit the sensation, or at least draw enormous attention. Based on this viewpoint, reporting gossip about celebrities and public figures has gradually become the mainstream. The media even abandon their integrity in pursuit of more exciting and alluring news.

　　Contrary to Taiwan, the content reported by the news media in the US is more extensive and balanced. They leave gossip to the tabloids or the entertainment section. By categorizing the news content, the media can have the so-called attracting points while maintaining their perfessionalism.

　　In conclusion, producing gossip news may make the media the top of the hot search list for one day. But if they want to stay competitive much longer, this is not a long-term solution. Only making news that concern public welfare, which is also the responsibility of the media, can they survive longer.