The news media have become too much influence in people lives today and this is a negative development. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Many people believe that the news media have been exerting negative effects on people’s lives, which is an undesirable phenomenon. I completely agree with this view.
The scenario of the public’s growing dependence on news outlets in either print or non-print forms means that people are being instilled with skewed or unreliable information. Many news channels perpetually loop the same pieces of news all day long, hammering them in the minds of unsuspecting audience. These media houses are often corporate sell-outs that publish news to earn profits or boost their ratings, and negatively cater to the masses by putting out the most sensational news stories. For example, XYZ — a popular news channel — often gives overly-focused accounts of events such as the scandal of a celebrity or the anticipated demise of the human race, simply to hook viewers.
The freedom of news in sharing opinions about any issue is also thought to seed stereotypical judgments into people’s thinking. This is an unfavorable situation, especially in developing or underdeveloped countries where the majority of people are not rational enough to sift through news and recognize the truth. As a result, the audience will be thrown into a state of panic and jump to undesirable actions to protect themselves. For instance, the recent news that the state will pay only 3000 US dollars maximum for those with savings account if a bank goes bankrupt has made people withdraw all their money for fear of losing everything.
In conclusion, I believe that the influence of the media is excessively negative, leaving people with distorted thoughts and fear.
270 words – IELTS Corner
