News editors decide what to broadcast on television and what to print in newspapers. What factors do you think influence these decisions? Do we become used to bad news? Would it be better if more good news was reported?
In most media houses, the decision of what content is to be broadcasted on TV or printed in daily newspapers lies squarely in the hands of
news
editors. Criteria and factors
such
as attention-worthiness, political relevance and sensationalism largely influence these decisions. As it is mostly bad news
that fits into these criteria, we tend to get used to bad news
because of the frequency of it being broadcast. In my opinion, more good news
should be reported, even if it's only for the sake of balance and the psychological effect.
Amongst the key mandates of news
editors is the mandate to increase the reach of the TV station or the number of buyers of the newspaper. As a result
, factors
such
as political relevance, attention-worthiness, and sensationalism which guarantee an increase in followers of a news
platform become metrics that influence the decision of what makes it to the news
. This
is seen in the disparity in follower numbers of platforms that report more politically relevant news
versus those who report on general news
, with the former having four times more followers than the latter on average. For example
, in 2019 CNN had an average of 200,000 daily watchers while
KNBC had 45,000 daily watchers.
News
considered as bad news
mostly fit into the previously listed influencing metrics for news
selection and as such
tend to feature more often than good news
. Naturally, we become used to things that we encounter more frequently, in this
case, bad news
. A study carried out by Harvard University’s psychology department which tracked news
content across 10 news
stations over the course of one year showed that bad news
occurred in a 20 to 1 ratio to good news
. This
high frequency of bad news
has made humans become used to and anticipate bad news
.
According to
psychologists, good news
tends to have great psychological effects on listeners and readers compared to bad news
. It is for
this
reason as well as
for the sake of balance that I believe that the more good news
is reported, the better it is for our society. News
editors should be encouraged to seek out and report more good news
for its psychological effects on our society.
In conclusion, factors
such
as attention-worthiness, political relevance and sensationalism are key influences on the decision of what makes it to print and TV. With bad news
fitting these factors
more than good news
, its frequency outnumbers that of good news
and as a result
, we get used to bad news
. However
, for its psychological effects and for balance, it would benefit society if more good news
is reported.Submitted by hueybakare on
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Incorporate a wider variety of transitional phrases to seamlessly connect ideas and paragraphs, further strengthening the essay's cohesion.
task achievement
To elevate the essay to an even higher score threshold, intensify the depth of your analysis and discussion. While your examples are relevant, embedding additional insights or parallel examples could enrich the content and provide a more comprehensive viewpoint.
task achievement
Explore a counter-argument or provide a broader perspective on why good news could be less prevalent, or why bad news garners more attention, to add complexity and nuance to your argument. This strategic inclusion can also serve to better fulfill the task's requirements by showcasing your ability to evaluate the topic from multiple facets.
Word Count
IELTS says that you should write a minimum of 250 words in writing task 2. If you go under word count you will lose marks in task response.
A very long essay will not give you a higher band score.
Aim for between 260 to 290 words in writing task 2. This will ensure a concise essay and will be realistic in terms of time management. You have only 40 minutes to write the essay and you need around 10 minutes of planning time, so you will not be able to write a long essay in 30 minutes.