The Majority Of News Being Reported Is Bad News Such As Wars, Famines And Accidents | Band 7.5 IELTS Essay Sample

The majority of news being reported is bad news such as wars, famines, accidents and crime. Why do you think that is? DO you think news should be a balance of both good and bad news?

Here is a band 7.5 IELTS essay on this topic written by one of our students. Need help with IELTS writing? Get your IELTS essays, letters and reports corrected by me.

Band 7.5 IELTS essay sample

Media has a crucial role in many people’s lives as they prefer to be up-to-date with what is going on around the globe. Bad news is given more importance because it shocks people and captures their attention. Even so, I feel that there should be a balance between good and bad news because exposure to too much bad news can make people pessimistic.

To begin with, bad news gets excessive coverage in the media because of its shock value. People are naturally intrigued by stories of crime and horror and that is why media gives excessive coverage to it. Media wants to boost their readership or viewership and hence they publish stories that are certain to attract an audience. Stories of famine or wars invoke both fear and relief in people. They are shocked to hear that such things are happening in different parts of the world. At the same time, they are relieved that it is not happening to them. So, obviously, these stories will never bore readers and hence they will always get excessive coverage in the media.

On the other hand, there should be a balance between good and bad news because if only bad news is published it makes people believe that the world is a dangerous place to live in. For instance, in 2010, a study in the U.S. found that 90% of participants preferred a balance between good and bad news. That means people want to hear about bad news as well as positive news such as medical research breakthroughs and charitable work.

To sum up, it is true that news has a vital rule in the majority of people’s lives as it is a way of being informed and up-to-date. Most of the news is bad news because it attracts more people. However, in my opinion, there should be a balance because exposure to too much bad news makes people pessimistic.

Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I'm Manjusha. This is my blog where I give IELTS preparation tips.