IELTS Writing 12 Topics Sample #8/12 : Media 04

Some people claim that newspaper is the best way to get the latest information because it has more influence that other forms of media.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Opinion 1

Some people claim that the latest information is mostly from newspapers, but I would say television is a better way to get news and other information.

On behalf of newspapers, newspaper stories are generally more detailed and more in-depth than other media accounts of the same stories. a television or radio newscast has limited time in which to tell a news story. If the television news is only 30 minutes or 60 minutes in length, the television network can use only a limited amount of time for each story.Newspapers, on the other hand, often have more time and space to offer for a specific story.Also, newspaper stories are written instead of spoken like television or radio stories. If a person is reading a newspaper story and they are unclear about some of the facts in the story they can go back and read that story again.

On behalf of other forms of media, it is important to point out that printed newspapers are usually printed only once a day. Although some newspapers now have internet sites where they can disseminate news immediately, they still cannot distribute news as fast as other forms of electronic media, Electronic media such as television radio and internet news sources have the ability to deliver news much more quickly than newspapers. As a medium, television and radio offer unlimited video and audio accounts of news stories, but printed newspapers lack these forms of accounts.

Although newspapers have traditionally been a main source for information, other electronic media, especially television, are now challenging newspapers in this role. Television can provide news immediately while it is happening. Besides, television can do so with video and audio presentations that are not available in newspapers.

Opinion 2

In this globalized world, the media undoubtedly has significant influence on our life, from education, business to political affairs. I partly agree with the opinion that newspaper is the best source of up-to-date information compared to other sources.

Comparing with the internet and TV reports, the kind of information printed in newspapers is generally outdated. If people want to know what is happening at the moment, their best choice is turn on TV to watch live reports from the event site. Otherwise, they need to wait till the next day to catch up with the changes.

On the other hand, compared with the newspapers, news websites now play a more important role in many countries. These sites could provide readers faster access to reliable information by providing video footages of interviews with concerned individuals. Both younger and older readers could conveniently keep up with the latest news in just few clicks and often free of charge. Unlike radio or television programs, which require people to be there during the live broadcast, news websites are accessible at almost any time.

In summary, newspapers could have a stronger influence on readers on a local scale compared to other source On the other hand editing and printing of the information takes far more time than other forms of media. Therefore reading a traditional newspaper can be a quick way of following what is happening around the world for those who have limited access to TV or the internet. But to a large extent, traditional newspapers have been behind the times.