28. Is it true that media pay too much attention to the personal lives of famous
people?
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. Use specific reasons and details to explain your opinion.
『分析』
不能同意这个观点——因为这样的说法过于片面。
有些..媒体(大众传媒mass media)表现得过于关注名人。但是真正的起因(the real cause)却是大众(the
public; the broad masses of the people)本身——大众过于关注名人以及名人的私生活。媒体不过是在
迎合大众(cater to the needs of customers; 过去几年里, 电视一直迎合大众的口味。 In the past several
years, television has been playing to the gallery.)，因为媒体也是商业机构(commercial organization)，
也要盈利(profit-driving)。
Edited by Lost Lawyer
不是所有....媒体都在一味迎合大众，也不是所有的television program, newspaper column都在关注名人。
『范文』
It is true that television programs concerning personal lives of celebrities always receive the highest audience
rating. It is also true that newspapers and magazines are constantly reporting stories, which are usually beyond
confirmation, about famous people, and that autobiographies written by public figures are always on the top 10
best-sellers' list. It seems that we live in a world where a few individuals are drawing nearly all attentions.
Nevertheless, it is not exactly precise to criticize the mass media, including television, newspapers, magazines and
so forth, for paying too much focus on the personal lives of famous people such as public figures and celebrities.
In fact, it is the public, to a large extent, rather than mass media, that is paying too much attention on
personal lives of celebrities. Most organizations of mass media industry, being inherently commercial, are driven
by business motivations. Television program producers, as well as columnists and writers, are always aware of
what the public want to see, therefore tend to pander to tastes of the public. To put in another way, the mass media
is audience-oriented, and the phenomenon is well interpreted and manipulated that when famous people such as
actors, athletes and rock stars give their opinions, many people listen. It is the nature of the public, who are
curious enough about personal lives of famous people, since they can never be famous.
On the other hand, it is holistically detrimental for the society if the mass media pay too much focus on
famous few so as to ignore the rest of the individuals. After all, the mission of the mass media is not merely to
cater to the needs of customers, but has a much wider scope, such as to tell the truth, to define what is good and
what is bad; to promote cultural values, and the list could be endless. More popular science programs should be
produced by television, more reports on poor rural lives should be publicized, more books concerning not famous
but respectable people such as, nurses who are fighting SARS fearlessly, teachers who are performing their duties
regardless of poverty of remote villages, journalists who publicize their pieces under political menace, and this is
another endless list should be written.
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