You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
The news is a source of knowledge about the world. How much can we trust the journalists? What are the qualities a good journalist should have?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer
It is undeniable that news media has been an indispensable part of our life, displaying a much colourful world in front of us than ever before. Thanks to the development of the news media technology and the profession of journalists, we no longer feel unfamiliar about the other side of the planet.
While enjoying the wide knowledge brought by the reporters, we should also take this news with a pinch of salt as some information seems to be enticing but may not be based on the truth of the fact. As we all know, most news companies run to make profits, which is likely to make some journalists distort their reports to earn ratings. Meanwhile, many news media are controlled by some powerful institutes including the government, which would cause the journalists reporting tendentious news for they want to be in favour of the government rather than the public.
Spreading knowledge of the world for the public but not propagandising for a certain powerful organisation is the main quality a journalist should have. He should at least possess the following qualities: First of all, he should be unbiased and not easily swayed by any party or group, reporting the news as factual as it is. Second, journalists need to report news of such various fields of society, science, geology, medicine, entertainment etc.; it would be tough for him to handle this job well if he is not versatile. Also, the most important personality of a journalist is that he must be brave and bold enough because there must be tough barriers waiting for him to break down.
In conclusion, we should keep a clear head for the news reported by the journalists and a good journalist should possess a multifaceted personality.
[ Written by – Phoenix Xu ]