Topic 1: Does increasing travels between countries enable people to learn different cultures or to

Topic 46: We can get knowledge from news, but some people think we cannot trust 
journalists. What do you think? What qualities do you think a successful journalist 
should have?
 
(political pressure) ; (commercial interest) (news organizations )
(viewpoints), (cultural background),
 (Social class), (religious belief), (cater for audiences), (collect soft news as a rumormonger), 
(conceived) (fabricated)

Today, it is important to note that the public has a growing appetite for different content 
areas of news, including national, local, entertainment, sports, politics, weather and traffic 
news. With news becoming increasingly important, public attention has been brought to the 
creditability of journalists. In my opinion, it would be over-simplistic to say that journalists 
can convey all messages to the audience without distorting them. 
Not surprisingly, whenever people talk of journalism, objectivity is the first word that 
springs to mind. Reporters are generally expected to disclose all facts and uncover all sides of 
an issue without introducing any bias, as opposed to commentators, who are allowed to 
provide personal opinions. However, in reality, objectivity is hard to achieve. Journalists have 
to succumb to either commercial or political pressure, distorting facts and misleading the 
public. In many countries, news organizations are controlled entirely by powerful political 
parties and enjoined to disregard the truth and disseminate information that guides public 
opinions.
Another factor contributing to the erosion of journalistic standards throughout the news 
business is that in these years, increasing weight has been given to following news values, 
entertainment, oddity and celebrity. To cater for the tastes of wider audiences, journalists can 
go so far as to twist the facts, fabricate news and spread rumours. Many news media ha.ve a 
clear preference on media personalities and use their public appeal to increase viewing rates, 
giving these publicities, who hardly remain neutral, numerous opportunities to express their 
opinions publicly on a subject in which they have a personal stake or bias. It is thus fair to say 
that news is now less trustworthy.
In general, a successful journalist should be first able to use careful judgment when 
organizing and reporting information. Determination and persistence are required when 
journalists ought to defend the freedom of the press and ordinary citizens' right to know the 
truth, despite being under different forms of pressure. In addition, they should be sensitive to 
and interested in current affairs at all levels. In acting as successful communicators and 
information senders, journalists should also have a good command of language skills and a 
real knowledge of different cultures, countries, races and social groups.
As shown above, people have reasons to suspect the creditability of a journalist. Either as 
a medium that deliberately affects the public interest or as a form of entertainment that does 
not attach much importance to seriousness, journalism has failed to maintain objectivity and 
live up to ideals of journalistic responsibility. Without showing respect to freedom of express 
and conveying messages accurately and promptly to the public, one cannot be acclaimed as a 
qualified journalist.
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1. Appetite for-hunger for-craving for-desire for 
2. Creditability=reputation
3. Talk of=consider=discuss=talk about=talk over
4. Spring=bounce=bound
5. Succumb to=yield to=give way to=surrender to
6. Enjoin=instruct=command=direct
7. Weight =importance=significance=emphasis=stress
8. Oddity=peculiarity=quirk 
9. Rumour =gossip=anecdote 
10. Neutral=unbiased=impartial=disinterested=dispassionate 
11. Bias =prejudice=preconception=preconceived notion
12. Trustworthy=dependable= honest=reliable
13. Seriousness=solemnity=gravity
14. Ideal=principle
15. Acclaim=praise=approve=commend
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