Model Answer for IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic: Get News Online or Read Newspaper/Watch TV

IELTS Writing Task 2 Question

Most people these days prefer getting news online to reading newspapers or watching TV. Do you think it is a positive development?

Sample Answer

In the past few decades, TV and newspapers were the only source of information to people. But nowadays, everything has changed. The internet has gained a monopoly in this domain. Newspapers and television are swept away by the giant tide of the internet. In my opinion, this is not a positive development. In the forthcoming paragraphs, I shall explain the reasons for the same.

Primarily, newspapers are authentic sources of information. If they mishandle the content, they are liable to be sued on a defamation case. So they are more likely to be responsible when writing news. News writers are supposed to write in good language. So the reader’s knowledge of the language improves over a period of time. Besides they also have crosswords, puzzles and various other things apart from news. Also, they have a column where the reader can pen his views. So, it gives the chance for the reader to ponder over social issues and make his contribution; however small it may be. They have a dedicated column for children which is proven to improve language abilities. These are the primary reasons why schools force children to read newspapers.

With regard to TV channels, they are also bound by rules and regulations. So they cannot telecast forged content. A person gets to see the critical discussions in parliament, which is very useful in gaining knowledge about the stands of various political parties on burning issues.

On the other hand, the news on the internet is instant. The writers have unlimited freedom to write whatever they want on a particular issue. The online communication is dominating because of its capability to reach the masses within a very short time. The content is also small, well-suited to readers who surf news on their mobile and don’t have the patience to read large volumes of content.

Even though online news is succinct and reaches people at the speed of lightning, their content is not trustworthy. They are not bound by any laws and news authors are not held responsible for mistakes.

To summarise, though online news is gaining popularity due to its crisp content, they are no match to the authentic information by newspapers and television channels.