The media publishes many details of sports personalities’ private lives. Do readers have a right to know these things or not?
(Form 5 Download Textbook, Page 40 & 41)
There are TWO versions of the sample essay. Version 1 has many new vocabulary that you can use to write your essay.
Version 2 is more simple and has less vocabulary.
You are encouraged to read and compare both versions.
Version 1 of Sample Essay
1 - Read the sample essay below. Take note of the vocabulary in italics.
“Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures, and that is character.”
Those are the words spoken by Horace Greeley on how fame is temporary in life. However, it is undeniable that in today’s world, many people seek to become popular through various social media platforms. They are willing to put their lives out in the open, but they often put their own privacy in danger.
This is the case for many famous people worldwide, including sports personalities and athletes. Once you become famous, you will gain the attention of not just your fans, but also mass media who will try to dig up personal information about you. In my opinion, I completely disagree that media should be allowed to have access to the private lives of these sports personalities, because it deeply harms every person’s basic right to protect their own privacy.
Firstly, I am sure that all of us would like to keep our private details and personal information safe so that they are not exposed to the wrong people. Examples of sensitive information may include house address, phone number, identity card number, and bank account information. It is the right of every human being because people may misuse this information for identity theft, scam or extortion. This is the same for sports personalities; even though they may be treated like idols because of their fame, they are still normal human beings like you and me. Therefore, it is only right that their fans as well as mass media do not intrude into their private life just for entertainment or money. If we fail to protect each other’s privacy, that’s when we will see social ills such as stalking, kidnapping, and depression occur.
Secondly, I disagree that media should publish the personal information of sports personalities because it not only affects their mental and emotional well-being, it also brings many negative effects to their loved ones. These athletes’ friends and family will also need to endure the challenges of having relations with a famous person because of intrusions into their privacy. People will also constantly try to harass or persuade them in order to take advantage of their connections. This also leads to stress and development of trust issues in the family members and friends of the famous people.
Thirdly, from my point of view, lack of respect for athletes’ privacy cultivates a negative social mindset where people become more hypocritical and aggressive in their opinions about public figures. When mass media publishes sensational news about famous people, they tend to do it to attract audiences and readers. This vicious cycle is like an addiction where people constantly gossip about celebrities as entertainment, hiding behind their anonymity on the internet, and criticizing others without being aware of the consequences of their actions. In the end, we all lose – not just the people who are being criticized, but also the general public who now uses the misery of others to gain satisfaction about themselves. This is a social ill that is very common on the internet today, as more and more people consume content and interact with each other.
In conclusion, I once again stand by my point of view that the media should strictly not be allowed to publish personal information and private details about sports personalities. This is because we need to respect everyone’s right to keep their personal data safe, no matter if we are famous or not. Then, it is absolutely wrong to allow the friends and family of famous athletes to be harassed or disturbed for their connection to a sports personality. Lastly, the culture of publishing gossip and sensational details about athletes will further encourage the social problem of “keyboard warriors” who often criticize other people by hiding behind their anonymity.
2 - Find the meaning of the vocabulary in italics using Cambridge Online Dictionary
Version 2 of sample essay
This version has the same content points as Version 1. There are less difficult vocabulary and more simple sentence structure.
You can read both versions and compare them.
“Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures, and that is character.”
Those are the words spoken by Horace Greeley on how fame is temporary in life. However, it is clear to me that in today’s world, many people on social media want to become famous. They show everyone about their lives, but they lose their privacy
This is true for many famous people around the world, including sports personalities and athletes. Famous people get fans, but are also followed around by media. In my opinion, I completely disagree that media should be allowed to have access to the private lives of these sports personalities. This is because it deeply harms every person’s basic right to protect their own privacy.
Firstly, I am sure that all of us would like to keep our private details and personal information safe. It is dangerous to let the wrong people know about our details. For example, our house address, phone number, identity card number, and bank account information. It is the right of every human being to protect their privacy. This is because people may misuse this information for identity theft, scam or extortion. This is the same for sports personalities; they are still normal human beings like you and me. Therefore, fans as well as mass media should not disturb their private lives. We can also prevent problems such as stalking, kidnapping, and depression.
Secondly, I disagree that media should publish the personal information of sports personalities because it also brings many negative effects to their loved ones. These athletes’ friends and family will also need to face the challenges of having relations with a famous person. People will also regularly try to take advantage of their connections. This also leads to stress and trust issues in the family members and friends of the famous people.
Thirdly, from my point of view, lack of respect for athletes’ privacy develops a negative mindset. People become too critical about famous people like athletes. When mass media publishes gossip about famous people, they do it to attract more readers. As a result, people gossip about celebrities as entertainment, say bad things online because no one knows them, and criticise others without thinking of the bad effects. In the end, we all lose. People become less respectful and humble. This is a social issue that is very common on the internet today.
In conclusion, I once again stand by my point of view that the media should strictly not be allowed to publish personal information and private details about sports personalities. This is because we need to respect everyone’s right to keep their personal data safe, no matter if we are famous or not. Then, it is absolutely wrong to allow the friends and family of famous athletes to be disturbed. Lastly, the culture of publishing personal information about athletes will attract the attention of many hypocrites who gossip for fun.
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