I’m trying to study for my English course and I need some help to understand this question.
Alain de Botton, in “Tragedy” and Christopher Beam, in “Blood Loss” criticize the news media. Where de Botton believes that crime reports, thoughtfully crafted, can make us better people, Beam suggests that they may actually incite violence and mayhem. What do you think? How much power do the media—newspapers, magazines, television, the Internet—hold over individuals’ thoughts and behaviors? Are some forms of reporting more influential than others? Do news accounts affect world events, or merely record them? Taking evidence from both essays as well as your own research, write an essay that examines the state of journalism today.
As you craft your argument, you may find that you need to make use of many of the skills and modes of development that we have discussed so far in the course. For example, you may need to compare and contrast several forms of news media, or you may find yourself discussing pros and cons of the Internet when it comes to our news. You may also find that you need to reach into other modes of development like definition (chapter 9 in Everything's an Argument) or causal arguments (chapter 11). Feel free to use all of the tools available to you as you craft this argument.