To what extent do the magazines and

newspapers you read deal with what is trivial

rather than what is important?

In today’s world, it is an increasingly common Yes, but sentence

criticism that many international print newspapers is far too lengthy
and magazines, often Western in orgin, are and convoluted!
devoting greater space in their publications to
trivial news, news that are superficial and
unimportant to the world at large, like celebrity
gossips, tabloids and supposedly “entertainment
news”, rather than what is important like current
affairs and international happenings. While this
notion is increasingly true for some international
news publications, to apply this blanket,
generalized statement to all news and magazines is
a gross oversimplification. It is more accurate to
comment that different types of news and
magazines have different emphasis on trivial and
important news and for their own different reasons.
To a large extent though, the newspapers and
magazines that I read deal with the more important
and impactful news rather than the trivial as I have
a greater propensity to browse through academic
publications and magazines rather than tabloids and
entertainment news.

It seems almost clichéd to state that frivolous Observant

trivialities have gained a greater veneer of
credibility in news making as compared to a few
decades ago. The threat of online publications,
having eaten into the profit margins of many
newspapers and magazine, has forced more editors
to resort to various means to ensure the
survivability of their papers. One of these means is
to capitalize on the lowest common denominator
through trying to cater to the desires of people who
prefer to know more about the lives of their idols
rather than international events. As a result, under
the façade of entertainment news, trivialities now
increasingly share the same spotlight as important
events in news making. The extreme marital affairs
of various celebrities are now as important as
international conferences to the lowest common
denominator. Hence newspapers and magazines
have increasingly dealt with what is trivial rather Fairly argued…
than what is important but any evidence?

However this criticism cannot be applied to all

publications as different newspapers and magazines
have different emphasis on trivialities and
important news as they cater to the different tastes
and preferences of their consumers, For many
respected journals that specialize in various topics
and have a modicum of journalistic integrity to
uphold, important discoveries and discussions take
center stage while entertainment news are shunned
in their papers. On the extreme end are tabloids,
home of the paparazzi, where the trials and
tribulations of various celebrities and entertainment
figures reign supreme in their magazines. Lying
somewhere between the two are the daily
newspapers, where both important and trivial news
have a role in their papers, by virtue of the
newspapers catering to all sorts and types of
people. Here, although it is true that increasingly,
many publications deal with what is trivial, rather
than what is important, the degree of triviality of Well argued point
the content in the papers differs from publication to but you do need
publication. to provide
evidence
In Singapore, the various publications I peruse deal
more with what is important than what is trivial,
although there are various lifestyle magazines that
buck this trend. Daily newspapers like the Strait
Times and TODAY, have various sections devoted
to local and international newsworthy stories, along
wit economic and financial happenings. Trivial,
entertainment news occupy only a small section in
these newspapers. On the flip side, lifestyle
magazines like 8 Days place a greater emphasis on
the happenings occurring in the entertainment
realm around the world and promote many aspects
of lifestyle like food outlets, clothing boutiques and
the like. Fair enough

Amongst the international publications, trivial

news have a greater share of the spotlight as
opposed to Singapore, although my preferred Such as?
newspapers and magazines are those that deal more
with important news. In the Western countries, the
notion of free speech has allowed a greater variety
of news publications with various degrees of
triviality and important news in their content.
Respected international publications like Time and
Newsweek with their heavy emphasis on global
events, coexist with tabloids like Entertainment
Weekly whose most important story of the day
often dealt with the marital status of various
celebrities, the Bradgelina saga as a shining
example and surviving due to Hollywood and the
American obsession with celebrities. Hence in
America, trivial news increasingly share the same
stage as that of important news.

In conclusion, the newspapers and magazines

that I read deal more with what is important than
what is trivial, although the advent of frivolous
trivialities in news making does not bode well for
the journalistic integrity of these papers as the
criteria for newsworthiness slowly relaxes as time
goes on.

C:19
L:15

Wei Yen, excellent effort! You have captured the

nuances of the question and have developed your
arguments well. It would be good to further
elaborate on your examples to concretize your
arguments, Well done and keep up the good work!