TOEFL essay:Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television, newspapers, magazines, and other media pay too much attention to the personal lives of famous people such as public figures and celebrities. Use specific reasons and ...

I think the media pay too much attention to the private lives of famous people. Television, newspaper magazines and web sites dig up all kinds of past bad actions. They say that these are true reflections of a person's character. This may be true if they occurred only a few years before, but some of these are things people did as teenagers. People in their forties are expected to explain something they did when they were fifteen. If they killed someone, obviously that's more than a youthful mistake. Usually, though, these incidents involve experiments with drugs or being reckless in a car. They're not something that the public needs to know.

The media love to say that the public has a right to know. That's not true. We don't need to know if a movie star or politician has had an extramarital affair. That is something of concern only to the people involved. We do need to know if someone we're electing to public office has been involved in shady business deals, but we don't need to know if he or she defaulted on a loan twenty years ago.

It seems the media dig up these facts without giving thoughtful consideration to what might happen. It has an effect on the celebrity's family, especially the children. A celebrity's good name and credibility may be ruined before he or she can prove that rumors are false. If a case goes to court, paying a lawyer can use up all their money. Even if it doesn't come to that, they may find their career ruined.

When are we, the public, going to make it clear to the media that we're tired of having to watch this kind of thing on the news? Wouldn't it be better if they would concentrate on more important issues?