Question

Read this excerpt from "The Tyranny of Bad Journalism" by G.K Chesterton. How do you know this essay is intended for a large public audience?
This enormous and essential fact is concealed for us by a number of legends that have passed into common speech. There is the notion that the Press is flashy or trivial because it is popular. In other words, an attempt is made to discredit democracy by representing journalism as the natural literature of democracy. All this is cold rubbish. The democracy has no more to do with the papers than it has with the peerages. The millionaire newspapers are vulgar and silly because the millionaires are vulgar and silly. It is the proprietor, not the editor, not the sub-editor, least of all the reader, who is pleased with this monotonous prairie of printed words. The same slander on democracy can be noticed in the case of advertisements. There is many a tender old Tory imagination that vaguely feels that our streets would be hung with escutcheons and tapestries, if only the profane vulgar had not hung them with advertisements of Sapolio and Sunlight Soap. But advertisement does not come from the unlettered many. It comes from the refined few. Did you ever hear of a mob rising to placard the Town Hall with proclamations in favour of Sapolio? Did you ever see a poor, ragged man laboriously drawing and painting a picture on the wall in favour of Sunlight Soap—simply as a labour of love? It is nonsense; those who hang our public walls with ugly pictures are the same select few who hang their private walls with exquisite and expensive pictures. The vulgarisation of modern life has come from the governing class; from the highly educated class. Most of the people who have posters in Camberwell have peerages at Westminster. But the strongest instance of all is that which has been unbroken until lately, and still largely prevails; the ghastly monotony of the Press.



A.It shows the writer's opinion about an important personal topic.


B.It compares the objective attributes of good and bad journalism.


C.It uses facts to support the writer's opinion about journalism.


D.It discusses the impact of bad journalism on society at large.

Answer 1

The correct answer is D. Although the author discusses his opinion. The topic is not only his personal issue but it was directed at the Tory and those who write with a monotone in journalism. Chesterton also does not highlight any good characteristics about journalism. He stresses this by pointing out a small aspect of journalism which is advertisement. The author uses real life scenarios as facts to support his opinion but this does not emphasize the essay is for the public as much as D. His whole message that bad journalism belittles the capabilities of journalists and the public serves as the essay's purpose. Through the essay's purpose a reader knows it is addressed to the general public.