Free Creative Writing Prompts #59: Media

The media has it extremely tough sometimes. These free creative writing prompts about the media take that fact into account. A news program, whether it be through the Internet, television, print, or radio needs to get advertising sponsors to survive. To get those sponsors they need to get an audience. It's these audience hunting tactics that tend to make some media outlets a bit sensational and biased. The media creates heightened fear and negativity along with awareness during their broadcasts. I understand the conundrum of needing an audience (this blog does too!) but I wonder if there is a better way. And now, time to write about it!


Free Creative Writing Prompts: Media

1. What is the most impactful media event in your lifetime? Some who were alive when Kennedy was assassinated would list that, for example. What affected you in a big way and tell the story of how you received and reacted to that information.

2. Have you ever personally been in the media? Whether it was school-related, work-related, or just random, talk about a time that you were portrayed by the media. How did you and your friends react to this appearance?

3. You are a powerful media executive. Your company gets an exclusive story that will violate the privacy of some innocent-bystander types but it will potentially garner viewers. If you don't report it, someone else will anyway. What do you do and what do any families involved in the story have to say to you afterward?

4. World peace is upon us! In an unforeseen series of events, all war has ended and the crime rate has gone down 99%. What happens to the media after all of this? Does it go under? Does all reporting become positive? Describe a day of media coverage in this alternate world.

5. Talk about one event that you feel was overcooked by the media. Then compare it to an event that may have been undercovered. Write a hypothetical tale in which their amount of coverage is reversed. What happens?

6. Write a story about an extremely positive world event that occured as a result of the media. What is the event and what is the lasting impact? Which news stations began this positive outcome and how did you come to personally know about it?

7. Imagine that you are a television show or movie that is desperate to get media coverage. What kind of stunt do you or your stars pull so that you can spread the awareness of your project far and wide?

8. If you could shift the balance of media coverage, changing the focus of the media to the things that you find most important, what would you change it to and why? How would a normal newscast go with this new focus?

9. Replace the newscasters that you hate the most with any celebrities or people from your life you think would be more interesting or entertaining. How would this newscast go with these new personalities?

10. You are having a conversation about politics, religion, etc. with someone who is completely controlled by the media. All of their opinions are those expressed through the media. Detail this conversation from beginning to end and do you have any success changing the mind of this person from any thoughts that you find to be ridiculous?


Sometimes you have to think about media like a scientist would think about an experiment. Make sure that something has been verified by several sources (several news channels do not count as they are often reporting from the same source) before you believe it. These free creative writing prompts about the media, if nothing else, can hopefully make you a bit more conscious when it comes to what is reported on the television or the Internet. At the least, you can get some good words out of it. Happy writing!


Bonus Prompt - You are given the capability of promoting a giant media hoax on the scale of Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" presentation on radio. What do you spread and do you use it for the powers of good or evil? Talk about how you have made this hoax from beginning to end.


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