Mass Media. Topic for Conversation #11 / #12

Mass Media

1. Which of these do people in your family prefer: TV, newspapers, radio?

Knowledge is power. That’s why people have always been eager to learn. In the past the only way to learn about the world was travelling and reading books. Books were extremely expensive and travelling was pretty dangerous. So if you wanted to learn about remote lands you had either to pack your belongings and board a ship or just buy a book. But the people of the 21st century are privileged in having different safe and cheap means of information. The main source of information for millions of people is mass media. Mass media include newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the Internet too.

Newspapers are the oldest of the mass media. The choice of newspapers is wide. Nowadays newspapers cater for different political views, interests and levels of education. All newspapers are classified into two groups: quality and popular. Quality newspapers are serious national papers for educated readers. The information they provide is reliable. Popular newspapers are tabloids, designed for common readers and their content is focused on celebrities and fashion. 

Many people still prefer the radio. It’s good to listen to the radio in a car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house. You can listen to pop or classical music, news, sport or foreign radio stations. People can call and ask questions about everything from cooking or car repair to politics or health. Callers often get a chance to give their opinions on the air. Besides, radio provides the latest news every half hour. 

Nobody will deny that television is the most popular type of mass media. You can explore remote territories with travelling programmes, attend the best concerts with cultural programmes and just have fun with entertaining TV-shows. Quality documentaries from discovery Channel, History and National Geographic possess educational power. So, television helps to broaden horizons and get acquainted with different cultures. 

On the other hand, nowadays television has opened the door to new social problems like TV addictions, increased crime and violence rates. Films and low quality TV programmes that feature violence are mostly to blame. When children see a lot of violence on TV, some are likely to act in the following way in reality. Thus, children and adults should be protected from the harmful media effects. Educational and developing aspects of media must be maximized.

Probably the most popular type of mass media today is the Internet. There are a lot of sites that provide information of different kinds. The choice is endless. Surfing the web is quick, easy, and cheap. One may find answers to any questions almost immediately. Still they are not always reliable or safe. So, one may be mislead. That’s why it’s best to choose the sites sensibly, picking up those sites that may be considered to be serious and unbiased.

To crown it all I should say almost everything can be a curse or a blessing depending on the way we use it. The effect of mass media largely depends on our choice of what we watch, listen to or read. So, let’s make intelligent choices.

2. Do you think many people are involved in covering the news?

3. What questions will you ask a photojournalist about his/her work?

4. Give me a piece of advice on how to decide if the information on the Internet is reliable or not.

5. What will the mass media look like in thirty years' time?