Mass Media
The mass media play an important part in our lives. Newspapers, radio and especially TV inform us of what is going on in the world and give us wonderful possibilities for education and entertainment. They also influence the way we see the world and shape our views. Of course, not all newspapers and TV programmes report the events objectivel y, but serious journalists and TV reporters try to be fair and provide us with reliable information. It is true that the world today is full of dramatic events and most news seems to be bad news. But people aren't interested in ordinary events. That is why there are so many programmes and articles about natural disasters, plane crashes, wars, murders and robberies. Good news doesn't usually make headlines. Bad news does. Some people say that journalists are given too much freedom. They often intrude in people's private lives. They follow celebrities and print sensational stories about them which are untrue or halftrue. They take photos of them in their most intimate moments. The question is — should this be allowed? The main source of news for millions of people is television. People like TV news because they can see everything with their own eyes. And that's an important advantage. Seeing, as we know, is believing. Besides, it's much more difficult for politicians to lie in front of the cameras than on the pages of newspapers. Still, many people prefer the radio. It's good to listen to the radio in the car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house. Newspapers don't react to events as quickly as TV, but they usually provide us with extra detail, comment and background information. The Internet has recently become another important source of information. Its main advantage is that news appears on the screen as soon as things happen in real life and you don't have to wait for news time on TV. Exercise 2. Answer the questions: 1. What plays an important part in our lives? 2. What mass medias do you know? 3. Do all newspapers and TV programmes report the events objectively? 4. Who provides us with reliable information? 5. How do journalists intrude in people's private lives? 6. What is the main source of news for millions of people? 7. Why do people like TV news? 8. Why do many people prefer the radio? 9.What kind of mass media provides us with extra detail, comment and background information? 10. What is the main advantage of the Internet? Exercise 3. True or False: 1. Three sources of information are mentioned in this article. 2. All the mass media report all events objectively. 3. People would like to know about extra ordinary events. 4. People are sure that journalists are given too much freedom. 5. Newspapers give us more details about events than TV. 6. TV reacts to events as quickly as the Internet.
Exercise 4. Fill in the gaps with the words from the box:
1. The... play an important part in our lives. 2. Newspapers, radio and especially... inform us of what is going on in the world. 3. They also influence the way we see the world and shape our.... 4. Serious journalists and TV reporters provide us with... information. 5. Nowadays people aren't interested in ordinary.... 6. The main source of news for millions of people is.... 7. It's good to listen to the... when you do something about the house. 8.... usually provide us with extra detail, comment and background information. 9. The... has recently become another important source of information.
Lesson 49. Television. Radio (Телебачення. Радіо)
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