Journalism Characteristics of The Different Media Platforms: (English)

6
Journalism (English)
Quarter 1 – Module 4
Characteristics of the
Different Media Platforms
Journalism (English) 6
Journalism Learning Kit
Mass Media
Characteristics of the
Different Media Platforms
First Edition, 2020
Published in the Philippines

By the Department of Education
Schools Division of Roxas City
Brgy. Banica, Roxas City, Capiz
Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any work
of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency
or office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for
profit. Such agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment
of royalties.
This Journalism Learning Kit is published to be utilized by the Schools Division

of Roxas City.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this learning resource may be reproduced

or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical without written
permission from the Schools Division of Roxas City.
Development Team of Journalism Learning Kit
Writer: Ariel P. Alovera
Layout Artists: Jackielyn S. Cabangal
Division Quality Assurance Team: Evelyn B. Cercado

Jocelyn D. Sunsona
Management Team: Feliciano C. Buenafe, Jr., CESO VI

Ferdinand S. Sy, CESO VI
Marvic S. Martirez
Evelyn B. Cercado
Jocelyn D. Sunsona
Journalism 6 – Mass Media

Competencies: 1. Distinguish the characteristics of the different media platforms (SPJ6RDP-Id-9)
Introductory Message
Welcome to Journalism (English) 6.
The Journalism Learning Kit is a product of the collaborative efforts of the

Division of Roxas City teachers, writers, illustrators, layout artists, reviewers, editors, and
Quality Assurance Team from the Department of Education, Schools Division of Roxas
City. This is developed to guide you dear learning facilitators in helping our learners meet
the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum.
The Journalism Learning Kit aims to guide our learners in accomplishing

activities at their own pace and time. This also aims to assist learners in developing and
achieving the lifelong learning skills while considering their needs and situations.
For Learning Facilitator:
The Journalism Learning Kit is developed to address the current needs of the
learner to continue learning in the comforts of their homes or learning centers. As the
learning facilitator, make sure that you give them clear instructions on how to study and
accomplish the given activities in the material. Lerner’s progress must be monitored.
For the Learner:
The Journalism Learning Kit is developed to help you, dear learner, in your
needs to continue learning even if you are not in school. This learning material aims to
primarily provide you with meaningful and engaging activities for independent learning.
Being an active learner, you have to carefully read, understand, and follow the instructions
given.
Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | i

Importance of Mass Communication
BEGIN
Mass Media refers to the technologies used as

channels for a small group of people to communicate with a
larger number of people. The concept was first addressed
during the Progressive Era of the 1920s, as a response to
new opportunities for elites to reach large audiences via the
mass media of the time: newspapers, radio, and film.
Indeed, the three forms of traditional mass media today are
still the same: print (newspapers, books, magazines),
broadcast (television, radio), and cinema (movies and
documentaries).
But in the 1920s, mass media referred not just to the
number of people such communication reached, but rather
to the uniform consumption and anonymity of the
audiences. Uniformity and anonymity are characteristics
which no longer fit the way people seek out, consume, and
manipulate information into their daily lives. Those new
media are called "alternative media" or "mass self-
communication."
These are considered powerful weapons of today.
TARGET
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Distinguish the characteristics of the different media platforms (SPJ6RDP-Id-9)
Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 1

TRY THIS
Direction: Read and analyze each statement below. If it tells correct concepts about
media platforms, write TRUE. If it does not, write FALSE. Write your answers on your
Journalism (English) 6 notebook.
1. The World Wide Web (www) can be a powerful modern tool to be aware of
information and current events around the world.
2. Radio and television are traditional media platforms that give information to
significant number of people who have access to it.
3. There are several types and forms of media platforms that we can utilize.
4. Examples of broadcast media are radio and televisions.
5. Newspapers and magazines are examples of print media that are considered
traditional.
6. Social media are also modern sources of current events around the world.
7. In a radio broadcast, the news presenters can either be seen or heard; using live
Facebook and YouTube broadcasts or while listening using radio frequencies.
8. Mass media is exclusively for those audiences who are rich and privileged.
9. Radio and televisions showcase variety of shows that inform, educate, inspire, or
persuade the listeners and viewers.
10. People with special needs do not have the ability to appreciate the different media
platforms.

RECALL
In your previous grade level, you have learned that the

school’s publication is an essential outlet or avenue in
communicating among large masses through news and information.
Aside from this, it is also important for you to discover that
there are other media platforms that can effectively provide us
information, education, and inspiration as they commit to public
responsibility and transparency.
Definition Galore!
Directions: Recall the important words in column A and match them with the correct
definition found in column B. Write your answers in your Journalism (English) 6 notebook.
A B
A. Mental process of a person who comprehends or

1. Mass Media
knows something
B. A service, site, or method that delivers media to

2. Media Platforms an audience. Its functions are to deliver, but also
sometimes to allow for feedback, discussion, or
sharing.
C. Conventional means of mass communication as
3. Traditional Media practiced by various global communities and
cultures from ancient times.
D. These are media of the present times and also

4. New or Modern Media forms of communication that are new.

E. Those media reaching large numbers of the
public via radio, television, movies, magazines,
5. Information newspapers and the World Wide Web. Mass
media are the transport forms of mass
communication
DO THIS
Activity 1: GUESS WHAT AND SAY SOMETHING!

Directions: Analyze the given pictures below and select if in what MEDIA PLATFORM
they belong. Choose whether it is a broadcast, print, or digital kind of media. Write your
answers in your Journalism (English) 6 notebook.
1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10.
Source: Photos of Ariel Alovera and from google.com

EXPLORE
E
Awesome! You did a wonderful job in

providing possible answers in the first activity.
Now, let us connect your responses to the
following questions. Write your answers in your
1. How did you find the first activity?

2. What made you decide to classify the pictures under print, broadcast, or digital media?
3. What to you, in your own understanding, are the characteristics of these media
platforms?
4. Why do you think that mass media is important?
5. How can this activity develop your understanding of discussing the characteristics of
the different media platforms?
KEEP THIS IN MIND
Well done! You have successfully made a

meaningful connection after answering the previous
activities. Now you are all set for the explanation about
discussing the importance of mass communication.
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DIFFERENT MEDIA

PLATFORMS?
Mass media plays a crucial role in connecting the world of individuals. It has the
ability to reach wide audiences with strong and influential messages which impact upon

society. Television and Radio have been influential on people’s daily lives and routines,
affecting the content and times that audiences watch and listen. The mass media has at
least three important roles to play: to inform, to educate and to influence opinion. These
distinctive features of traditional media have been challenged by new media, which is
changing the participation habits of the audiences.
TRADITIONAL/OLD MEDIA:
It is so easy to recognize a newspaper, a television or a radio. You have grown

up with them. So, you can recognise them as Traditional Media.
Traditional Media is based on the principle of one-to-many. The editor decides

what news is; which news reports should be published in the day’s newspaper or which
reports should be telecast in the next bulletin. The news consumers, that is the readers
and viewers, have no role to play in the creation or dissemination of content.
The Traditional Media is tightly patrolled. All communication is one-way: from the
editor to the readers. The most that a reader can hope is to get a letter published in the
Letters column of the newspaper. There is, of course, no guarantee as to how much of
the letter will be edited before it is published. This interactivity is even more limited in the
case of television.
Traditional Media takes time to disseminate information. In the case of

newspapers, this is limited to once a day; television or radio can update reports more
frequently. But they cannot match the speed of Social Media unless they go live.
The traditional media can either be a print (newspapers and magazines) or

broadcast (radio and television) media.
When you think of traditional media, just remember these four basic forms: radio,
television, magazine, or newspaper.

NEW/MODERN MEDIA:
New Media are digital, interactive, hypertextual, networked, virtual and

simulated. These are the six key characteristics which distinguish New Media from old
media.
Digital
With the growth of digital technology in the 1990s, the vast majority of information
is now converted, stored and transmitted as binary code (a series of 1s and 0s.).
Qualitative information has today become ‘digitalised’.
Digitalisation allows so much information to be stored in compact hard disks or
micro memory cards and it is also what allows for the near instantaneous transmission of
information via cable and satellite.
Digitalisation has also resulted in ‘technological convergence’, or the convergence
of different forms of information (text, audio and visual) into one single ‘system’ – most
web sites today offer a fusion of text and audio-visual information, and our mobile devices
allow us to perform a variety of functions – not only reading text and watching/ listening
to videos, but also searching for information, sending messages, shopping and using
GPS functions.

Analogue is the opposite of digital. It is stored in physical form and examples
include print newspapers, records, and old films and T.V. programmes stored on tape.
Interactivity
‘Old media’ tended to be very much a ‘one way’ affair, with audiences on the
receiving end of broadcasts, for the most part able to do little else that just passively watch
media content.
New Media however is much more of a two way affair and it allows consumers and
users to get more involved. It is much more of a two way form of communication than old
media.
Increased interactivity can be seen in simple acts such as liking a Facebook post
or commenting on news piece or blog. However some users get much more involved and
creates their own blogs and videos and actively uploads their own content as ‘prosumers’.
New Media seem to have fostered a more participatory culture, with more people
involved and the roles between consumer and producer of media content becoming ever
more blurred!
Hypertextual
Hypertext or ‘links’ are a common feature of new media, which allows users more
freedom of choice over how they navigate the different sources of information available
to them.
In more technical terms, links in web sites offer non-sequential connections
between all kinds of data facilitated by the computer.
Optimists tend to see this feature as allowing for more individualised lifestyle
choices, giving users the chance to act more independently, and to make the most of the
opportunities new media markets make available to them.
Global Networks
Digital Media has also facilitated cultural globalisation – we now interact much
more globally and via virtual networks of people rather than locally.
These networks allow for ‘collective intelligence’ to increase – they allow us to pool
our resources much more easily and to draw on a wider range of talents and sources of
information (depending on our needs) than ever before.

NB one question to ask about networks is what the main hubs are, through which
information flows. This has implications for power
Virtual Worlds
New Media presents to us a very different reality from face to face to ‘lived reality’
– for most of us this means a very fast paced flow of information with numerous products
and people screaming for our attention.
However, this situation has only existed since the mid-2000s, and it must be
remembered that New Media reality is virtual reality.
This is especially true when it comes to social media sites which give users the
opportunity to present themselves in any way they see fit, and while most users don’t go
full Cat Fish, most people choose to present only one aspect of themselves.
Simulation
Simulation goes a step beyond the ‘virtual’ nature of New Media as usual.
Simulation is most obviously experienced computer games which provide an immersive
experience for users into a “virtual life” that is simulated through digital technology.
These virtual worlds are synthetic creations that ultimately rely on algorithms which
set the parameters through which events in the gaming environment unfold.
Examples today include not only online RPG games, but also driving and flight
simulations.
MORE DISCUSSIONS ON THE NEW MEDIA:
This should be the golden age for new media. We have the technology. We have
the professionals to deliver high quality services. We have a great hunger among people
for reliable, timely and useful information. Welcome to the digital and internet revolution!
As confidence in the media grows, a crisis is creeping up on one side …… In the

push for more channels and choices, market models have been depressingly uniform. As
a result, local content suffers, and cultural values are weakened in the process.
It is little surprise then that there is a growing debate about how to put quality back
into traditional media and curb the influence of the increasingly powerful elite. The
argument is that the media market itself cannot protect pluralism and diversity, and people
need information services outside the market.

Now, fast developing technology is fuelling an information revolution. The new
media, digital broadcasting and the internet are sweeping away the limitations of the
analogue world and weakening the grip of government-owned platforms. The nature of
the relationship between the broadcaster and its audience is changing. New media in this
information age provides an immediate, informative, intelligent, interactive platform for
discussion and debate.
New media is essentially a cyber-culture with modern computer technology, digital

data controlled by software and the latest fast developing communication technology.
Most technologies described as “new media” are digital, and often have characteristics of
being networkable, dense, compressible, interactive and impartial. Examples are the
internet, websites, computer multimedia, games, CD-ROMs and DVDs. Young people
are attracted to the easy means of getting information with internet based terminals or
hand phones which provide them information of their choice anytime, anywhere. They
need not have to wait for any broadcasting schedule to be connected to get the
information.
Internet blogs, news portals and online news, Facebook, You Tube, podcast and
webcast, and even the short messaging system (SMS), are all new media. The modern
revolution enables everybody to become a journalist at little cost and with global reach.
Nothing like this has ever been possible before.
The emergence of blog streams is a reflection on society’s awareness of the

importance of information dissemination. Unfortunately this ‘leeway’ has provided room
for manipulation by irresponsible users. Such a situation gives rise to a poser. The trials
and tribulations created by new media have impacted on society and nation.
Repercussions are reflected in people’s thinking.
Let’s embrace the new media!
Source: Photos from google.com

SUM UP
You are almost done with this module.

We have familiarized ourselves with the
various concepts in distinguishing the
characteristics of the different media platforms.
Now, let’s recap important things you have
learned.
REMEMBER:
Media is a vehicle or means of communication that disseminates information from
the source to the target public and any media intended for the larger audience is called
mass media.
From pictorial representations in the early age, massive production of newspapers,
fancy videos on television to high-tech media combining the Internet and computers, there
are variations in the type of mass media. Being the prime source of information,
entertainment, marketing, advertising media, and motivation for everyone and
everywhere in the world, mass media truly influences us!
Whenever you want to listen to your favourite music, watch the latest movie, an
event or a cricket match, where do you go? While earlier, television was the only source,
the modes of staying updated with the happenings around you have expanded.
One can garner the requisite information through mediums such as radio,
newspapers, magazines, digital media, the internet, etc. and these sources of
disseminating information and news are considered ‘mass media’. It is a medium that is
used to communicate with the masses or a large number of heterogeneous audiences
different kinds of information.
Do not be confused with mass communication and mass media. Mass
communication is the process of information dissemination while mass media are the
tools used to convey such information to a large number of people. They are interrelated
and can never be separated from each other.

APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
Activity 2: THINK SMART AND CHOOSE WISELY

Directions: Inside the box are the characteristics of the different media platforms that we
have discussed above. What you are going to do is to categorize them as to what group
they belong. Write your answers in your Journalism (English) 6 notebook.
a. Newspaper, television, and radio belong to this type of media.

b. It takes time to disseminate information because there are certain preparations
before the publication of news or information.
c. Social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube belong to this type of media.
d. Digital, interactive, hypertextual, networked, virtual and simulated. These are the six
key characteristics which distinguish this kind of media.
e. Internet blogs, news portals and online news, Facebook, You Tube, podcast and
webcast, and even the short messaging system (SMS), all belong to this media.
f. This type of media tend to be very much a ‘one way’ affair, with audiences on the
receiving end of broadcasts, for the most part able to do little else that just passively
watch media content.
g. This type of media is more of a two way affair and it allows consumers and users to
get more involved. It is much more of a two way form of communication.
h. Broadcast and print media belong to this type.
i. Live video streaming sites are under this category.
j. This type of media is based on the principle of one-to-many.
Traditional/Old Media Modern/New Media
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.

REFLECT
Well done! You have shown great

improvement after accomplishing all the
tasks in the lesson. This time you will reflect
on your work and rate your confidence.
ACTIVITY 3: READ, DECIDE, and EXPRESS!

Directions: Analyze each statement below and decide if you agree or disagree. Then,
explain your answer in not less than two sentences. Write your answers in your
In answering, follow this pattern: I agree because… or I disagree because…
Traditional media like televisions and Modern media like online news portals
radios are out-dated and not reliable. are more interactive and engaging.
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
Mass media platforms serve as The use of internet is a traditional way

essential tools in obtaining relevant
of getting news and current events.
information.
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________

LEARN MORE
ACTIVITY 4: GUESS WHAT?

Directions: Identify if each statement below about the characteristics of the different
media platform is a YES or a NO. Write your answers in your Journalism (English) 6
notebook.
1. Mass Media has the ability to reach wide audiences with strong and influential
messages which impact upon society.
2. The traditional media can either be a print (newspapers and magazines) or broadcast
(radio and television) media.
3. Analogue is the opposite of digital. It is stored in physical form and examples include
print newspapers, records, and old films and T.V. programmes stored on tape.
4. It is so easy to recognize a newspaper, a television or a radio. You have grown up with

them. So, you can recognise them as Modern or New Media.
5. A media platform is a service, site, or method that delivers media to an audience.
6. Digital media refer to conventional means of mass communication as practiced by

various global communities and cultures from ancient times.
7. Traditional Media is essentially a cyber-culture with modern computer technology,

digital data controlled by software and the latest fast developing communication
technology.
8. Hypertext or ‘links’ are a common feature of new media, which allows users more
freedom of choice over how they navigate the different sources of information available
to them.
9. The World Wide Web (www) is a traditional tool to be aware of information and current
events around the world.
10. Nowadays, people are more engaged in modern media platforms than the traditional
ones.

ASSESS WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
Directions: Read each statement carefully and select the letter that corresponds to the
correct answer. Write your answers in your Journalism (English) 6 notebook.
1. Among the answers listed, which is NOT a platform of mass media?
A. Radio
B. Internet
C. Television
D. Microphone
2. The mass media are _________ of communication, such as books, newspapers,

recordings, radio, movies, television, mobile phones and the Internet.
A. models
B. means
C. parts
D. types
3. TV companies __________ their programmes across the country or even across

the world.
A. broadcast
B. refresh
C. connect
D. publish
4. New digital media forms are more personal and social as they allow people to
connect each other and share their _________________.
A. personal experiences
B. persona experiences
C. personalized experiences
D. personified experiences
5. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Modern/New Media?

A. Herpertextual
B. Digital
C. One-Way
D. Interactive
6. All of these belong to traditional media except ______________.

A. Print
B. Broadcast
C. Recorded Audio
D. Digital Platforms

7. Most people rely on mass media as their main source of _______________.
A. information
B. gossip
C. hearsays
D. biased opinion
8. What could be considered Print Media?

A. TV and Radio
B. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat
C. Newspapers, magazines and books
D. All of these
9. The different media platforms control what is being presented to large number of
people.
A. True B. False
10. What is the definition of mass media?

A. The creation of an advertising campaign.
B. A marketing strategy used to market a product.
C. The promotion of a product.
D. The primary means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the
general public.
GLOSSARY
digital – adj. characterized by electronic and especially computerized technology

convergence – n. the merging of distinct technologies, industries, or devices into a
unified whole
interactive – adj. of, relating to, or being a two-way electronic communication system
foster – v. to promote the growth or development of
cyber-culture – n. a society that is served by cybernetic industry
software – n. the entire set of programs, procedures, and related documentation
associated with a mechanical or electronic system and especially a
computer system

hypertext – n. a database format in which information related to that on a display can
be accessed directly from the display
platform – n. a place or opportunity for public discussion
ANSWER KEY
5. A 4. D 3. C 2. B 1. E
Definition Galore!
10. D
9. A 10. False
8. C 9. True
7. A 8. False
6. D 7. True
5. C 6. True
4. A 5. True
3. A 4. True
2. B 3. True
1. D 2. True
Assessment 1. True
Try This

REFERENCES
https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-media-platform-What-are-its-functions-What-are-its-
purposes
John William LeMasney, former Manager and professor. at Rider University
https://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C04/E6-33-02-04.pdf
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/information?s=tv
http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/ma/Mass_communication
Team Leverage Edu (Radio Jockey Courses Online)
https://revisesociology.com/2018/12/13/main-characteristics-new-media/
Martin Lister et al – New Media: A Critical Introduction (Second Edition)
https://www.easymedia.in/7-key-characteristics-of-social-media/
https://www.easymedia.in/7-differences-social-media-traditional-media/
https://www.aibd.org.my/node/1226
Commission on Communication and Multimedia Act 1998
AIBD: Ethical Principles for Broadcasters (2009)
Seminar Guidelines on Media and Good Governance
https://www.thoughtco.com/mass-media-and-communication-4177301


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6

Published in the Philippines

This Journalism Learning Kit is published to be utilized by the Schools Division

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this learning resource may be reproduced

Development Team of Journalism Learning Kit

Writer: Ariel P. Alovera

Layout Artists: Jackielyn S. Cabangal

Division Quality Assurance Team: Evelyn B. Cercado

Management Team: Feliciano C. Buenafe, Jr., CESO VI

Journalism 6 – Mass Media

Welcome to Journalism (English) 6.

The Journalism Learning Kit is a product of the collaborative efforts of the

The Journalism Learning Kit aims to guide our learners in accomplishing

For Learning Facilitator:

For the Learner:

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | i

Mass Media refers to the technologies used as

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 1

4. Examples of broadcast media are radio and televisions.

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 2

In your previous grade level, you have learned that the

A. Mental process of a person who comprehends or

B. A service, site, or method that delivers media to

D. These are media of the present times and also

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 3

Activity 1: GUESS WHAT AND SAY SOMETHING!

Source: Photos of Ariel Alovera and from google.com

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 4

Awesome! You did a wonderful job in

1. How did you find the first activity?

KEEP THIS IN MIND

Well done! You have successfully made a

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DIFFERENT MEDIA

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 5

It is so easy to recognize a newspaper, a television or a radio. You have grown

Traditional Media is based on the principle of one-to-many. The editor decides

Traditional Media takes time to disseminate information. In the case of

The traditional media can either be a print (newspapers and magazines) or

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 6

New Media are digital, interactive, hypertextual, networked, virtual and

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 7

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 8

MORE DISCUSSIONS ON THE NEW MEDIA:

As confidence in the media grows, a crisis is creeping up on one side …… In the

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 9

New media is essentially a cyber-culture with modern computer technology, digital

The emergence of blog streams is a reflection on society’s awareness of the

Let’s embrace the new media!

Source: Photos from google.com

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 10

You are almost done with this module.

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 11

Activity 2: THINK SMART AND CHOOSE WISELY

a. Newspaper, television, and radio belong to this type of media.

Traditional/Old Media Modern/New Media

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 12

Well done! You have shown great

ACTIVITY 3: READ, DECIDE, and EXPRESS!

Mass media platforms serve as The use of internet is a traditional way

Journalism 6 – Mass Media Page | 13

ACTIVITY 4: GUESS WHAT?

4. It is so easy to recognize a newspaper, a television or a radio. You have grown up with