MASS MEDIA

 Different types of mass media: television, radio, newspapers, the Internet

 Main role of mass media
 Negative impact of some media
 Persuading others

1. What is the main role of mass media?

2. What is your favourite TV channel? Why?
3. What types of programmes do people like watching to relax?
4. What do people read about in newspapers? What are print media?
5. What are the most popular newspapers in Slovakia? What is a tabloid? Are tabloids credible?
6. What do you mostly use the Internet for?
7. In what ways has the Internet changed our lives?

We are in daily contact with different types of mass media. We receive information through television,
newspaper, radio or the Internet. They are called mass media because they reach a very large audience.
Mass media inform, educate and entertain. They allow us to follow world affairs. Most people follow
the national and international news regularly because they want to be well-informed. Many people
watch them on TV or read them in newspapers; some read them on the Internet.

TELEVISION, RADIO

There are people who like to watch documentary programmes because they take them to places they
would never have a chance to see. People like to relax watching films, sitcoms, soap operas or series.
Some people prefer reality shows. Watching TV for several hours a day damages the eyesight. It also
prevents people from doing sports or being outside. Violence in films influences people in a bad way.
Advertising helps finance TV channels. It has a great impact on people.

Slovak Television is a public television network. “Jednotka” broadcasts news, political discussions, films,
series and children programs. “Dvojka” specializes in documentaries, quiz shows, educational
programmes and music. “Trojka” mostly broadcasts reruns of older programmes produced by Slovak
Television. Foreign language films and series on Slovak TV channels are dubbed, sometimes subtitled.
Commercial stations such as TV Markíza or TV Joj also enjoy wide popularity. Thanks to TA3, the first
Slovak news channel, Slovaks can watch current news throughout the whole day.

Radio and television broadcasting in Britain is provided by BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) which
has a very good international reputation. In the USA hundreds of radio stations broadcast in foreign
languages for minorities. About 160 radio stations throughout the USA broadcast only in Spanish.

NEWSPAPERS

Most newspapers are daily newspapers. The most popular Slovak daily newspapers include SME and
Pravda. Both of them are widely read and influential. The tabloid Nový čas and its weekend
magazines / supplements are very popular. Economic periodicals include the daily Hospodárske noviny
and the weekly Trend. The Slovak Spectator is a weekly English language newspaper which informs its
readers about Slovakia in English. Probably all the newspapers now have their online editions. There are
also many weekly and monthly lifestyle magazines for men, women, teenagers, for people interested in
sports, gardening, cars, etc. There are five quality daily papers in Britain – The Times, The Guardian, The
Financial Times, The Independent and The Daily Telegraph. They contain national and international
news, business news, sports news and reports. The most popular tabloids are The Daily Mirror and The
Sun. The largest daily newspapers published in the USA are The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times,
The Washington Post and The New York Post.

The internet

The Internet presents a true revolution in many areas of our life. It has changed the way we study, work
or spend free time. Via the e-mail, Skype or other video chat applications we can easily communicate
with family, friends, business partners or the people we do not know. It is easy to find information on
the Internet, e.g. about departures of trains, opening hours or details about products and services.

Search engines, online dictionaries and encyclopaedias help us find relevant information. Many people
use the Internet as a form of entertainment. Schools, companies and institutions have access to the
Internet. It has become normal to use it at home too. There is a lot of discussion about the safety of the
Internet. It mostly concerns the malicious software = malware or safety of personal information.

Negative impact of mass media on people

Despite the informative, educational and entertainment functions of the mass media, they may also
have a negative impact on young people´s mental development. There are children and young people
who are obsessed with using the Internet and watching TV for several hours a day. It is not good for
either their mental or physical development. Overusing these types of media causes damage to our
eyesight and can lead to a habit of overeating. They also prevent people from doing sports, being
outside and reading books.

Direct communication with each other is also weakened. Many parents do not have time for their
children and TV and computers are ways of “solving” this problem. It is a well-known fact that violence
in films influences children and young people in a very negative way. Children also sometimes have
problems differentiating between fiction and reality. Some programmes, such as reality shows, create
different false idols and present money or physical beauty as having the highest value in life. Some
internet sites are absolutely inappropriate for children. Therefore, their choice should be under parents
´ control/lock. All in all, mass media provide us with a vast range of information and shape our opinions
to a great extent. It is not easy to stay objective.

 Talk about the role of mass media – the positives, the negatives
 Talk about the negative impact of TV / Internet on the health of (young) people
 Imagine you have to explain to somebody what the Internet is and what it can be used for.
 What is the difference in meaning between the following words?
Quality papers / popular papers
A paper / some paper
Editor / journalist / reporter / paparazzo
Review / report / blog
Channel / programme / station
Dubbed / subtitled
Viewer / audience
MASS MEDIA

The mass media have a crucial role to play in any [democratic] democracy / democratic society as the
main source of information.

[Competition] Competition / Compete to gain the attention of readers, listeners and TV [viewers]
viewers / views is rapidly increasing. The printed media compete with the electronic media. In order to
[survive] survive / survival, they are increasingly turning to other strategies such as [entertainment]
entertain / entertainment, scandals and the spreading of fear instead of [seriously] serious / seriously
researching news.

Most opinions are [formed] formed / form in front of TV screens by watching news, debates and
[discussions] discuss / discussions.

Media companies have often discussed how the media influence people´s opinions. People tend to
[selectively] select / selectively read what they already agree with. [Experiments] Experiment /
Experiments have been carried out which prove that the mass media have little power to change people
´s [beliefs] believes / beliefs. On the other hand, they have a strong influence when it comes to
informing people about new issues.

extremely important or necessary [crucial]

the place something comes from or starts at, or the cause of something [source]

to get something that is useful, that gives you an advantage, or that is in some way positive [gain]

a person who watches something, especially television [viewer]

in a fast or sudden way [rapidly]

to continue to live or exist [survive]

an action or event that causes a public feeling of shock and strong moral disapproval [scandal]

to (cause to) cover, reach, or have an effect on a wider or increasing area [spread]

a serious discussion of a subject in which many people take part [debate]

the power to have an effect on people or things [influence]

to be likely to behave in a particular way or have a particular characteristic [tend to]

in a way that involves intentionally choosing some people or things and not others [selectively]

to show that something is true [prove]

the feeling of being certain that something exists or is true [belief]

a subject or problem that people are thinking and talking about [issue]