Chapter 8 The Role of Media in a Democracy What is media?
Lesson 94: What is Media?
Learning outcome 3.12
Students should be able to explore the role of different media in generating information and news and assess the pros and cons of each.
Exercise 85A Understanding a statistical report on media Key Skills
Success criteria
I can explain, giving examples, whether or not a report is reliable.
I can understand data presented in charts and explain what it means.
Media is a method of mass communication. This means that it delivers information to a large audience. There are three main ways of communicating:
1. Broadcasting (television and radio) 2. Publishing (newspapers and magazines) 3. Internet (websites, blogs, social media).
Media is important because it: ● Helps citizens to make responsible decisions based on facts rather than on opinions, which can be biased, uninformed or incorrect
● Investigates whether governments and powerful organisations and people in society are doing their jobs properly and acting within the law
● Can highlight injustices in society.
There are also disadvantages of media. ● Many media organisations are owned by companies whose main interest is making money.
● Some media are one-sided so do not present all sides of an issue. ● Some media report incorrect information (this may be intentional or unintentional).
In some countries the media is censored. This means that the media cannot print or broadcast certain information or opinions. Authoritarian governments censor the media to prevent journalists, organisations or other politicians from criticising them. These governments also use propaganda to make them appear in a positive light. Propaganda involves using information to infl uence other people’s opinions. This information can be true or false.