Understanding Media Class 7 Notes Social Science Civics Chapter 6

Media refers to all means of communication, everything ranging from a phone call to the evening news on TV can be called media. TV, radio, and newspapers are forms of media. Since they reach millions of people across the world they are called mass media.

Media is the plural form of the word ‘medium’ and it describes the various ways through which we communicate in society.

Media and Technology

• Life without media is difficult. Cable TV and the Internet are recent phenomena.
• Both print media and electronic media have played an important role in social change.
• Changing technology or machines help media to reach more people.
• Television has enabled us to think of ourselves as members of the global people.
• It is the responsibility of the media to present a fair and balanced report.
• Media is far from being independent. This is because of the control of the government over media called censoring and because big business houses control the media.
• An independent media means that no one should control and influence its coverage and news.

Media and Money

• The different technologies that mass media use are expensive.
• In a news studio, it is not only the newsreader who needs to be paid but also a number of other people who help put the broadcast together.
• A lot of money is spent on getting the latest technology. To meet this cost, it needs money.
• Media thus has come to be owned by big corporate.
• Media, therefore, uses advertising as a tool to raise revenue.

Media and Democracy

• Media plays a very important role in providing news and discussing events taking place in the country and the world.
• New stories of media inform people about important events in the country.
• Some important ways by which people can take about important events in the country are organizing public protests, starting a signature campaign, etc.

Setting Agendas

• The media also plays an important role in deciding which stories to focus on.
• By focusing on particular issues, it influences and shapes our thoughts. It is said the media sets the agenda for people.
• Very recently, the media reported alarming levels of pesticides in cold drinks. This report led to safety standards being set for colas.
• Media plays a very important role in our lives as it tells us about working of the government.
• Freedom of expression should be given to media to report events independently.

Media is the plural form of the word ‘Medium’. It describes the various ways through which we communicate in society.

Media refers to all means of communication, everything ranging from a phone call to the evening news on television.

Television, radio, and newspapers are called mass media because they reach millions of people at the same time.

Cable television and the widespread use of the Internet is a recent phenomenon.

The technology that mass media uses keeps changing.

Newspapers and magazines come under print media while television and radio come under electronic media.

Changing technology, or machines and making technology more modern, helps media to reach more and more people. It also improves the quality of sound and the images. It also changes the ways in which we think about our lives.

Television plays a major role in our life. We cannot think of life without TV. It gives us news and entertainment and many other things.

Mass media uses expensive technologies. A TV studio needs lights, cameras, sound recorders, transmission satellites, etc. All these cost a huge amount of money.

Mass media also spends a lot of money on getting the latest technology.

Most television channels and newspapers become a part of big business houses in order to fulfill their requirement of money.

Mass media earns money by advertising different things such as surf, chocolates, etc.

Media plays a significant role in democracy. It provides news and discusses events that take place in the country and the world. It is on the basis of this information we come to know how the government works.

The information that the media provides should be balanced. A balanced report is one that discusses all points of view of a particular story and then leaves it to the readers to make up their minds.

Independent media can write a balanced report. Hence, it is necessary for the media to be independence.

But the reality is that media is far from independent.

There are two reasons behind it. The first is the control that the government has on the media. Where the government prevents either a news item or scenes from a movie, or a lyric of a song from being shared with the larger public, this is known as censorship. During the Emergency period (1975-77) the government censored the media.

While the government does continue to censor films, it does not really censor the media’s coverage of news.

Despite the absence of censorship by the government, most newspapers do not provide a balanced report.

It has been found out by the persons who research media that business houses control media. It means that the media is not independent.

Media sets the agenda. It means media has to decide what stories to focus on and therefore, decides on what is newsworthy.

Media should focus on issues that are significant in our lives. But very often it fails to do so. Cricket, fashion shows are very popular with the media.

Local media deals with small issues that involve ordinary people and their daily lives. Khabar Lahriya, a fortnightly newspaper, is run by eight Dalit women in Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh. It is written in the local language, Bundeli.

Media: The word ‘media’ refers to all means of communication, everything ranging from a phone call to the news on television.

Public protest: When people collectively state their opposition to some issue by organizing a rally, starting a signature campaign, etc., it is known as a public protest.

Balanced report: A balanced report is one that discusses all points of view of a particular story and then leaves it to the leaders to make up their minds.

Censorship: The government has the power to disallow media from publishing or showing certain stories. This means that the government can censor the media.

Broadcast: A TV or radio programme that is widely transmitted.

Setting Agenda: One of the important functions of media is that it decides what stories should be focused on and thus decides on what is newsworthy. This is often said that the media sets the agenda.

Local Media: It deals with small issues that involve ordinary people and their daily lives. It publishes news of local importance.