16. Maturitni otazka_Mass Media

Mass Media

There are two basic types of media - two-way or one-way.

Two-way mass media are for example the telephone and the Internet. They work on the same principle as a face-to-face communication, but they can be done over distance. We do not have to travel to the people if we want to talk to them.

• The advantage of telephones is a comfortable communication with many people who are in different places at the given time. The disadvantage of telephones can be the impact to our privacy. People can reach you even if you want to relax.

• The Internet is also a comfortable means of communication making it possible to talk and also see other people. In business it is particularly convenient and we can also use a variation to telephones called video conference which enables us to talk and see the other people via a telephone. We can also use various kinds of chat messengers. The biggest advantage is that the cost of such a communication is very low. The disadvantage, on the other hand, is the addiction to this kind of communication. We can spend much more time communicating to other people. We can also become very shy when we communicate with people face to face.

One-way mass media – there are many kinds of media.

• Newspapers are one of the oldest types. First newspapers appeared in 17th century. There are two main kinds of newspapers – tabloids and broadsheets.

  • Tabloids are also called popular papers and contain less print and more pictures. They use large headlines and are written in simpler language. They concentrate on human interest stories, celebrities and scandals. The examples of tabloids are the Daily Mirror, the People (Britain), the Metro, the New York Observer (the USA), Blesk, Story (Czech Republic).

  • Broadsheets are also called quality papers and contain news about politics and other serious events. The examples of broadsheets are the Independent, the Times, the Financial Times (Britain), the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the New York Times (the USA), Dnes, Hospodarske noviny (the Czech Republic).

• Television is probably the most popular means of one-way media. According to a survey, people in the USA watch TV for 4 hours and a half every day. Since its invention in 1926 television has become a common medium in homes, businesses and institutions, particularly as a source of entertainment and news. There are many kinds of TV programmes. If you want to learn what has happened in the world, watch the news. Documentary films can be a source of interesting information, quiz shows and games shows can test your knowledge and if you fancy watching a film, there are many types to choose from, such as comedies, romantic films, horrors, thrillers, crime, westerns, dramas, adventures, fantasy, cartoons, and others. The most popular TV channels today are the BBC and ITV (Britain), NBC and Fox (the USA), Czech TV and Nova (the Czech Republic).

In a democratic country, the media are not censored. However, they cannot contain some material. For example, commercials advertising alcoholic drinks and tobacco products are very limited. Some types of TV programmes can be broadcast only at certain times, some programmes are only for adults and some programmes are banned completely. I think that the media should/shouldn't be controlled because...

I mostly use internet where I read various reports. I do not buy and read any newspaper or tabloids. Sometimes, I watch TV.