understanding media

CHAPTER 6 CIVICS

UNDERSTANDING MEDIA

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:-

1.     What is media?

Ans: media refers to all means of communications, everything ranging from a phone call to the evening news on television.

2.     What types of media are there?

Ans:

a.     Electronic media

b.     Print media

3.     What is mass media?

Ans: Television, radio and newspaper are forms of media that reaches millions of people across the country and the world are called mass media.

4.     How does changing technology help media?

Ans: Changing technology helps media in the following ways:--

a.     It reaches more people.

b.     It has also increased the audio visual quality.

c.      It has also changed our thinking.

d.     It has helped us in improving our life-style.

5.     In what ways media plays an important role in democracy?

Ans: In democracy media plays an important role in providing news and discussing events that are taking place in the country and the world. It is on the basis of this information we can learn how our government works. If they find that our government does not work properly they can take action.

6.     What do you mean by balanced report?

Ans: A balanced report is one that discusses all the point of views of a particular story and then leaves it to the readers to make up their minds.

7.     What is independent media and why it is important in democracy?

Ans: An independent media means that no one can control and influence the coverage of the news. No one should tell the media what can be included and what should not be the part of the story.

An independent media is important for the democracy as it is on the basis of the information that the media provides and we can take action as the citizens. For this the information provided by the media should be reliable.

8.     Why media is not independent?

Ans: Media is not independent because of two reasons:-

a.     The government has some influence on media.

b.     Business houses control media.  

9.     What do you mean by setting agenda?

Ans: the media plays an important role in deciding what stories are to be focused on, what is news worthy. By focusing on particular issues and by bringing those issues to our attention, media influences our thoughts, feelings and actions. Due to this influence it shapes our thoughts. It is commonly said that media sets the agenda.

10.Why does media need money?

Ans: Media needs money for the following reasons:-

a.     To buy lights, cameras, sound recorders

b.     To pay the connections of the satellites.

c.      To pay news readers and news reporters.

11.How does media earn money?

Ans: media earns money from advertisements.

12.Why it is difficult for us to think our lives without televisions?

Ans: it is quite difficult to think our lives without televisions because television has enabled us to think of ourselves as members of the large global world. Television images travel huge distances through satellites and cables. This allows us to view news and entertainment channels from the other part of the world.

13.What do you mean by publish?

Ans: Newspaper, articles, interviews, stories etc. that are printed in newspaper, magazines and books for a large mass to read.

14.What is broadcast?

Ans: Television or media programmes that are widely transmitted.

15.What do mean by the public protest?

Ans: When a large number of people come together and openly state their opposition to some issues. Organizing a rally, starting a signature campaign etc. are some of the ways of public protests.

16.What is censorship?

Ans: the power that the government has, to disallow media from publishing or showing certain stories.