Mass Media

Mass Media

1 Pictures

There are titles of 2 very well-known Slovak daily newspapers. Explain differences between them.

(Hospodárske noviny a Nový čas)

The first one is serious or quality newspaper – Hospodárske noviny. It brings information from politics and economics.

The second one is tabloid Nový čas. It´s the most popular daily tabloid in Slovakia. It brings gossip about actors, singers, politicians and love affairs from the world of showbusiness.

2 Types of mass media, their advantages and use in modern society.

In modern society we are daily in contact with different types of mass media. We get information from TV, newspaper, radio or the Internet.

Mass media inform, educate and entertain us.

We can watch live broadcasting to be informed about catastrophes such as earthquakes or terrorist attacks.

How the Internet has changed the way of communication.

The Internet is a true revolution. It has changed the way of study, work, entertainment or communication with friends and family. Now we have access to any types of information.

I use it every day to chat with my friends on FB, to find materials and information for school, to download music, films, to skype with friends and family from abroad, to send e-mails. I can do shopping via the Internet, find out about departures of trains and buses, book tickets for concerts, cinema, theatre, plane tickets, accommodation. I can buy holiday all over the world.

I can read any information in any language because I can use the Google translator. I can transfer money or find a love partner via the Internet.

But there is a lot of discussion about the safety of the Internet. E.g. hackers can get into different computer systems and misuse the data or create computer viruses which destroy the data completely.

Chatting on the Internet might be dangerous as well. People use nicknames and you don´t know their real identity.

Typical sections found in newspapers.

We can divide newspapers into quality newspapers and tabloids.

Quality newspapers bring national and international news, reports and business news, information from culture and sport. They are published daily. In Slovakia the most popular newspapers are Pravda, Sme, Hospodárske noviny. In GB: The Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph. In the USA: The New York Times, The Washington Post.

Typical sections in quality newspapers are: editorial, features, articles about politics, economics, culture, sport and entertaining pages with crosswords and jokes, pages for cooks with recipes and beauty pages.

Tabloids – are not serious newspapers. They bring stories and gossip about famous people from showbusiness. The articles write about sex scandals and finacial affairs of superstars. In Slovakia the best sold are Nový Čas and Plus 7 dní.

In GB: The Daily Mirror and The Sun.

Magazines – are published one a week or month. They are for different groups of people. For women: Ema, Eva

For teens: Bravo, ...

For men: Break, AutoMoto, .........

For people with special hobbies: Dogs and Cats, Fishing and Hunting, Fitness, ...........

Journals – are serious magazines with articles written by experts, scientists, doctors, teachers etc.

My favourite magazine, articles I read most.

(každý podľa seba si vyberie niečo z predchádzajúceho zadania)

Differences between commercial and non-commercial TV stations.

TV – is the most powerful mass medium. We can watch news, documentaries, films, sitcoms, soap operas or series on TV. Some people prefer political discussions or reality shows. Many women nowadays are „soap operas addicted“. They can find there everything: forbidden love, intrigues, modern Cinderellas etc. Men usually watch sport channels.

Commercial stations – like Markíza, JOJ – entertain people with films, reality shows, soap operas, sitcoms etc. There are many commercials/advertisments also during the films because private channels need money to be able to broadcast.

On the other hand – non-commercial TV station STV – doesn´t break film with commercials. It gets money from the government. It broadcasts serious news, documentaries, series, quizshows for education etc.

There are aslo special channels with sport programmes (Eurosport), programmes for children (Disney Channels), about nature and animals (Discovery, National Geography).

In Great Britain radio and TV broadcasting is provided by BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation).

3 Simulation

Speak about your favourite TV programme. Suggest educational programmes which would be suitable for young people.

My favourite TV programe is.......................

As for educational programmes I would recommend some quiz shows and satellite channels such as Discovery, National Geography, Viasat History, Viasat Explorer, Travel Channel. They broadcast in English so we can improve our language skills.