1. Mass media
a) do not play any part in the society
b) are only the source of entertainment
c) can't change people's views on the events
d) play a very important part in our life
2. TV
e) doesn't play any role in our life
f) doesn't enrich people's knowledge
g) dominates the life of the family most of the time
h) programmes always tell lies
3. Very often the firms and joint ventures sponsor shows
а) to collect money for charity
b) because they have large sums of money
c) just for fun
d) to give the common people a chance to make a fortune
4. Advertising
a) always tells the true facts
b) is a 100% misleading
c) annoys the general public
d) on TV is cheap
5. It would be fair to say the mass media
a) are of minor importance in this country
b) can't educate people
c) try to raise the cultural level of people
d) don't keep people aware of what is happening in the world around us
III. Do you agree or not? Comment on the following statements.
l. The mass media is an integral part of our everyday life.
a) TV dominates the life of the family most of the time.
b) TV is just only a piece of furniture.
c) Most people today are fond of TV forums.
d) Quiz shows are not fun on TV.
e) All TV and radio stations are state property in Russia.
f) Commercials on TV are shown just for fun.
g) The mass media form and develop people's artistic taste.
IV. What do you think? Give a reason for your opinion.
l. The mass media inform, educate and entertain people.
c) Most of people can't do without a daily newspaper.
d) Radio is more useful than TV.
e) The most popular TV programmes are forums.
f) The intellectual programmes are the best way to educate oneself.
g) The mass media stimulate science and progress.
h) The main task of the mass media is to raise the cultural level of the people.
V. Ask the minister of the mass media questions about the role of the mass media in this country.
VI. List all the problems touched upon in the text
What Is News?
What is news? The kind of event that becomes news depends on several factors. When did it happen? To be news it must be immediate and current. What happened? Was the event important? If so, it’s news. How and where did it happen? Who did it happen to, and what may happen as a result? The answers to all these questions make up what we call news.
What kind of stories make news? Accidents, murders, awful fires – do only sad events make news? It depends on what is happening on a particular day. At first glance it may seem that newspapers print more “bad” news than “good” news. On certain bad days that may be true, but if you look through a typical newspaper, you may be surprised at the amount of good news on its pages.
Events make news because they are out of the ordinary. To most people, a story that describes an unusual happening is far more interesting than one about what’s happening and if an important event happens, it’s news, good or bad.
(from The World Around Us)
NEWSPAPERS
The earliest newspapers were produced in the 17th century. These were single sheets of paper which were sold weekly. They were used as a means of political propaganda and usually published satirical woodcut pictures, news and articles intended to ruin the proprietor’s political rivals.
Many different sorts of newspaper have emerged since these far-off days: weekly, daily, national, local, and in many areas now there are free newspapers which contain mainly advertisements. But all newspapers have one major feature in common: they employ people to collect the news. Most are the reporters, who are sent out to cover different events every day. No paper can afford to have reporters everywhere in the world.
News agencies, such as the Exchange Telegraph and Reuters, employ people to gather news from all over the world, and then they sell it to any newspaper that will pay for it. In this way, papers can get reports from a foreign country without keeping a reporter there all the time.
Most papers in the world are owned by private individuals. Some are very rich and also own television and radio stations. The editorial page in a newspaper is where to look for the leading articles, or “leaders”, which comment on events. Usually these leaders will express the opinions of the newspaper’s owners. Not all countries allow free speech in the newspapers. Some have censorship, which means that articles have to be checked first to see that the government does not object to what is being said.
Newspapers are very popular among the readers as they bring them regular information about how the life of the world goes on. Each of us prefers newspapers trying to provide us with something cool. Newspapers are not cheap either to edit or print, but their amount is growing steadily bringing money to their proprietors. Newspapers usually cost the reader money, but they are comparatively cheap, and we are ready to pay for the news they tell. This money is never enough to pay for the whole cost of producing them. To make the edition profitable, the proprietors are eager to publish ads.
Newspaper advertisements are very expensive because they reach millions of people. A full page advertisement in a Western national newspaper can cost thousands of dollars. It is no wonder that more than half the cost of a newspaper is paid for by advertising. This is obviously taken into consideration at making the newspaper layouts. Advertisements are laid out first; then the news.
No paper has room to print all the news it gathers. So every day an editorial board meets to decide which stories to include and, most importantly, which to put on the front page. At this stage, a rough outline of the pages is designed. But everyone knows it will change many times before the paper is ready for printing. Stories will be rewritten, cut, extended or scrapped.
They will have headlines and sub-headings added. Photographs to illustrate them will be chosen. The ready for printing material is stored in computers.
woodcut - гравированный по дереву
a means of propaganda - средство пропаганды
room = space - место <в номере>
newspaper layout - макет газеты
to lay out the material - располагагь материал
editorial hoard - редколлегия
editor-in-chief - главный редактор
editorial page - редакционная страница
editorial - передовица
censorship - цензура
to provide with something cool - снабдить чем-либо новеньким, приятным
to cut - сокращать <статью>
to extend – расширять, увеличивать <статью>
to scrap – снимать <статью>
THE BRITISH PRESS
Probably in no other country there are such great differences between the various national daily newspapers – in the type of news they report and the way they report it.
On the one hand, there are the “quality” newspapers: The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, the Financial Times and The Daily Telegraph. These concern themselves, as far as possible, with factual reports of major national and international events, with the world of politics and business and with the arts and sport.
On the other hand, there are the “populars” and “tabloids”, so-called because of their smaller size. The tabloids – the most widely read of which are The Daily Mail, The Daily Express, the Daily Mirror, The Sun and The Daily Star – concentrate on more emotive reporting of stories often featuring sex, violence, the Royal Family, film and pop stars, and sport. It’s often said that the popular press aims to entertain its readers rather than inform them.
The tabloid press is much more popular than the quality press.
In some countries, newspapers are owned by government or by political parties. This is not the case in Britain. Newspapers here are mostly owned by individuals or by publishing companies, and the editors of the papers are usually allowed considerate freedom of expression. This is not to say that newspapers are without political bias. Papers like The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Express and The Sun, for example, usually reflect Conservative opinions in their comment and reporting, while the Daily Mirror and The Guardian have a more left-wing bias.
In addition to the 12 national daily newspapers there are nine national papers which are published on Sundays. Most of the “Sundays” contain more reading matter than daily papers, and several of them also include “colour supplements” – separate colour magazines which contain photographically-illustrated feature articles. Reading a Sunday paper, like having a big Sunday lunch, is an important tradition in many British households.́
Besides, nearly every area in Britain has one or more local newspapers.
The British are one of the biggest newspaper-reading nations in the world.
“quality” newspapers - пресса “высокого качества” (для бизнесменов, политиков и т.д), газеты полного формата
to concern oneself with - заниматься, интересоваться
“popular” газета для широкой публики
“tabloid” - малоформатная газета с сжатым текстом и большим количеством иллюстраций; бульварная пресса
emotive reporting - эмоциональная подача материала
to feature - помещать в газете (на видном месте)
publishing company - издательство
bias - предубежденность, пристрастие, уклон
left-wing - левый
feature article -большая статья в газете (посвященная какой-либо одной теме), очерк
Questions
1. What “quality” newspapers do you know?
2. What do they concern themselves with?
3. What does a “tabloid” mean?
4. What “popular” newspapers do you know?
5. It’s often said that the aim of the popular press is to entertain its readers rather than inform them. What kind of materials do these newspapers concentrate on?
6. Are “quality” papers more popular than “tabloids”?
7. In some countries, newspapers are owned by government or by political parties. What about Britain?
8. What’s the difference between daily newspapers and “Sundays”?
9. What does a “colour supplement” mean?
10. Are the British one of the biggest newspaper-reading nations in the world?