Mass Media (13)
What do you think of the mass media in Hungary?
When we talk about the mass media, we have to mention four different types: radio,
television, newspapers and the Internet. In my opinion, the biggest problem with the mass
media is that they are all controlled by money and even national channels do not fulfil their
duties of being democratic and unbiased. They always report events based on what is dictated
by the interests of the owners. They deceive the public and this is a very big power because
the media can swing the public opinion from one side to the other. Some commercial TV and
radio channels and tabloid papers even fabricate stories to keep the reader or the viewer
occupied. Their stories are centred around scandals and sensations, since this is what most
people are interested in. My biggest concern is that it is impossible to watch a movie in one
sitting because films are always interrupted by commercials or I could say that commercials
are interrupted by the film.
mass media – tömegtájékoztatási eszközök
unbiased – elfogulatlan
to deceive – becsap
to swing opinions – megváltoztatja valaki
véleményét
tabloid – bulvár
fabricate – gyárt
in on sitting – egy helyben
commercial - reklám
Bad points
to deceive the public
to bias public opinion
to lack basic organization principles
to fabricate stories
to be centred around scandals
to be sensational
to be full of commercials
Good points
to be democratic
no censorship
to cover a wide range of events
to report about important political events / scientific discoveries
to be versatile
to keep abreast of time (lépést tart az idővel)
to keep the public informed
What are some popular programmes nowadays?
Many people have a satellite dish so they can receive channels from all over Europe. In
Hungary, people are mainly interested in talk shows, reality shows, quiz programmes, South
American soap operas and football. My favourite show is Exatlon Hungary which is a sports-
reality format with two teams competing in different challenges. Furthermore, reality shows
are an interesting phenomenon in Hungary. It is the programme that nobody admits to watch
but most people do so. Some people are chosen by the audience to live together for a given
period of time and all their moves are watched and peeped by the viewers.
satellite dish – parabolaantenna
soap opera – szappanopera
phenomenon, phenomena –
jelenség
to peep - kukkol
What kind of websites do you visit?
I have an e-mail account that I visit every hour. I get a lot of mails, however most of them are
junk. I also read some newspapers on the web. I find pleasure in reading the same piece of
news in different newspapers and in realizing the difference between the various
interpretations of the same story. There are some good games which I can play with other
participants from other places.
Which radio stations do you listen to most?
I mostly listen to the radio while driving. I like channels which offer programmes with few
commercials and lots of music. I also like programmes which provide news every hour or half
an hour and information on town traffic and road conditions. Rádió 1 and Retro Rádió are my
favourite ones.
Has radio any advantages over TV?
You can listen to the radio practically everywhere: while you are driving or travelling, when
you are on the beach, at home while doing housework or cooking and even at your workplace.
Which do you think the most useful medium for
practicing English is: newspapers, magazines,
books, radio, films or music?
I think all of them are important. They can be used to
improve your vocabulary and grammar, and with the
help of radio, films and music, you can develop
listening skills and pronunciation.
Reading Skills
[ 1 ] The mass media play an important part in our lives. Newspapers, radio and especially
TV inform us of what is going on in this world and give us wonderful possibilities for
education, entertainment, and communication. They also influence the way we see the world.
They can change our views.
[ 2 ] Of course, not all newspapers, TV programmes, news presenters, radio
commentators, or entertainers report events objectively all the time. In other words, they can
be clearly biased sometimes. However, there are many serious journalists and TV reporters
who try to be as fair and professional as possible. They try to provide us with reliable
information. Some people say that journalists are given too much freedom. They often intrude
on people’s lives. They follow celebrities and print sensational stories about them which can
be untrue or half-true. You have probably heard of the “papparazi”; they are independent
photographers who take pictures of athletes, entertainers, politicians, and other celebrities,
typically while going about their life routines. The question is: should this be allowed?
[ 3 ] It is true that the world today is full of dramatic events, and most news seems to be bad
news, but people aren’t interested in ordinary events anymore. That is why there are so many
TV programmes and articles about natural disasters, plane crashes, wars, murders and
robberies. Good news doesn’t usually make headlines. Bad news does.
[4 ] One main source of news for millions of people is television. People like TV news
because they can see everything with their own eyes, and that’s a paramount advantage.
Seeing, as we know, is believing. Besides, it is much more difficult for politicians to lie in
front of the cameras than on the front pages of newspapers. Still, others prefer the radio. It is
good to listen to the radio while in the car, or in the open air, or while you are doing
something around the house. Newspapers don’t react to events as quickly as TV does,
but they usually provide us with extra details, comments and background information. The
internet has recently become another important source of information. Its main advantage is
that news appears on the screen as soon as things take place in real life and you don’t have to
wait for news time on TV.
A - Are these statements true or false? Justify
1. [ ….. ] The goal of mass media is only to entertain us.
…………………………………………………………………………………………
2. [ ….. ] Nowadays people are indifferent to ordinary events.
…………………………………………………………………………………………
3. [ ….. ] Bad news doesn’t make headlines.
………………………………………………………………………………………….
B - Answer the following questions.
1. Why do people like TV?
2. What makes the internet, as a source of information, better than TV?
C - Provide the referent for the following words and phrases from 2 to 6 words. Give
only one answer.
1. they (paragraph2) …………………………
2. they (paragraph4) …………………………
D - Find in the text words that mean the same as:
1. affect (paragraph1)
………………………….
2. Famous people (paragraph2) ………………………….
3. title (paragraph3) ……………………………
4. happen (paragraph4) ……………………………
Speaking
Talk in pairs. Do you agree with this article? What was the latest news you have recently
heard? What have you heard about public life, policies and NGOs?
Being informed
What differentiates newspapers from other forms of journalism?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Column_(periodical)
Revision
Decide whether the item is positive or negative. Write the numbers into the circles.
(1) bias public opinion
(2) cover a wide range of events
(3) are centred around disasters
(4) fabricate (fake) stories
(5) keep abreast of time
(6) are full of commercials
(7) are versatile
(8) have no censorship
(9) are sensational
(10) deceive the public
GOOD BAD
