[ 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.
Comprehension Questions:
A- Are these statements true or false? Justify
- [ ….. ] The goal of mass media is only to entertain us.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………… - [ ….. ] Nowadays people are indifferent to ordinary events.
……………………………………………………….. - [ ….. ] 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?
D- Find in the text words that mean the same as:
- affect (paragraph1) ………………………….
- Famous people (paragraph2) ………………………….
- happen (paragraph3) ……………………………
Teacher : BEN-KTILA Abdessamad
Download the reading material:
