Social Science VSQ (2 Marks)

Media is the plural form of the word ‘medium’ and it describes the various ways through which we communicate in society. Because media refers to all means of communication, everything ranging from a phone call to the evening news on TV can be called media.

However, the reality is that media is far from independent. This is mainly because of two reasons.

1. The first is the control that the government has on the media. When the government prevents either a news item, or scenes from a movie, or the lyrics of a song from being shared with the larger public, this is referred to as censorship. There have been periods in Indian history when the government censored the media.
2. Second, at times, it is in the interest of these businesses to focus on only one side of the story. Media’s continual need for money and its links to advertising means that it becomes difficult for media to be reporting against people who give them advertisements.

Censorship means the process by which media is controlled by the government, when any news, dialogues, lyrics or scene is prevented from being shared with the larger public.

Television, radio, newspapers etc. that reaches large number of people, or the masses, across the country and the world are called mass media.

Censorship refers to the power that the government has to disallow media from showing or publishing certain issues.
Factual information is the information about a particular news or issue as given by the report.

Some of the ways in which they can do this is by writing letters to the concerned minister, organising a public protest, starting a signature campaign, asking the government to rethink its programme, etc.

Same advertisements are shown repeatedly on the television screen just to make people's mind to go out and buy what is advertised.

The electronic media comprises radio, television, internet and cinema; it is very effective as;

1. It is able to create an audio – visual impact on viewers.
2. It makes people aware of happening across the country.

Media plays an important role in providing information. It is important that media reporting should be balanced.

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

In a democracy, media plays an important role in providing:News and in discussing events taking place in the country and in the world. Media provides information to the citizens and enables them to take action.

Television has enabled us to think of ourselves as members of a larger global world.

Media continual need for money and its links to advertising means that it becomes difficult for media to be reporting against people who give them advertisements. Media is, thus, no longer considered independent because of its close links to business.

In order to write balanced reports, media need to be independent. Moreover, it is on the basis of the information that the media provides that we take action as citizens, so it is important that this information is reliable and not biased.

We need to realise that television gives us a partial view of the world. While we enjoy our favourite programmes, we should always be aware of the large exciting world beyond our TV screens. There is so much happening out there that TV ignores.

A balanced report is one that discusses all points of views of particular Story and then leaves it to the readers to make up their mind.Its features are:

1. For writing a balanced report media should be independent.
2. No one can tell media what is to be include in a news story and what should not.

When a large number of people come together and openly state their opposition to some issue is termed as public protest. Organising a rally, starting a signature campaign, blocking roads etc. are some of the ways in which this is done.

Media is not interested in covering small issues that involve ordinary people and their daily lives because these issues cannot attract lot of reader or viewer and hence may affect their business.

Media help us to focus on an issue that affect our lives. It help us to understand and know things that we are not aware of.

Radio, television, newspapers, Internet and several other forms of communication are collectively known as media.

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

They do so by writing letters to the concerned minister, organizing a public protest, starting a signature campaigns and asking the government to rethink its programme, etc.