Топик: Mass media

- What is the role of mass media in the life of contemporary society?

- The role of mass media in the life of the present society is difficult to overestimate. They have become a daily and essential necessity with contemporary men. Mass media report about various aspects of life, form and affect public opinion.

- What is implied under the term "mass media"?

- Mass media comprise press, radio, TV and the Internet. In this or that form mass media come into every home. To understand the meaning of mass media for the people it is necessary to consider their every aspect separately.

- What do you know about the Internet?

- The Internet was created in 1983. Since that time it has grown beyond its largely academic origin into an increasingly commercial and popular medium. The Internet connects many computer net works. It is based on a common addressing system and communications protocol called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). By the mid-1990s the Internet connected millions of computers throughout the world. Many commercial computer network and data services also provided at least indirect connection to the Internet. The World Wide Web, which enables simple and intuitive navigation of Internet sites through a graphical interface, expanded during the 1990s to become the most important component of the Internet.

- What can you say about the press?

- Newspaper are usually issued daily, weekly, or at other regular times. They provide news, views, features, and other information of public interest and often carry advertising

- When did the first newspapers appear in England?

- Newspapers appeared in many European countries in the 17th century. The first English printed news book averaging twenty-two pages was the "Weekly News". It appeared in Lon don in 1621. By the 1640s the news book had taken the form of a newspaper. The first periodical was the "London Gazelle", a bi weekly court paper. It started as the "Oxford Gazette" in 1665 when the King and the court moved to Oxford because of London plague.

- What was the first English daily?

- The first English daily was "The Daily Courant" (1702-35). It was in 1771 that Parliament allowed journalists the right to report its proceedings. The "Times" was founded by John Walter in 1785, and "The Observer" was founded in 1791.

- What role do newspapers play today?

- Newspapers come out to provide their readers with fresh news. Today people have a chance to have full information about political, economic and cultural events in their own country and abroad.

- Are British newspapers homogeneous?

- No, they are not. In Great Britain there are no official government newspapers. British newspapers are proud of their individual styles. They can be classified into quality and popular editions.

- In what way do quality newspapers differ from the popular ones?

- Quality newspapers are serious daily issues. They appeal mainly to the upper and middle classes. Popular, tabloid newspapers are smaller in size and contain many photographs. Unlike quality newspapers popular newspapers are not so serious and their stories tend to be sensational.

- What quality newspapers can you name?

- Quality newspapers are: "Financial Times", "The Times", "The Guardian", "The Daily Telegraph".

- What information do quality newspapers contain?

- "Financial Times" contains a comprehensive coverage of industry, commerce and public affairs. "The Times" is the most famous newspaper. It represents the views of the establishment and is well-known for its correspondence column. "The Guardian" gives a wide coverage of news events and reports on social issues, the arts, education. "The Daily Telegraph" contains reports on national and international news, gives a full covering of sports and other topics.

- What are popular newspapers?

- Popular newspapers are: "The Daily Express", "The Daily Mirror", "The Daily Mail", "The Daily Star", "The Sun". They have a national daily circulation and appeal mainly to the working and middle classes.

- When did the first newspapers appear in America?

- In the 17th century newspapers, magazines, almanacs were published in America. The oldest printing press in America was set up as early as 1639 at Cambridge, and its activity was never interrupted. The first newspaper in the United States came out in Boston in 1690. But it was suppressed by the colonial governor after one issue. The weekly "Boston News-letter" began publication in 1704. Independent newspaper publishing started with the "New- England Courant" in 1721. In 1776 on the eve of the Revolution Boston had five newspapers, and Philadelphia three. Freedom of the press was achieved the United States in 1791 by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

- How can American newspapers be classified?

- In the USA daily newspapers are of two kinds: quality and popular. "The Wall Street Journal" is a quality newspaper. It covers national and international news. "The Washington Post" contains full coverage of Congress.