Mass media is a comprehensive term
embracing television, radio,
motion pictures, and large-circulation newspapers and magazines. It
refers to
much more than the journalistic aspects of the instruments of popular
communication. The mass media often function as the locus of social
control and
the source of popular culture. They help create historical events,
teach
values, and by virtue of the huge commercial enterprises they
represent, affect
the viability of free societies.
There are five major fields of journalism: newspapers, news
services,
periodicals, radio and television. Radio and television perform
information
only briefly, but quickly. Newspapers include full reports on different
topics.
News agencies provide them with the latest information.
NEWS AGENCIES News agencies are local, national,
international, or technical
organizations that gathers and distributes news, selling theyr services
to
newspapers, periodicals, and broadcasters; reports are also available
as part
of some on-line computer services. The major news organizations in the
U. S.
are: the Associated Press (AP) , founded in 1892 as the Associated
Press of
Illinois, which adopted its present name in 1900; the United Press
Association,
called the United Press (UP) , founded in 1892, which became an
affiliate of
the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain; and the International News Service
(INS) ,
founded by W. R. Hearst in 1906; in 1958 INS was merged with UP,
forming United
Press International (UPI) . Two major European news agencies are the
Reuter
Telegram Company of London, founded in 1851 and known simply as
Reuters; and
Agence France-Presse, founded in 1835 as Agence Havas of Paris. Some
countries
have government-owned and -controlled agencies. News agencies transmit
copy through
the use of the telegraph, telephone wires, underwater cables, and
communications satellites. Many offer their clients photographs, news
analyses,
and special features.
NEWSPAPER Newspaper is a publication issued periodically,
usually daily or
weekly, to present information about current events. The Roman Acta
diurna (c.
59 B. C.) , posted daily in public places, was the first recorded
newspaper.
The invention and spread of printing in the 15th cent. was the major
factor in
the early development of the newspaper. The first daily paper in
England was
the Daily Courant (1702) . English newspapers began to reach the masses
in the
19th cent. Important English newspapers of today are The Times of
London
(founded in 1785) and the Manchester Guardian. One of the oldest
continental
newspapers, Avisa Relation oder Zeitung, appeared in Germany in 1609;
the
Nieuwe Tijdingen was published in Antwerp in 1616; and the first French
newspaper, the Gazette, was founded in 1631. Important newspapers of
the world
today include Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) , Figaro
(France) ,
Osservatore romano (Vatican) , Asahi Shimbun (Japan) , and the Times of
India
(Delhi) . The first newspaper to appear in the American colonies was a
newssheet, Publick Occurrences, which was issued in Boston in 1690.
During the
19th cent. many famous U. S. newspapers appeared: the New York Evening
Post
(1801) ; the New York Sun, founded (1833) by B. H. Day; the New York
Herald
(1835) ; and the New York Times (1851. Other important American
newspapers are
the Washington Post; Los Angeles Times; Christian Science Monitor
(Boston) ;
Atlanta Constitution; Chicago Tribune; USA Today, a national paper; and
Wall
Street Journal (N. Y. C.) , which in 1980 became the best-selling daily
newspaper in the U. S. In the 20th cent. great newspaper empires were
built in
England and in the U. S. By 1980 the Australian magnate Rupert Murdoch
was
publishing newspapers in Australia, Britain, and the U. S. Since the
invention
of the telegraph, which facilitated the rapid gathering of news, the
great news
agencies have sold their services to many newspapers. Improvements in
typesetting and printing (especially the web press) have made possible
the
publication of huge editions at great speed. During the 1970s such
technological
developments as photocomposition and the use of communications
satellites to
deliver news and photographs revolutionized the newspaper industry. The
advent
of computer technology has allowed many newspapers to offer information
through
commercial on-line computer services. but they are able to spare more
attention
and space to each problem. The newspaper articles give much more
information
about events. That is is the main advantage of newspapers.
Newspapers cover more stories than any ather news media does.
They also
cover stories in great detail. However, the newspapers present
information
later then radio or TV. The great advantage of newspapers over radio
and TV is
that they can report stories in depth. Readers can skip items that
doesn’t interest
them. Newspapers also can print certain material that appeals to only a
small
percentage of readers.
PERIODICALS Periodicals are publications issued regularly,
distinguished
from the newspaper in format, in that its pages are smaller and usually
bound,
and in that it is published weekly, monthly, or quarterly, rather than
daily.
Periodicals range from technical and scholarly journals to illustrated
magazines for mass circulation. The French Journal des scavans
(1665-1791) is
considered the first periodical, whereas the English monthly
Gentleman's
Magazine (1731-1868) was the first to use the word magazine in the
sense of a
periodical for entertainment. Famous American periodicals include
Godey's
Lady's Book (1830-98) , edited by Sarah J. Hale and famous for its
colored
fashion prints; the Atlantic Monthly (1857-) and Harper's Magazine
(1850-) ,
both noted for serious essays and fiction; the extremely popular
Saturday
Evening Post (1821-1971) and Ladies' Home Journal (1883-) ; McClure's
Magazine
(1893-1928) , which published many articles by the Muckrakers; and The
New
Yorker (1925-) known for its urbane humor and high literary standards.
Specialized magazines include the news magazines Time (1923-) and
Newsweek
(1933-) ; the National Geographic Magazine (1888-) , devoted to natural
history
and anthropology; Ebony (1946-) , a picture weekly directed toward
African
Americans; Playboy (1953-) and other periodicals devoted to sex and
sexuality;
Ms. (1972-) , a forum for the women's liberation movement; and the
zany,
satirical National Lampoon (1970-) . Computer advances have made
possible the
delivery of magazine articles through on-line services and have begun
to spawn
entirely electronic periodicals, such as The Online Journal of Current
Critical
Trials (1992-) , a professional medical journal.
RADIO The first regularly scheduled radio broadcasts in the U.
S. began in
1920. The sale of advertising began in 1922, establishing commercial
broadcasting as an industry. A coast-to-coast hookup began early in
1924, and
expansion of both audience and transmission facilities continued
rapidly. Radio
is generally the first of news media to report a local story or a news
service
bulletin. A radio announcer can interrupt a programme with a news flash
as soon
as the report comes in. Most stations present regular news bulletins
every
half-hour or hour. The national radio broadcast major news events.
However,
most radio news bulletins do not report the news in detail. In a five
minute
broadcast the stories average less then 30 seconds each. Radio also
provide
weather forecasts and traffic information.
TELEVISION Experiments in broadcasting television began in the
1920s but
were interrupted by World War II. By 1992 the U. S. had 1,505
television
stations, and cable television systems in the U. S. served over 56
million
households. Television signals are also now transmitted from satellites
direct
to household satellite dishes.
Television is the main source of news for many households
around the world.
TV does what none of the other media can: it brings the sight and
sounds of
some important news events by means of filmed, taped or live reports.
Like
regular radio news bulletins, daily TV news programmes provide only
brief
accounts of relatively new stories. But the visual aspect of TV news
story can
often help viewers understand the story. In addition to daily news
reports,
television covers special news events. Coverage of such an event may
replace
many hours of regular TV shows. Television also broadcasts in-depth
programmes
that help explain a story or subject. Such programmes, which run from
half an
hour to three hours, include docummentaries and interview programmes.
Most
docummentaries are filmed or taped. They may perform such subjects as
crime,
foreign policy, or race relations. Interview programmes, which are
usually
broadcast live, may consist of a panel of journalists who ask questions
of a
major figure in the news.
The importance of mass media and journalism has greatly
increased in recent
years. In democratic countries, people depend on the news media for the
fair
and truthful reporting of current events. Freedom of the press
encourages the
exchange of ideas among citizens. In governmet-controlled countries,
however,
the news media serve as an instrument of the state. The struggle
against
censorship began in England in the 16th-17th cent. In the American
colonies it
began in 1734. Only 20% of the world’s people live in
countries that have a
free press. But in government-controlled countries journalists can
still broadcast
or write only what national leaders allow. Media forms public opinion
now. A
lot of politicians strive to possess mass media. Media carries great
possibilities for society, but they are not only good ones. Nobody
should
forget, that media- is the fourth power.
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