What is Media (P2) Flashcards
(9 cards)
What is media
*Tech used to communicate with large audiences w/out any personal contact e.g. TVs, computers, DVD players, smartphones and games consoles.
*Orgs and institutions involved in mass communication e.g. the press (newspapers, the film industry, TV broadcasting, radio stations, book publishers, and web-related industries (e.g. social media companies and streaming services).
*The products of those organisations and institutions, such as TV news, films, TV shows, websites, books, music, DVDs, newspapers, books and computer games.
What is traditional media?
forms of media which are older e.g. broadcast TV, radio station, newspapers. They tended to give the same message and communicated things in a one-way, non-interactive way: they would give you info/entertainment and you would watch it/read it/listen to it
What is new media?
interactive, screen-based digital technology, which often combines images, text and sound, as well as the tech associated with these forms of media content e.g. computers, e-books, digital TV, streaming services, MP3s, social media sites, video/computer games
What is social media?
refers to websites and apps that allow people to interact/communicate with large numbers of people such as YouTube.
These platforms allow people to share/reshare photos, videos, news and other information, either which they’ve made themselves or which others have created.
Many people spend more time on social media than on other internet based activities, and it is the main way some people engage with things like the news: it is a very significant form of media in today’s world.
Which laws limit the media
*Libel laws mean it’s illegal to publish something untrue about someone which might ruin their reputation in society.
*The Official Secrets Act makes it an offence to reveal information which the government considers an ‘official secret’.
*Defence and Security Media Advisory Notices are requests from the government to journalists not to report on things which they believe may damage national security.
*The Racial & Religious Hatred Act (2006) and the Equality Act (2010) make it illegal to express opinions which encourage hatred or discrimination against people because of their ethnic group or religious beliefs.
*The Obscene Publications Act (1959) bans the publication of anything that a court considers to be obscene or indecent, and likely to ‘deprave and corrupt’ persons who are likely to read, see or hear it.
*Contempt of Court laws making it illegal to report on, express opinions on or publish materials about a court case which may prejudice a fair trial.
Who regulates Tv, radio station and telecommunications companies and what is the main role of the regulator?
Ofcom
to make sure that the public are protected from any offensive or harmful media, and making sure that people aren’t treated unfairly in TV and radio programmes.
Who is the BBC regulated by and what is the role of the regulator?
as well as Ofcom, BBD Trust
makes sure the BBC remains independent and represents the interests of license fee payers- the BBC’s main source of money comes from the license fee, as well as money from companies associated to/linked with the BBC.
The BBC is also meant to be impartial over political issues (it can’t say it thinks one political party is better than another or tell people who to vote for): this is very different to major newspapers, who often have political bias (they favour one party over another one)
Who regulates newspapers and magazines and how were they set up?
IPSO
set up by the newspaper industry after the Press Complaints Commission was found to have acted inadequately in dealing with cases of journalists hacking into people’s mobile phones.
role= monitor and maintain standards in journalism related to accuracy, invasion of privacy, intrusion into grief or shock and harassment, set out in the Editor’s Code of Practice.
It considers and investigates complaints about what it is newspapers and how journalists behave. Some people feel that because it is run by newspapers themselves, IPSO is unlikely to criticise them or their journalists in a lot of cases
In what ways can the government influence and control media output
The use of spin doctors: people who try and manipulate the media to provide a positive picture of the government over an unpopular or controversial news item. Alternatively, they may try and release news which shows the government in a bad light when other news stories are more likely to get more coverage, or when it’s a holiday period, as a lot of the public and journalists are on holiday, meaning the bad news will get little coverage.
Not allowing some forms of computer software, or using filtering/surveillance software to block access to certain websites. For example, Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube are all blocked/banned in China.
Surveillance/monitoring of emails, use of the internet and phone calls e.g. in the UK a law was passed in 2014 which allows the police and security services access to peoples e-mails and social media accounts. Countries like China and North Korea will control and monitor how people use the internet very strictly e.g. to monitor criticism of the government.
