Class 7 Civics Chapter 6 Question Answers - Understanding Media

Q1. Describe relationship between media and technology.
Ans:
Relationship between Media and Technology:

• Today it is difficult for us to imagine our life without the media.
• Cable television and the widespread use of the Internet is a recent phenomenon.
• They are less than twenty years old.
• The technology that mass media uses keeps changing.
• Newspapers, television and radio reach million of people because they use certain technologies.
• Newspapers and magazines are also the print media.
• TV and radio are termed as the electronic media.
• Newspapers are called print media, because they give news in print.
• Naming of media as print media is related to the different technologies that they use.
• The technology that mass media uses has changed over the years and continues to change even today.

Q2. How does changing technology help media to reach more people?
Ans:

• Changing technology, or machines, and making technology more modern, helps media to reach more people.
• It also improves the quality of sound and the images that we see.
• Technology does even more than this.
• It also changes the ways in which we think about our lives.

Today it is quite difficult for us to think of our lives without television.

• Television has enabled us to think that we are the members of a larger global world.
• Television images travel huge distance through satellites and cables.
• This allows us to view news and entertainment channels from other parts of the world.
• Most of the cartoons that we see on television are mostly from Japan or the United States.
• We now; sitting in Chennai or Jammu; can see images of a storm that has hit the coast of Florida in the United States.
• Television has brought the world closer to us.

Q3. How are technologies costly these days?
Ans:

• There are different technologies that mass media use.
• They are expensive.
• TV studio in which the newsreader sits has lights, cameras, sound recorders, transmission satellites that involve a lot of money.
• Electronic media also involves money.
• Print media also needs money.
• In a news studio, there are several employees like newsreader, people helping in the broadcast including those who look after the cameras and lights.
• All of them are paid their salaries.
• The technologies that mass media uses keep changing.
• They need a lot of money.
• Hence mass media needs a great deal of money to do this work.
• It is because of this reason that most television channels and newspapers are run by big business houses.

Q4. Describe the ways by which mass media thinks of making money?
Ans:
There are many ways through which the mass media makes money.

• Advertisement is the major way. Different products like cars, soaps, chocolates, clothes, electronic goods etc. give advertisements to attract consumers.
• Advertisements are repeated during telecast of matches, movies or other programs.
• The money earned depends upon the popularity of the program and number of times the advertisement is repeated.
• Another way is by doing promotional activities and making their presence felt so that large number of people
• see their channels or buy that magazine or newspaper.
• Newspapers have print advertisement in various categories along with information under the categories like buy or sell about buy, rent or buy and also obituaries.

Q5. What is a balanced report?
Ans:

• If we read either newspaper we would know only one side of the story.
• From the story in the News of India we term the protestors as a nuisance.
• On the other hand, the story in the India Daily, tells us that the protests are because a lot of livelihoods will be lost, relocation efforts are inadequate.
• Neither of these stories is a balanced report. 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.

Q6. On what depends the writing of a balanced report?
Ans:

• Writing of a balanced report depends on the independent media.
• An independent media means that no one should control and influence its coverage of news.
• No one will impress upon the contents to be included and what should not be included in a news story.
• An independent media is important in a democracy.
• Independent media has reliable and unbiased information.

Q7. Describe the causes why media is not said to be independent?
Ans:
The media is far from independent due to certain reasons.
The government has a control over media:

• Due to Censorship a news item, scenes from movies or songs are not shared with public.
• During the Emergency 1975-1977 government censored the media.
• Government censor the films but it really does not censor media coverage of news.
• Despite the absence of censorship on news, most newspapers are unable to provide a balanced story.

This is due to the control of business houses over the media:

• News are given based on the interest of the business houses.
• Media needs money which it gets from advertisements.
• It becomes difficult for them to report against those who give advertisements.
• So media is not independent due to its business links.

Need for support for an issue:

• Media tends to focus on particular aspect to make story interesting:
• Also if they want public support, they focus on one side of the story.

Q8. Briefly write about the news report of News of India.
Ans:
News of India reported the event as crackdown on polluting factories.

• It reported the violent protests by owners and workers causing huge traffic jam.
• It said the people protested against the hasty decision of the government.
• It clarified the protestors knew that this would happen.
• It highlighted the fact this closure would reduce pollution in the city.
• Mr. Jain opinion was given where he stated that for clean and green city these factories should be removed.
• The factory owners and workers should accept the relocation offer of the government.

Q9. Write a note on ‘setting agenda’.
Ans:

• The media also plays an important role in deciding what stories to focus on.
• It decides on what is newsworthy.
• The annual function at our school will make the news only if a famous actor is Chief Guest at the function.
• By focussing on particular issues the media influences our thoughts, feelings and actions.
• It brings those issues to our attention.
• Due to its significance it shapes our lives and our thoughts.
• It is commonly said that the media ‘sets the agenda’.
• Very recently the media drew the attention of the public to alarming levels of pesticides in cola drinks.
• They published reports that indicated the high level of pesticides and thus made us aware of the need to regularly monitor these colas according to international quality and safety standards.
• They did this despite the government’s resistance.
• The media created awareness about the harmful effects of Coca Cola.
• The government after careful examination declared that cocas are safe. Media also fell in line.

Q10. Explain several instances when media fails to focus on issues which are important for us.
Ans:

• There are several instances when the media fails to focus on issues which are important for us.
• Drinking water is a major problem in the country.
• Every year, thousands of people suffer due to lack of safe drinking water.
• Media does not focus on this issue.
• The media focuses (on) such issues like the fashion week which provide(s) them huge money.
• But it did not report the demolition of slums in Mumbai at all as the slum dwellers did not pay them.
• As citizens of a democracy the media has a very important role to play in our lives because it is the media which highlights the burning issues.

Q11. Write a concise account of Local Media.
Ans:
Local Media

• Most of the big houses of media are not interested in covering ‘small’ issues that involve ordinary people and their daily lives.
• Hence several local groups have come forward to start their own media.
• Several people use community radio to tell farmers about the prices of different crops and advise them on the use of seeds and fertilizers.
• Others make documentary films with fairly cheap and easily available video cameras on the real-life conditions of the poor communities.
• A newspaper called Khabar Lahriya is a fortnightly and run by eight Dalit women in Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh.
• Written in the local language ‘Bundeli’ this eight page newspaper reports on Dalit issues and cases of violence against women and political corruption.
• Such media is termed as local media. The media highlights the working of the government.
• In this way it ‘sets the agenda’.
• Sometimes the government imposes censorship and gets published what it wants.