Class 7 Social Science Notes Chapter 6 (Understanding Media) – Social and Political Life Book

Alright class, let's focus on a very important chapter for your understanding of how society works and for your exam preparation: Chapter 6, 'Understanding Media' from your Social and Political Life book. Media plays a crucial role in our daily lives and in the functioning of our democracy, so pay close attention.

Detailed Notes: Chapter 6 - Understanding Media

1. What is Media?

• Definition: The word 'media' is the plural form of 'medium'. It describes the various ways through which we communicate in society.
• Function: Media refers to all means of communication that reach or influence people widely. Everything ranging from a phone call to the evening news on TV can be called media.
• Types Covered in the Chapter: The chapter primarily focuses on Mass Media.

2. Mass Media:

• Definition: Media forms designed to reach a very large audience across the country and the world.
• Examples:
  • Print Media: Newspapers, magazines.
  • Electronic Media: Television (TV), Radio, Internet.

3. Media and Technology:

• Interdependence: Media is heavily dependent on technology. The technology that mass media uses keeps changing.
• Impact of Technology:
  • Reach: Technology helps media reach more people (e.g., satellite and cable enable TV signals to reach remote areas).
  • Quality: Improves the quality of sound and images (e.g., digital technology).
  • Cost: While technology can make media more accessible to the audience, setting up and maintaining the technology (studios, transmitters, cameras, satellites) is very expensive for media houses.
  • Thinking about the World: Technology changes the ways we think about our lives and perceive the world. The internet, for example, allows instant access to global information.

4. Media and Money:

• High Costs: Running mass media operations involves significant costs:
  • Technology (cameras, lights, sound recorders, transmitters, studios).
  • Salaries (journalists, anchors, technicians, editors, etc.).
• Revenue Generation: Mass media needs to make money to cover costs and earn profits. Key methods include:
  • Advertising: Selling advertisement space/time is the primary source of income for most TV channels, newspapers, and websites. They advertise products, services, cars, clothes, etc.
  • Subscriptions/Sales: Some revenue comes from selling newspapers/magazines or charging subscription fees for channels/online content.
• Influence of Money:
  • Corporate Ownership: Many large media houses are owned by big business corporations.
  • Advertising Pressure: Media might focus on issues or stories that attract more viewers/readers to satisfy advertisers. They might avoid stories critical of powerful advertisers or their products.
  • Profit Motive: The need to be profitable can influence the type of news covered, often prioritizing stories with high public interest (like celebrity news, cricket) over significant but less 'popular' issues (like public health, sanitation).

5. Media and Democracy:

• Crucial Role: Media plays a vital role in a democracy by:
  • Providing Information: Informing citizens about important events and issues (local, national, international).
  • Facilitating Discussion: Providing a platform for discussing events and issues, allowing different viewpoints to be heard.
  • Forming Public Opinion: Based on the information and discussions, citizens can form opinions.
  • Holding Power Accountable: Questioning the government's actions, highlighting shortcomings, and ensuring transparency.
• Need for Independence: For media to fulfill its democratic role effectively, it must be independent.
  • Independent Media: Means media should not be controlled or influenced by anyone (government, businesses, powerful individuals) in covering and reporting stories.
• Challenges to Independence:
  • Government Control (Censorship): Sometimes governments prevent media from publishing certain stories or censor parts of news/films. The Emergency period (1975-77) in India saw significant censorship.
  • Corporate Influence: As media houses are often owned by businesses or rely heavily on advertising, business interests can influence news coverage. Stories critical of powerful corporations might be downplayed or ignored.
  • Setting the Agenda: Media decides which stories are 'newsworthy' and focuses on them, shaping public perception and priorities. This power to influence what people think about is called 'agenda-setting'.
  • Self-Censorship: Sometimes media avoids certain stories due to fear of backlash from the government or powerful groups, or simply because it aligns with their business interests.

6. Balanced Report:

• Definition: A report that discusses all points of view of a particular story and leaves it to the readers/viewers to make up their own minds.
• Importance: Crucial for fair understanding and informed decision-making by citizens.
• Difficulty: Achieving a truly balanced report is difficult due to:
  • Journalist's own biases.
  • Pressure from owners/advertisers.
  • The need to create engaging narratives.
  • Time and space constraints.

7. Setting Agendas:

• Media's Influence: Media significantly influences our thoughts and priorities by deciding what to focus on. Example: Focusing heavily on a fashion week while ignoring slum demolitions happening simultaneously.
• Impact: By focusing on particular issues, media shapes what we consider important or urgent.
• Citizen Action: Sometimes, citizen groups or protests bring crucial issues (that media might initially ignore) into the limelight, forcing media to cover them (e.g., reports on pesticide levels in colas).

8. Local Media:

• Importance: While national media covers big events, local media (community radio, local newspapers like Khabar Lahariya run by Dalit women in Chitrakoot, UP) covers smaller, local issues relevant to ordinary people's daily lives, often ignored by larger outlets.

Conclusion: Media is a powerful entity shaping our understanding of the world. Understanding how it works, its relationship with technology and money, and its role and challenges in a democracy is essential for being an informed and active citizen.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Here are 10 MCQs based on the chapter for your practice:

1. The term 'Media' is the plural form of which word?
a) Mediate
b) Medium
c) Message
d) Method

2. Which of the following is NOT typically considered 'Mass Media'?
a) Television
b) A personal letter
c) Newspapers
d) Radio

3. What is the primary source of revenue for most television channels and newspapers?
a) Government funding
b) Public donations
c) Advertising
d) Sale of old equipment

4. The technology used by mass media:
a) Has remained the same for centuries
b) Is independent of cost factors
c) Keeps changing and affects reach and quality
d) Is primarily controlled by the government

5. In the context of Media and Democracy, what does 'Independent Media' mean?
a) Media owned solely by journalists
b) Media not controlled or influenced unduly by government or business interests
c) Media that only reports positive news
d) Media that operates without using any technology

6. When the government prevents media from publishing or showing specific news items or scenes, it is called:
a) Advertising
b) Broadcasting
c) Censorship
d) Agenda-setting

7. What does the term 'Setting the Agenda' refer to in the context of media?
a) Scheduling TV programs
b) Deciding the price of a newspaper
c) Influencing public thought by deciding which stories to focus on
d) Organising meetings within a media house

8. A 'Balanced Report' is one that:
a) Only presents the government's viewpoint
b) Focuses only on positive aspects of a story
c) Is written by multiple journalists
d) Discusses all points of view of a story fairly

9. Why is achieving a 'Balanced Report' often difficult for media?
a) Lack of interesting stories
b) Government regulations requiring bias
c) Influence of advertisers, ownership patterns, and the need for profit
d) Shortage of trained journalists

10. Local media outlets like 'Khabar Lahariya' are important because they:
a) Compete directly with international news channels
b) Cover local issues often ignored by mainstream mass media
c) Are funded entirely by the central government
d) Focus exclusively on entertainment news

Make sure you understand these concepts thoroughly. Read the chapter again alongside these notes. Good luck with your preparation!