MASS MEDIA
The mass media refers to the people and organizations that provide news and information for the public. Until recently these were mainly newspapers, television and radio. Today computers play a very big part. The Internet is a computer system that allows millions of people around the world to receive and exchange information about everything.We have all seen an enormous increase in the role of the mass media in people’s lives. First of all, the growth of the press, of both serious and popular newspapers, has been tremendous. Public opinion is influenced by powerful editors who not only own our newspapers which often have a circulation of millions, but who also own television and radio networks in many different countries. The huge quality of information that people have to deal with has rocketed with the advent of satellite and cable television. At the same time, more and more people have access to personal computers. Information available at home via the Internet is infinitive.
THE PRESS
All kinds of mass media are very important and all are little different from each other. Radio is the one of the most comfortable and mobile sorts, because from radio you can hear the freshest information and radio can reach us everywhere: in a car, at home, in a job. Radio reaches 95 per cent people in a week and 75 per cent in a day. Television is the most popular because of best news and another information presentation. People can choose from large number of very specialized channels. Statistics show that Lithuanian people most of all trust in TV. But I would like to present you press. Newspapers are the oldest of mass media; they started in Great Britain at the end of the seventeenth century. It is one of the cheapest and the most comfortable sorts of mass media.
In Lithuania a large number of newspapers and periodicals are published. You can buy them almost everywhere, in small shops or in huge department stores. A large bookstore is the best place to go if you are looking for a particular magazine.Because of the size of the country, in Lithuania there are no national newspapers but only local ones. Actually, some “local” papers are very important and are read all over the country. One of the most important is the “Kauno diena”, which is published in Kaunas but sold everywhere.In additional to daily papers, hundreds of weekly or monthly magazines are published. The most famous are “Ekstra” and “Veidas”.The daily press in Lithuania is divided into two distinct groups: the quality press and the popular press.Quality papers are thick and serious and are intended for a few well-informed readers. They are well written and speak about politics and current affairs in Lithuania and with factual reports of major international news stories, with the world of politics and business and with the arts and sports. The most important qualify newspapers are “Lietuvos rytas”, “Lietuvos aidas”, “Lietuvos žinios” and “Verslo žinios”. “Populars” or “tabloids” so called because of their smaller size. Popular papers have millions of readers. They address the lower classes; have fewer pages and shorter articles with big headlines and lot of illustrations. The tabloids – the most widely – read of which are “Vakaro žinios” and “Ekstra žinios” – concentrative on more emotive reporting of stories, often featuring sex, violence, film and pop stars, fashion, crimes and sport. It is often said that the popular press aims to entertain its readers rather than inform them. The Tabloid Press is far more popular than the quality Press.Many weekly, monthly and quarterly magazines are also published in Lithuania; they cover many different interests, activities and hobbies such as astrology, finance, computer science, love affairs and so on.Some information about press in Lithuania and some statistics:
Dozens of newspapers and magazines are published in Lithuania, but not all of them enjoy equal popularity. The most popular newspapers are: The Lietuvos Rytas, The Respublika, The Valstiečių laikraštis, The Kauno diena. The most popular magazines are “Laima” and “Moteris”. In Lithuania we can buy English newspapers and magazines at the press agency of the Central Post Office or borrow from National Library. The British Council and the American centre can also lend you some issues.
Literature:1) http://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDiniasklaida2) www.obs.coe.int/medium/radtv.html.en3) www.skepdic.com/refuge/bunk25.html