Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

My name is Ms. Wyatt, and I'm so pleased that you could join us here for today's lesson.

Today's lesson on "What is the media?" comes from the unit, "How does the media affect us?" By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain the different sources of media, how we can tell what is newsworthy, and why information neighbourhoods differ.

We have some keywords that we will be using in today's lesson, and some of these keywords may be new to you, but please don't worry as I am here to guide you.

We have media, information, and news.

Media are the forms of communication like radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and the internet that reach or influence people.

Information is knowledge communicated concerning a particular fact or subject, often presented to us in the media.

And news is information about current events.

Our lesson is broken up into three parts today, with the first part exploring the question of "What are the different sources of the media?" Then we will look at "What makes something newsworthy?" And then to finish, we'll explore "Why do information neighbourhoods differ?" So when you are ready, let's start with "What are the different sources of the media?" The media is the term for all forms of communication that reach or influence people.

So it covers quite a lot of things.

Examples of communication are radio, television, newspapers, magazines, the internet.

Laura says, "Where does the word media come from?" Jun says, "The word media is the plural for the word medium, which is a method or way of expressing something.

This is why the media is about communicating information that influences or educates people.

Mass media, is media that reaches a large audience." So that's where the word media comes from.

So let's try and fill in the missing word here.

So we have, "Media that reaches a large audience is called something media." Andeep's gonna give us a clue and he says, "You might use this word in physics as well to mean something totally different." So let's have a pause for a second and let's have a think about what is that missing word.

Hopefully we have all worked out what the missing word is, and we have remembered that media that reaches a large audience is called mass media.

Well done if you remember that.

Laura says, "Are these all types of media, Jun?" So we have games, www, the worldwide web, friends, work, online, and searching in your phone.

So Laura says, "Are these all types of media, Jun?" June says, "No, Laura.

I often speak to my friends when I'm gaming online or on my phone, and I listen to adverts, so this is a form of media too, because I am listening to information.

I also read a science journal which is a type of media, and books are part the media too." So we've heard lots so far about what media is.

So it covers things from the internet, to newspapers, to magazines, but also different types of books, and journals, and adverts.

It covers quite a lot, doesn't it? There are three main sources of the media.

We have print media, broadcast media, and new media.

So under print media, we have things like books, newspapers, magazines, journals, and newsletters because they get put to print.

Then we have broadcast media.

So we have television and we have radio.

And then we have new media such as websites and blogs where people write these blogs online.

There's streamed content, there's social media, and there's mobile apps.

So I wonder what type of source of the media you are most familiar with? Maybe have a think about that for a second.

Do you often use print media or do you use broadcast media? You're always listening to the radio or always watching television.

Or do you use new media the most? Do you look at social media to find out information? Do you read blogs to find out information? I wonder what you think.

All forms of media are about giving people information.

So check on our understanding up to this point.

Which of these is not a source of media? Is it broadcast media, new media, old media, or print media? Can you remember which was not a source of media? Okay, time for answers.

Hopefully remembered that it is C, old media.

Old media isn't a source of media, but we do know that broadcast media, new media, and print media are sources.

Over the years, the way we receive information through the media has changed a lot.

In the past, most people got their news and information from newspapers, TV, or radio.

But now, social media, websites, and apps make it easier to get information instantly.

This has made the media faster and more interactive, but it also means that we need to be careful about where the information is coming from.

We live in a world full of information.

There are so many different sources of media.

You can divide them up even further.

We have traditional media, so we have newspapers, magazines, radio, television.

We have digital media, so websites, blogs, online news platforms. We have social media, which is a range of different platforms that you might use.

We have broadcast media, TV, radio channels.

We have print media, so books, pamphlets, and other printed materials.

Mobile media like apps and mobile-friendly platforms. And independent media, so podcasts, video channels, all the creator-driven outlets.

So you might use independent media quite a lot.

I like to listen to podcasts, and I'm very particular with what podcasts I like to listen to, depending on where they have got their information from.

Because we live in a world full of information, everybody can give us information, and there are different sources of media, so we can divide them up even further and see which one we prefer to get our source of information from.

Lucas says, "What source of media do children use the most, Izzy?" Izzy says, "I've just read the "Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report" published in 2024 by OFCOM who say that only 49% of children aged 4 to 15 get their information from TV.

Whereas going online is by far the most popular way for younger people to access news.

88% of young people age 16 to 24." So I wonder if you are part of that 49% or 88%.

Lucas says, "What about older people, Izzy?" Izzy says, "OFCOM state that over half, so 54% of people age 55 plus find news online with most going directly to news websites.

Only 28% access news via social media, significantly lower than young people's usage.

Despite this trend towards online news sources, TV remains by the far the leading platform for news among older age groups, 85%, compared to only half of 16 to 24s, which is 49%." So there's a lot of statistics there and some very interesting ones.

So true or false? Children use print media the most to get their information.

Do they use print media the most? Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think about this question.

Hopefully we remembered that it is false.

It's false because children use social media to get most of their information.

They rarely use printed media, especially to get their news of what is going on in the world.

So children aren't often likely to pick up a newspaper to find that information out.

They're more likely to look on social media.

So we have a task now.

Sam and Sofia have been asked to share some information about recycling with their local community.

What three sources of media could they use to tell everyone the information? Explain your choices.

So Sam says, "We will have to think of the different age ranges in our community, Sofia." And Sofia says, "We have young people, their parents, and older people.

So we will have to think about which three sources carefully, Sam." Okay, so remember that they've both been asked to share some information about recycling with their local community.

What three sources of media could they use to tell everyone in their local community the information? Remember to explain your choices.

Pause the video and have a good go at this task.

Okay, it's time, friends.

Well done, everyone with that, them efforts.

So you might have included some of the following as what we have.

"Sam and Sofia should use one form of print media which is accessible to most people.

They should definitely post on social media or write a blogs, they attract young people to read the recycling information.

If the community have a local radio station, you could use broadcast media to create an information advert.

Or if they don't, they could use traditional media and write a piece for the community magazine or newspaper.

If all of these sources of the media were used, Sam and Sofia will be able to reach a wide audience with that information about recycling their local community." So they can choose to do print media, social media, broadcast media, and traditional media so that hopefully they will cover all types of ages within their local community.

Well done on your efforts with this task.

We have now explored the question of "What are the different sources of media?" And we are now to look at "What makes something newsworthy?" Jacob says, "Do you know what is classed as news, Alex?" Alex says, "A piece of information is considered to be news, Jacob, if it follows the VIA model.

So it needs to be verifiable.

The information can be checked for accuracy." So how true is it? "It needs to be independent.

The author does not benefit from the information being shared.

And accountability.

An author's name is linked to the piece of information so we know where it's come from, what source, who has it come from." So let's check what does the VIA model stand for? Is it A, verifiable, independent, accountability, B, value, integrity, and accuracy, C, vision, information, and access, or D, verification, independence, and accountant? Pause the video and have a read back through these choices and make a decision.

Okay, well done, everyone.

It's time for answers.

Hopefully we're remembered that it is A, verifiable, independent, and accountability.

Well done if you got that correct.

Editors and producers have to decide on which stories and information are the best to publish or transmit.

So which ones to put out there, who's going to want to read what, and how are we going to get it to spread? Something is newsworthy if it captures people's attention and is either important, interesting, or both.

Think about it.

Are you going to be willing to read or listen to something if it doesn't interest you? You are less likely, aren't you? News values are the factors which may help editors and producers decide what to include in the media.

Aisha says, "What are news values, Andeep? I've heard of values like compassion and honesty, but not news values." Andeep says, "News values are the criteria journalists use to decide which stories are important and interesting enough to report.

There are set values that all people use who report information in the media, especially current affairs like the news." So what is the criteria code that journalists use to decide which stories are important and interesting enough to report? Hmm, is it A, news feelings, B, news emotions, or C, news values? Hopefully we're all saying out loud that it is C, news values.

That is the criteria that journalists use to decide which stories are important enough to report on.

These seven news values help decide what is published.

So timelessness, we'll start with this one.

So reporting current information and recent events.

So something that's topical at the time.

It could also include stories including major anniversaries like the D-Day Landing 60th anniversary on the 6th of June, 2024.

Then we have oddity.

Weird or interesting stories which will catch the attention of the audience.

Unusual events that are rare, or surprising like a bizarre discovery.

Then we have impact.

Stories or events which have affected a large number of people like a natural disaster.

News that will have more significant consequences in the future.

We have proximity.

So local information and local events close to the audience.

Stories which relate to other groups of people who we might associate with.

And it can be things like local community adverts.

Then we have prominence.

This is information about famous people, celebrities or big organisations.

It might include stories which would not be published if they were about other people.

And then conflict.

Stories involving people or groups who disagree about an issue.

Or it can be stories or news that demonstrates things like people struggling or arguing.

And then we have human interest, the seventh one.

So these can often include emotional stories like acts of kindness.

Stories show that we have a greater physical reaction to negative stories than to positive stories.

So sometimes these are not kind.

So we have seven news values that help these editors and publishers decide what is to be reported on and published.

True or false? Prominence is a news value.

Is that true or is that false? It's true.

Well done, everyone.

It's true because prominence is an important news value.

People are often interested in reading, watching, or hearing information about famous people, celebrities, or big organisations.

So what I would like us to do with this task, is to match the news value with its meaning and fill in the last row with the final news value.

So match the news value with its meaning, and then fill in the last row with the final news value.

Okay, so there is one news value missing from that list.

Can you spot it? Can you think of what it was? If you can, go for it.

But pause the video here and have a go at matching the news value with its meaning and fill in the last row with the final news value.

Good luck.

Okay, it is time for answers now.

So hopefully we've had a good go at this task.

So we're gonna match the news value with its meaning and then obviously we are missing one.

So hopefully we filled in that last row with the final news value.

So timelessness, we should have matched up to information about recent events.

Well done if you got that correct.

Then we have oddity, which should have gone to unusual events that are surprising.

Impact should have gone to stories that affect a lot of people.

Proximity, local information from your area.

Prominence, information about celebrities.

And then conflict, involves arguing and fighting.

We then had the last one, which was human interest.

So human interest meaning is emotional stories.

So well done if you matched all of those correctly to their meaning, and remembered that our seventh news value was human interest.

We have now looked at what makes something newsworthy and we are onto the final part of our lesson on "Why the information neighbourhoods differ?" When consuming information from the media, it is important to be aware of what kind of information neighbourhood you are in.

Sam says, "What's an information neighbourhood, Jun?" June says, "It's a category or type of information like news, entertainment, or advertising based on its purpose and source, Sam." So true or false? Information neighbourhoods are type of information based on its purpose and source.

Is that true or is that false? It is true.

It's true because information neighbourhoods differ because they are organised based on the type of media content they provide, like news, entertainment, or advertising, and how they are presented to the audience.

Well done if you knew that that was true.

Information neighbourhoods differ because they use the media to serve different purposes.

The different purposes include informing, so letting people know of something, entertaining, persuading, educating, selling, and promoting.

Information neighbourhoods are various media sources that are created with unique goals and audiences.

The Centre for News Literacy in Stony Brook University in New York, have put information neighbourhoods into six separate categories.

So news, which is also journalism, advertising, entertainment, propaganda, publicity, and raw information.

Now, if we don't know what that word propaganda means, you've never heard of it, you might have heard of it but not been too sure of what it meant.

Propaganda is a deliberate attempt to influence people's opinions through communication.

So sometimes through posters or people speaking about something.

Lucas says, "Do any of you know anything about the different information neighbourhoods in the media?" Do we? Sam says, "The news aims to educate about current events and are expected to provide accurate information." Izzy says, "Advertising aims to sell a product.

And false advertising is illegal, which is when you are making claims that are untrue." And Jun says, "Entertainment aims to entertain, not to offer facts, and producers control the content that is published." Lucas says, "That's really useful.

Do you know anything about the final three information neighbourhoods?" Sam says, "Propaganda aims to build support and information is presented as fact and may exaggerate." Izzy says, "Publicity aims to promote a person or a product.

Information can be verified, but also presents a specific view." And Jun says, "Raw information aims to speak directly to its audience.

Information could be inaccurate, but aims to inform." So let's try and match up the information neighbourhood with its purpose.

So we have news, propaganda, and publicity.

Which one of those is to persuade, to promote, and to educate? Can you pause the video and have a go at matching the information neighbourhood up to its purpose? Okay, hopefully we've had enough time to match the information neighbourhood to its purpose.

So we should have matched propaganda to persuade, news to educate, and publicity to promote.

Well done if you got those right.

Which of these information neighbourhoods in the media is most likely to exaggerate facts? Is it entertainment, propaganda, publicity, or news? Hopefully we have worked out that it is propaganda.

Well done if you got that correct.

Propaganda is one of the information neighbourhoods in the media which is most likely to exaggerate facts.

What I would like us to do now is to write a short paragraph about three different information neighbourhoods explaining why they differ.

So you could write about any of the six information neighbourhoods like news, advertising, entertainment, propaganda, publicity, and raw information.

But we want you to pick three out of those six and try and explain why they differ.

Why they're different? What's different about them? Okay, so pause the video here and have a go at writing your paragraph.

I can't wait to read about them.

Okay, hopefully we have written a paragraph about the three different information neighbourhoods that we have chosen and explained why they differ now.

Your answer might have included some of the following, but I understand you might have picked completely different ones.

So "News, advertising, and entertainment are three types of information neighbourhoods that are different because of how and why they share information in the media.

News gives facts about what is happening around us, like events or important issues.

Advertising tries to get people to buy products or services by making them look appealing.

Entertainment is just for fun, like movies, shows, or games.

They are not the same because they each have different rules to follow and are presenting in the media for different reasons, like educating, selling, or entertaining." We might have picked "Propaganda, publicity, and raw information are three types of information neighbourhoods that are different because of how and why they share information.

Propaganda tries to influence how people think or act often by exaggerating.

Publicity aims to get attention to something like a celebrity or an event.

Raw information is just basic facts without any added explanation, which could be untrue, but aims to inform.

They differ because they follow different rules and are shared in the media for different reasons, like persuading, promoting, or informing." So maybe you've got some of the similar information that we have here.

We have now come to the end of our lesson on what is the media.

I would like to summarise our lesson into a few points.

So the three main sources of media are print media, like books and newspapers, broadcast media, like television and radio, and new media, like websites, blogs, podcasts, social media, and mobile apps.

For information to be considered news, it needs to follow the VIA model, verification, independence, and accountability.

This helps journalists, editors, and producers focus on trustworthy news.

News values are the guidelines journalists used to decide which stories are important and interesting.

These are timelessness, oddity, impact, proximity, prominence, and conflict.

When consuming information from the media, it is important to be aware of what kind of information neighbourhoods you are in.

These are news, advertising, entertainment, propaganda, publicity, and raw information.

So we have learned a lot this lesson about what is the media and all the different types and sources of it.

But well done on your efforts today.

You have worked really, really hard and you should be proud of yourself.

Thank you for joining me and working hard, and hope to see you in the next one.

Bye-bye.