Главная страница «Первого сентября»Главная страница журнала «Английский язык»Содержание №4/2004

YOUTH ENGLISH SECTION

 

The Role of the Mass Media.
My Favourite TV Programs and Personalities

It’s impossible to imagine our life without mass media. TV, radio, newspapers, magazines are everywhere. Around us all the time, they have a strong influence on our mood, feelings, ideas, attitudes to life and politics. But the mass media offer both advantages and disadvantages.

Of course, radio, television and the press are valuable; not without reason are the mass media known to be the fourth estate. Firstly, we always get the latest news, to say nothing of the fact that we can get everything we want from the internet in a few minutes. Secondly, weather forecasts can warn of different natural disasters; so the mass media help people to avoid harm and losses. Then, there is the possibility of having a good time: it’s wonderful to relax sitting in an armchair in front of the screen or reading some newspapers. Nowadays, lots of entertaining, female, musical and fashion magazines, and different TV and radio programs, help us to relax. But there are some drawbacks of the mass media.

Sometimes I look at various newspapers and magazines, watch TV-news, and I suppose the main disadvantage of them is the amount of negative information they portray. Watching the news we learn primarily about wars, crimes, disasters and accidents. I find gossip another minus of the mass media... To cut a long story short, all the negative and false information can cause stress and a bad mood. And finally, TV and computers have a harmful effect on people. The majority of teenagers don’t read books and never visit theatres. I want to add that TV and computers can spoil one’s health.

Yet, the mass media have more pluses than minuses, in my opinion. It’s a very interesting scope of activity, which has the possibility of making life brighter. There are lots of intellectual TV programs nowadays; they are my favourites. I like “What? Where? When?”, where I try to answer interesting questions, and “Details” with Tina Kandelaki. By the way, she’s one of my favourite TV personalities. This woman is an optimist; she’s cheerful, smart, communicative, pleasant to look at, and she dialogues with splendid people on her program. I like Tina Kandelaki’s bearing: she allows no familiarities, but also doesn’t look tense, she speaks without teenager slang. The other TV personality I like is Andrei Maximov, who seems to be a very intelligent, clever, charming and easy-tempered man. He always asks interesting questions without approaching gossip. Maximov is also a playwright, a director and a talented person. These people can be taken as models for future journalists.

By Yulya Gorshkova
11th grade,
School No. 204, Moscow