The media plays an important role in society. What is its role and to what extent is it independent and why is it important to maintain freedom of speech?

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The media plays an important role in society. What is its role and to what extent is it independent and why is it important to maintain freedom of speech?

Media is a service which communicates entertainment and/or a message, or opinion to a large audience. Media covers a wide range of uses. These range from entertainment, information, propaganda, influential advertisements and a form of communication.

A description of the role played by the media

As well as conveying a message or giving entertainment Media is widely used for other purposes. The Media is so vast and complex that it’s impossible to sum up what it is in a few words. The Media covers a wide variety of people’s interests. Media is a huge consortium of people working together that has an impact on every aspect of our lives. I feel that we need the media specifically to find out news for us, they can find out information much easier than us and often information that we cannot get hold of due to their influential power or large amounts of money. They uncover information that wasn’t supposed to be found out, it could be about the government or a local business, but we have a right to know these things – for example David Blunket abusing his position and helping immigrants gain access to the country illegally. So I believe a use of the Media is to keep an eye on people in power on the behalf of people.

Generally people think that the media can do whatever they want but ask yourself, who buys the newspapers? Who watches the news? Do we have to buy and watch the news and things they publish? The general public who are on the receiving end are in control. The media can only be successful with people being interested in their articles. Media is only successful if it produces programmes or articles that the ‘people’ like – therefore the people control the media.

There are statements made by people that suggest we don’t need media and that it’s used for ludicrous things like the Media having no real impact on the lives of the people in the UK. This statement would be completely incorrect in my eyes; Media is a part of our daily lives and has been since it was coined back in 1921 when the first wave of Mass Media came about. The world’s people cannot live without media and are so used to it that people use it to work, entertain and communicate. I believe the Media as well as informing the public about all breakings news either local or nationwide they also inform public of events such as marathons, charity events or concerts. This though is a tiny fragment of what the media is all about, the media is such a vast and complex source of information. Another use of the Media is to provide entertainment to everyone who is interested, it has to cater for a very wide range of views and interests. Media is used to provide entertainment, but in my opinion this is a secondary use. It is used for so much more than people first imagine.

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Just how much is the Media independent?

The media is comprised of both independent and non independent parts. The people are needed to support the media, but the media can do what they like. Although the media has the freedom and the right to print and do what they like they have to interest the general public who fund their businesses, either buying or selling items on their behalf. If the public doesn’t like what they media company is doing they will not buy anything and the business will fail. So to some extent the people control the ...

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