The Media
Senior 2 · English
The Media
Lesson 1 of 4
22 min
Think about the last piece of news you heard. Did it come from the radio in a moto-taxi, a television in a restaurant, a newspaper website, or a message forwarded on a phone? Each of these is a medium (plural: media), a way of carrying information to people.
In this lesson you will read about the main mass media and about the media in Rwanda, learn the vocabulary of news, and use adverbs of frequency (always, often, never…) to talk about how people use the media.
The first three paragraphs are adapted from the Simple English Wikipedia articles Mass media and Newspaper. The last two, on Rwanda, were written by Ganzaa from facts in English Wikipedia articles.
Mass media are the ways of communicating that reach a very large number of people at the same time. The main ones are newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the internet. The term became popular in the 1920s, when national radio networks and newspapers and magazines sold in huge numbers first appeared. Books and handwritten news, however, had existed for centuries before that.
A newspaper is a publication that comes out regularly, usually every day (a daily) or every week (a weekly). It gives information and opinions about current events. Most newspapers cover politics, business, crime, sport and the weather, and they use photographs to illustrate their stories. Many have an opinion section, where the newspaper gives its views on the news in articles called editorials, and where readers' short letters are printed. The first newspapers were handwritten newsletters sent to a few merchants; in the seventeenth century they began to be printed and sold to anyone who paid. A magazine is also published regularly, often weekly or monthly, but it usually has longer articles on a special subject, such as farming, sport, fashion or science.
Radio and television are broadcast media: they send sound, or sound and pictures, to thousands or millions of listeners and viewers at once. Today most newspapers, radio stations and television channels also publish their news online.
The media in Rwanda. Radio is the most popular source of news in Rwanda, and many people trust it more than social media. The public broadcaster, the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), runs Radio Rwanda, which broadcasts in Kinyarwanda, English, French and Kiswahili, and Rwanda Television (RTV). There are also many private radio stations and TV channels. The first private television station, TV10, went on air in March 2013. The oldest newspaper in the country, Kinyamateka, first appeared in 1933; it was printed at Kabgayi, where Rwanda's first printing press was installed. Today many Rwandan newspapers, such as the English-language The New Times, publish mainly online.
Media and responsibility. The media can build a nation or harm it. In 1993 and 1994, a radio station called RTLM broadcast hate speech that encouraged people to take part in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. That is why journalists have a duty to check facts and to report fairly, and why every listener and reader must think critically about what they hear, read and share.
What is the difference between a newspaper and a magazine?
A newspaper comes out daily or weekly and covers current events in general. A magazine usually comes out weekly or monthly and has longer articles on a special subject.
Why are radio and television called broadcast media?
They send sound (and pictures) to very many listeners and viewers at the same time.
Which medium is the most popular source of news in Rwanda?
Radio.
What lesson does the history of RTLM teach listeners?
That the media can be used to spread hatred, so we must think critically, check facts and refuse to share hate speech.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| journalist / reporter | a person who collects and writes or broadcasts the news |
| editor | the person who decides what is published and checks it |
| newsreader / presenter | the person who reads the news or introduces a programme on radio or TV |
| headline | the title of a news story, in large letters or read first in a bulletin |
| bulletin | a short radio or TV news programme |
| audience | the people who listen, watch or read (listeners, viewers, readers) |
| source | the person or document that information comes from |
| misinformation | false information, whether shared by mistake or on purpose |
Adverbs of frequency answer the question How often…?
| always | usually | often | sometimes | rarely / seldom | never |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% | about 90% | about 70% | about 50% | about 10% | 0% |
Longer expressions of frequency go at the end of the sentence: every day, once a week, twice a month, three times a year. Example: My father buys a newspaper once a week.
Ishimwe asked his classmates how often they use each medium. Results: radio, 18 of 20 students daily; TV, 10 of 20 sometimes; printed newspaper, 1 of 20.
Most students usually listen to the radio. Half of the class sometimes watches television. Students rarely read a printed newspaper; only one student reads one.
Tip
Before the verb, after BE. Adverbs of frequency go before an ordinary verb (she often reads) but after am/is/are/was/were (she is often late). Never is already negative, so never write I don't never.
Put the adverb in the correct place: My grandmother listens to Radio Rwanda in the morning. (always)
Solution: My grandmother always listens to Radio Rwanda in the morning.
Correct the mistake: The news bulletin starts usually at seven.
Solution: The news bulletin usually starts at seven. The adverb goes before the main verb.
Correct the mistake: I don't never watch television on school days.
Solution: I never watch television on school days (or: I don't ever watch…). Only one negative word.
Write the question: (you / often / read / news online)?
Solution: Do you often read the news online?
Ask three people (friends or family): How often do you listen to the radio / watch TV / read the news online? Which source do you trust most, and why? Report your results aloud in five sentences using adverbs and expressions of frequency.
Model answer: I asked three people about their media habits. My mother always listens to the radio while she cooks. My brother rarely watches television, but he reads the news online every day. My neighbour never reads newspapers. All three trust the radio most, because the news is checked before it is broadcast.
Remember
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
