Work in pairs. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the mass media. Copy the table and complete it in your exercise book. Use the information from the text of Ex. 3 on p. 146 or your own ideas. The Mass Media Advantages Disadvantages The mass media play an important part in our lives. Newspapers, radio and especially TV inform us of what is going on in this world and give us wonderful possibilities for education and entertainment. They also shape our views and influence the way we see the world. There are a lot of different TV programmes and newspapers: a quiz show, a review, a commentary, an entertainment programme on TV and a quality newspaper (a broadsheet), a tabloid, a local paper etc. Of course, not all newspapers and TV programmes report the events objectively, but serious journalists and TV reporters try to be fair and provide us with reliable informa tion. It is true that the world today is full of dramatic events and most news seems to be bad news. But people aren’t interested in ordinary events. That is why there are so many programmes and articles about natural disasters, plane crashes, wars, murders and robberies. Good news doesn’t usually make headlines. Bad news does. Some people say that journalists are given too much freedom. They often intrude on people’s private lives; they follow celebrities and print sensational stories about them, which are untrue or half-true. They take photos of them in their most intimate moments. The question is – should this be allowed? Do you remember how the paparazzi pursued Diana, Princess of Wales, to the scene of her death in Paris on August 31, 1997? Who was guilty of that accident? It is quite possible that journalists were, isn’t it? The main source of news for millions of people is television. People like TV news because they can see everything with their own eyes. And that’s an important advantage. Seeing, as we know, is believing. Besides, it’s much more difficult for politicians to be in front of the cameras than on the pages of a newspaper. There isn’t any person in our country that hasn’t seen a TV talk show “The Black Mirror”, is there? Still, many people prefer the radio. It’s good to listen to in the car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house. Newspapers do not react to events as quickly as TV, but they usually provide us with extra details, comment and background information. The Internet has recently become another important source of information. Its main advantage is that news appears on the screen as soon as things happen in real life and you don’t have to wait for news on TV.

Ответ:The Mass MediaAdvantages DisadvantagesProvide information - Report events subjectivelyEducate and entertain - Intrude on people’s private livesShape our views - Print sensational storiesOffer various programs/papers - Focus on bad newsSome journalists are fair - Some journalists are given too much freedomTV allows us to see things - TV can be manipulated by politicianswith our own eyes for their benefitRadio is portable - Newspapers don't react as quickly as TVInternet provides real-time - The Internet can spread fake news quicklynews and updates and be a source of misinformation