The mass media play an important part in our lives. Newspaper, 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 influence the way we see the world and shape our views.

Of course, not all newspapers and TV programmes repot the events objectively, but serious journalists and TV reporters try to be fair and provide us with realiable information. It is true that the world today is full of dramatic events and most news seems to be bad news. But people arent interested in ordinary events. That is why there are so many programmes and articles natural disasters, plane crashes, wars, murders and robberies. Good news doesnt usually make headlines. Bad news does.

Some people say that journalists are given too much freedom. They often intrude on peoples 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?

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 thats an important advantage. Seeing, as we know, is believing. Besides, its much more difficult for politicians to lie in front of the cameras than on the pages of newspapers.

Still, many people prefer the radio. Its good to listen to in the car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house.

Newspapers dont react to events as quickly as TV, but they usually provide us with extra detail, comment and back ground 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 dont have to wait for news time on TV.