Class 7 NCERT Solutions Civics Chapter 6 - Understanding Media

The media plays an important role in a democracy in the following manner:

● Provides news and information to the citizens and helps them to take actions.

● Reports various criminal activities, scams, frauds, crimes, accidents etc.

● Alerts people on the various diseases, weather, and calamities etc. taking place.

● Gives information regarding government issues.

● Criticises unpopular policies and programmes of the government.

● Brings about social awareness regarding political, economic, social and cultural events.

The diagram can be titled ‘Media–Business House Vicious Circle’.

From the following diagram, we can understand that business houses and the media are in a continuous loop.

• The first arrow shows that a business house owns the media company.
• Because the media company is owned by a big business house, various television, radio and news programmes are given to the particular media company.
• The media company then promotes the various products through advertising and aims that products be bought by consumers.
• After the viewers, listeners and readers get influenced, they buy the products advertised by the media company.
• The money then goes back to the big business house.

This is a continuous process where both the media and the big business house earn lots of money. 

Setting the agenda by the media has the following effects on the democracy. They are

• It influences people by affecting their thinking.
• It makes people aware of the various issues that are important.
• It highlights various government-related issues so that important actions can be taken by people.
• However, it sometimes shows only one side of the story, if the story in any way is in the interest of the business house.

The two examples to support my view are:

• The controversy of the Commonwealth Games held in Delhi had received widespread media coverage in India as well as at the international level.
• Display of saving animal life influenced many people to take the matter seriously.
• Concerns in daily tabloids also receive quick government or police action. 

As the answer may vary, students should choose newspaper articles that catch their interest and accordingly answer the questions that have been asked. Take the help of an elder.