| Reference Book | Ratna Sagar Integrated Social Science |
| Class | Class 7 |
| Category | Social & Political Life (Civics) |
| Chapter Number | Chapter 5 |
| Chapter Name | Media and Democracy |
A) Tick (✓) the correct answers.
1) The media promotes _____ in public life.
a) enlightenment
b) democracy
c) accountability ✓
d) opinion
2) The media is the principal source of _______ and public debates.
a) money
b) accountability
c) intelligent decisions
d) political information ✓
3) The media has evolved a set of ______ or ______ for itself.
a) house, business
b) sensational, distorted news
c) principles, code of conduct
d) opinions, reports ✓
4) _______ means that one fulfils her or his responsibilities.
a) Autonomy
b) Impartiality
c) accountability
d) Journalism ✓
B) Give short answers for the following questions.
Que 1 How does the media protects the democratic interests of people ?
Ans
a) The media is the principal source of political information and public debate.
2) By passing on expert opinion to the public, it becomes a key to democracy in the hands of informed and participating citizens.
3) It explains to people the flaws in the existing system and makes it easier for people to make intelligent decisions about public affairs.
Thus, it protects the democratic interests of the people. In modern democracies, the media covers many aspects of life, including political, social, economic and cultural.
Que 2 List four objectives of the media?
Ans The four objectives of the media are :
1) Separation of news from opinion.
2) Separation of news and business interests of the newspaper. If the two get mixed up, it may interfere with the media’s responsibility towards people at large.
3) Not to give one-sided account of events.
4) Avoid distortion of news. The media should never resort to sensationalism.
C) Give long answers for the following questions.
Que 1 What is the social responsibility of the media?
Ans The media has an enormous social responsibility. Besides its duty to provide an accurate and detailed accounts of events, the media should also provide a forum for people to share their views and ideas. It should upholds the values of the society.
Dealing with the power of information, some media firms may become centres of economic and political power. In such cases they are likely to place their private interests above public interests. There is a need to regulate the media so that it gives priority to public interest. For this the media has evolved a set of principles or code of conduct for itself.
Que 2 Journalists should be able to operate with impartiality” What do you understand by this statement?
Ans Journalists should be able to operate with
a) autonomy, which means the freedom to act according to one’s conscience and professional judgment.
b) accountability, which means one fulfils her or his responsibilities; and
c) impartiality, which refers to not favouring one side or the other.
If media establishments are financially dependent on political parties or business houses, they may not have the freedom to operate as they ought to. Their loyalty and accountability will be towards these parties and not towards the public. This hampers the media’s responsibility towards the society.
HOTS
Que 3 What do you think will be the role of the media in an undemocratic country?
Ans The media will be puppets in the hands of the government. The media would not show the true picture of events. The government would experience the media in its favour. The media would create sensationalism and uneasiness in everyone else. They will not give reports based on the facts.
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