Unit 3 – Assignment 1
P1. Explain how global affairs are communicated in the media.
The media has a significant impact on shaping public opinion on current affairs,
domestically and globally. Global affairs are communicated in the media through
many channels, including television, newspapers, magazines, radio, social
media, and online news websites. These channels provide different perspectives
and forms of coverage, ranging from short news updates to in-depth analysis and
opinion pieces.
Global Affairs describes something happening in any part of the world, of
something that affects all parts of the world. There are many types of global
affairs, and they include:
Pandemics: A pandemic is an outbreak of infectious disease that occurs over a
wide geographical area and that is of high prevalence e.g. the Covid pandemic in
2020 was communicated through a range of media, with daily newspaper
reports, and TV briefings to keep the public as informed of the latest rules and
statistics.
Terrorism: Is generally used to install fear in the population. There are many
forms of terrorism. These including mass shootings, bioterrorism, hostage-taking,
hijacking, bomb attacks and cyberattacks. During the 2001 the 9/11 terrorist
attacks where timed to coincide with News reports in the USA and therefore
shown live as they occurred. The following media coverage turned the terrorist
attacks into a war on terrorism.
Environmental disasters: An environmental disaster or ecological disaster is
defined as a catastrophic event regarding the natural environment that is due to
human activity. E.g. the New Orleans flooding in 2005 could have been caused
by global warming and was extensively covered around the world, and only after
witnessing media coverage did the president feel it a requirement to visit the
area.
Natural Disasters: Natural disasters are major events caused by Earth's natural
processes that can harm human lives and property. Turkey earthquake in 2023.
Mobile phone footage was used for initial news reports of damage to the areas
that were in accessible. TV crews and reporters made their way to the disaster
area to get first hand pictures of the recovery operations hoping for good news.
Man made disasters: created by humans including, negligence, or error
involving a failure of a man-made system and can be technological,
environmental, or social, and include crime, arson, civil unrest, terrorism, war,
biological/chemical threat, cyber-attacks, hyperinflation, mining accidents,
transportation accidents, climate change and deforestation. Disasters that are
man made are communicated by all forms of media and often have
documentaries made about them e.g. climate change.
Civil Contingencies: An event or situation which threatens serious damage to
human welfare, their security, or the environment. These are often
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, Unit 3 – Assignment 1
communicated by television news reporting e.g. the Nurses strikes in the UK
which has been extensively covered in TV News programmes and debates.
Humanitarian Crisis: frightening in terms of health, safety, or well-being of a
community. It may be an internal or external conflict and usually occurs
throughout a large land area. E.g. The current droughts in Somalia is suffering a
food crisis following a record drought following decades of conflict. This crisis is
not main news and normally communicated by crisis charity adverts asking for
donations.
Economic and Conflict refugees: An economic refugee is a person who leaves his
or her home country in search of better job prospects and higher living standards
elsewhere. Refugees are people who have fled war, violence, conflict, or
persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another
country. E.g. Ukraine refugees have been reported on extensively and
communicated about in all forms of media.
Sanctions and embargos: Sanctions and embargoes are political trade
restrictions put in place against target countries with the aim of maintaining or
restoring international peace and security. E.g. sanctions against Russia as a
result of the war in Ukraine, which have been communicated by press meetings
with the government which in turn are reported in Newspapers and websites.
Regime Changes: Regime change is the partly forcible or coercive replacement
of one government regime with another. Regime change may replace all or part
of the state's most critical leadership system, administrative apparatus, or
bureaucracy.
War: a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups
within a country. War is intentional, disclosed, widespread and long duration
armed conflict between countries. It is a state of hostility officially declared by a
country’s government or states. E.g. WWII was declared official by the UK
government when it was announced to the nation via radio by the Prime
Minister.
Conflict: disagreement between parties where parties perceive threat to their
interests and needs, it can be between individuals, communities or countries.
There are mechanisms to resolve conflicts but when they fail, conflicts can give
rise to full scale wars. A low intensity conflict could within a parliament e.g.
social housing arguments which are reported in the daily news bulletins on radio
and television as well as websites, and social media. A high intensity conflict
might involve violence e.g. Northern Ireland, conflict was has resulted in several
terrorist acts since the 1960’s. Theses events are communicated across all
forms of media, internet news sites, social media, Television, radio, and
newspapers. There are many reasons for conflict and these include, ideology,
religion, ethnicity, resources, power and nationalism.
Many feel that today’s media can over report dramatic events and this can make
the reporting repetitious and dull. This may be partly because news coverage of
all disasters, actual or forecast, is delivered in similarly catastrophic the way
2|Page
, Unit 3 – Assignment 1
global affairs are communicated in the media can also be influenced by various
factors, including the political and economic interests of the media organization
or its owners, cultural biases and stereotypes, and the pressure to attract and
retain viewers or readers. As a result, it is important for audiences to critically
evaluate the information they receive from the media and seek out multiple
sources and perspectives to gain a more comprehensive understanding of global
affairs. Many feel that today’s media can over report dramatic events and this
can make the reporting repetitious and dull. This may be partly because news
coverage of all disasters, actual or forecast, is delivered in similarly apocalyptic
tones.
P2. Outline types of media, their objectives and potential bias.
Media refers to various forms of communication used to distribute information to
an audience. The purpose of media can vary depending on the type of media and
the context in which it is used. A function of media is to provide information
about current events, news, and other issues to the public. This can include local,
national, and global affairs, as well as information on topics such as health,
science, education. Media is often used for entertainment purposes, such as
through movies, television shows, music, and online videos. Entertainment
media is designed to engage and entertain audiences, providing them with an
escape from their daily lives. Media can also be used to persuade and influence
people's opinions and beliefs. This can include political ads, marketing
campaigns, and propaganda. Media can also be used to educate people on a
variety of topics, such as history, science, and social issues. Educational media is
designed to teach and inform people, often using engaging and interactive
formats.
There are many types of media including:
Print and Publishing: Print media refers to newspapers, magazines, books, and
other printed materials. Newspapers are printed and distributed on a daily or
weekly basis. They include news related to sports, politics, technology, science,
local news, national news, international news, birth notices, as well as
entertainment news related to fashion, celebrities, and movies. Magazines are
sold on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. It contains information
about finance, food, lifestyle, fashion, sports, etc. Books normally focuses on a
topic or subject. Banners are used to advertise a company’s services and
products, hung on easily noticed sights to attract people’s attention.
Billboards are huge advertisements created with the help of computers. Their
goal is to attract people passing by. Brochures are a booklet that includes
everything about one company – its products, services, terms, and conditions,
contact details, address, etc. They are either distributed with newspapers or
handed over to people. Flyers are used mostly by small companies due to the
3|Page
P1. Explain how global affairs are communicated in the media.
The media has a significant impact on shaping public opinion on current affairs,
domestically and globally. Global affairs are communicated in the media through
many channels, including television, newspapers, magazines, radio, social
media, and online news websites. These channels provide different perspectives
and forms of coverage, ranging from short news updates to in-depth analysis and
opinion pieces.
Global Affairs describes something happening in any part of the world, of
something that affects all parts of the world. There are many types of global
affairs, and they include:
Pandemics: A pandemic is an outbreak of infectious disease that occurs over a
wide geographical area and that is of high prevalence e.g. the Covid pandemic in
2020 was communicated through a range of media, with daily newspaper
reports, and TV briefings to keep the public as informed of the latest rules and
statistics.
Terrorism: Is generally used to install fear in the population. There are many
forms of terrorism. These including mass shootings, bioterrorism, hostage-taking,
hijacking, bomb attacks and cyberattacks. During the 2001 the 9/11 terrorist
attacks where timed to coincide with News reports in the USA and therefore
shown live as they occurred. The following media coverage turned the terrorist
attacks into a war on terrorism.
Environmental disasters: An environmental disaster or ecological disaster is
defined as a catastrophic event regarding the natural environment that is due to
human activity. E.g. the New Orleans flooding in 2005 could have been caused
by global warming and was extensively covered around the world, and only after
witnessing media coverage did the president feel it a requirement to visit the
area.
Natural Disasters: Natural disasters are major events caused by Earth's natural
processes that can harm human lives and property. Turkey earthquake in 2023.
Mobile phone footage was used for initial news reports of damage to the areas
that were in accessible. TV crews and reporters made their way to the disaster
area to get first hand pictures of the recovery operations hoping for good news.
Man made disasters: created by humans including, negligence, or error
involving a failure of a man-made system and can be technological,
environmental, or social, and include crime, arson, civil unrest, terrorism, war,
biological/chemical threat, cyber-attacks, hyperinflation, mining accidents,
transportation accidents, climate change and deforestation. Disasters that are
man made are communicated by all forms of media and often have
documentaries made about them e.g. climate change.
Civil Contingencies: An event or situation which threatens serious damage to
human welfare, their security, or the environment. These are often
1|Page
, Unit 3 – Assignment 1
communicated by television news reporting e.g. the Nurses strikes in the UK
which has been extensively covered in TV News programmes and debates.
Humanitarian Crisis: frightening in terms of health, safety, or well-being of a
community. It may be an internal or external conflict and usually occurs
throughout a large land area. E.g. The current droughts in Somalia is suffering a
food crisis following a record drought following decades of conflict. This crisis is
not main news and normally communicated by crisis charity adverts asking for
donations.
Economic and Conflict refugees: An economic refugee is a person who leaves his
or her home country in search of better job prospects and higher living standards
elsewhere. Refugees are people who have fled war, violence, conflict, or
persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another
country. E.g. Ukraine refugees have been reported on extensively and
communicated about in all forms of media.
Sanctions and embargos: Sanctions and embargoes are political trade
restrictions put in place against target countries with the aim of maintaining or
restoring international peace and security. E.g. sanctions against Russia as a
result of the war in Ukraine, which have been communicated by press meetings
with the government which in turn are reported in Newspapers and websites.
Regime Changes: Regime change is the partly forcible or coercive replacement
of one government regime with another. Regime change may replace all or part
of the state's most critical leadership system, administrative apparatus, or
bureaucracy.
War: a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups
within a country. War is intentional, disclosed, widespread and long duration
armed conflict between countries. It is a state of hostility officially declared by a
country’s government or states. E.g. WWII was declared official by the UK
government when it was announced to the nation via radio by the Prime
Minister.
Conflict: disagreement between parties where parties perceive threat to their
interests and needs, it can be between individuals, communities or countries.
There are mechanisms to resolve conflicts but when they fail, conflicts can give
rise to full scale wars. A low intensity conflict could within a parliament e.g.
social housing arguments which are reported in the daily news bulletins on radio
and television as well as websites, and social media. A high intensity conflict
might involve violence e.g. Northern Ireland, conflict was has resulted in several
terrorist acts since the 1960’s. Theses events are communicated across all
forms of media, internet news sites, social media, Television, radio, and
newspapers. There are many reasons for conflict and these include, ideology,
religion, ethnicity, resources, power and nationalism.
Many feel that today’s media can over report dramatic events and this can make
the reporting repetitious and dull. This may be partly because news coverage of
all disasters, actual or forecast, is delivered in similarly catastrophic the way
2|Page
, Unit 3 – Assignment 1
global affairs are communicated in the media can also be influenced by various
factors, including the political and economic interests of the media organization
or its owners, cultural biases and stereotypes, and the pressure to attract and
retain viewers or readers. As a result, it is important for audiences to critically
evaluate the information they receive from the media and seek out multiple
sources and perspectives to gain a more comprehensive understanding of global
affairs. Many feel that today’s media can over report dramatic events and this
can make the reporting repetitious and dull. This may be partly because news
coverage of all disasters, actual or forecast, is delivered in similarly apocalyptic
tones.
P2. Outline types of media, their objectives and potential bias.
Media refers to various forms of communication used to distribute information to
an audience. The purpose of media can vary depending on the type of media and
the context in which it is used. A function of media is to provide information
about current events, news, and other issues to the public. This can include local,
national, and global affairs, as well as information on topics such as health,
science, education. Media is often used for entertainment purposes, such as
through movies, television shows, music, and online videos. Entertainment
media is designed to engage and entertain audiences, providing them with an
escape from their daily lives. Media can also be used to persuade and influence
people's opinions and beliefs. This can include political ads, marketing
campaigns, and propaganda. Media can also be used to educate people on a
variety of topics, such as history, science, and social issues. Educational media is
designed to teach and inform people, often using engaging and interactive
formats.
There are many types of media including:
Print and Publishing: Print media refers to newspapers, magazines, books, and
other printed materials. Newspapers are printed and distributed on a daily or
weekly basis. They include news related to sports, politics, technology, science,
local news, national news, international news, birth notices, as well as
entertainment news related to fashion, celebrities, and movies. Magazines are
sold on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. It contains information
about finance, food, lifestyle, fashion, sports, etc. Books normally focuses on a
topic or subject. Banners are used to advertise a company’s services and
products, hung on easily noticed sights to attract people’s attention.
Billboards are huge advertisements created with the help of computers. Their
goal is to attract people passing by. Brochures are a booklet that includes
everything about one company – its products, services, terms, and conditions,
contact details, address, etc. They are either distributed with newspapers or
handed over to people. Flyers are used mostly by small companies due to the
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