Year 10 - Religious education
The changing landscape of the media
Religion and the Media: how can we live online together?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils will consider how religions and worldviews are portrayed in the media and what information can be trusted. They will investigate misconceptions and streotyping, before considering how media can be used safely and responsibly to build relationships and live with difference.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how traditional and non-traditional media hold society to account and how this affects the role of journalists.
Key Notes
- Historically the media was seen as the fourth estate with a role to hold Parliament the Church and the people to account
- The rise of non-mainstream media such as blogs, new channels and online news has been termed the fifth estate
- Young people are now more likely to get information on current affairs from the fifth estate
- The role of the journalist as a seeker of truth is increasingly under threat'
Vocabulary To Learn
- media: channels of communication, like newspapers, TV, radio and online platforms, that deliver information to the public
- fifth estate: independent individuals who use the internet to share information, influence society and hold governments, businesses and the media to account
- journalist: a person who investigates, writes, or reports news for the public
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The fifth estate replaces traditional media entirely.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Historically the media was seen as the fourth estate with a role to hold Parliament the Church and the people to account. The rise of non-mainstream media such as blogs, new channels and online news has been termed the fifth estate.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'media'
channels of communication, like newspapers, TV, radio and online platforms, that deliver information to the public.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: The fifth estate replaces traditional media entirely. Correction: The fifth estate doesn't replace traditional media; it works alongside it, giving more people a voice online.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 10 Religious education guide library.