Introduction to Journalism and Mass Communication
What the domain tests
This introductory domain checks whether you can distinguish journalism from mass communication and use basic communication models to describe real media texts. It covers definitions, the communication process, functions of mass media, and the vocabulary of the fourth estate.
Core rules and concepts
- Mass communication is organised, mediated, public and usually one-to-many; interpersonal communication is immediate and feedback-rich.
- Lasswell's model: who says what, in which channel, to whom, with what effect. Shannon–Weaver adds encoding, decoding and noise.
- Journalism is the periodic gathering, verifying and publishing of information in the public interest; mass communication is the wider field that includes advertising, PR, film and entertainment.
- Functions: surveillance, correlation, cultural transmission, entertainment and mobilisation. Merton's terms: manifest and latent functions.
- Gatekeeping explains why not every event becomes news. Agenda-setting explains why repeated coverage shapes what audiences think about.
Worked example
A state weather office sends a cyclone warning; a Bengali news channel runs it with a scroll and a reporter at the coast. Sender: weather office; message: warning and safety advice; channel: television; receivers: coastal viewers; feedback: calls to the studio and social media comments; noise: poor signal or confusing graphics. The channel's decision to lead with the warning, rather than a cricket score, is gatekeeping. Its repeated warning bulletins illustrate agenda-setting. Reasoning: name the element and then show the journalistic decision, not just the definition.
Traps that cost marks
Do not say mass communication has no feedback; delayed and indirect feedback still exists. Do not treat 'mass media' and 'mass communication' as synonyms. Do not confuse agenda-setting (what to think about) with propaganda (deliberate persuasion).