Are you interested in one week's work placement in The Irish Times? Transition Year students can learn first-hand about the workings of this newspaper if their submission is published in Media Scope's weekly Over to You column. Just send us a 200-word piece on a media-related topic.
Elma O'Reilly, Colaiste Iosagain, Br Stigh Lorgain, Co Atha Cliaith
Baird has a lot to answer for. He sent images into gas-filled tubes all those years ago, and believed he was discovering the ultimate instrument for communication.
Through commercialisation, television has become a bland instrument, a big business with large profits and ever-larger audiences. We have more programmes than ever before and in theory, therefore, more choice. But the majority of programmes fail miserably in content and presentation, resulting in moronic viewing and dulling of our minds. Because commercialism has taken over the world of television, we are all suffering. Commercialised television dictates our way of life, undermines our heritage and culture and generally feeds us with misinformation. I see the future of television as being dominated by business moguls who will spew out whatever gives the best cash returns - this could be violence, pornography or unethical programming.
Television's future should be for communication and information, not for bending the minds of the human race to make large profits for the detriment of future generations.
Eimear O'Connor, St Joseph's and St Saran's Secondary School, Ferbane, Co Offaly
There is a lot of pressure these days on teenagers from advertisements. Every day we see ads on the television and newspapers and hear them on the radio. Each tells us we need new clothes to fit in with our friends, or that we have to use hundreds of face creams and washes to prevent spots.
Instead, why don't they just tell us that if we cut down on junk food and drink more water our spots will go away?
I think manufacturers prey on teenagers because we are gullible. They take advantage of our innocence by practically forcing us to believe we are not good enough - without a £100 pair of runners. That we would have scored that winning point in the basketball match if we had eaten a bowl of the right breakfast cereal.
Maybe instead of pressuring us, manufacturers should just tell us about the product, and if we need it we will buy it. Because even though we are gullible, our parents are the ones who stop us spending their money on clothes we don't need and can't afford.
Write to media scope by posting your comments to Newspaper in the Classroom, The Irish Times, 11-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2, or faxing them to (01) 679 2789. Be sure to include your name, address and school, plus phone numbers for home and school. Or you can use the Internet and e-mail us at mediapage@irishtimes.ie
media scope is a weekly media studies page for use in schools. Group rates and a special worksheet service (see `fax-back', right) are available: free-phone 1800-798884.
media scope is edited by Harry Browne.
