We can no longer offer any more work experience for Transition Year students this year - all the places are filled. However, a £20 book token is on offer to contributors 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.
Catherine McKenna, Mount Temple Comprehensive, Clontarf, Dublin
What is media exactly? What mainly springs to mind when I hear the word is silly celebrities.
To my mind, being a celebrity means being "in the media". You know you have made it when your face ends up on the covers of magazines or newspapers without you having to ask first. Celebrities would have us believe this is the part of the job they hate most - and for a lot of them I believe this to be true. But for certain famous people, I am afraid I find the idea of them saying anything of the sort to be, frankly, hilarious (if not a little annoying).
I would have to choose, as an example, a certain famously married couple, with professions such as pop starlet and footballer. At first, the thought of them wanting to keep their new-born son out of the eye of the press was perfectly understandable. However, when they choose to sprawl him on the cover of a glossy magazine in their wedding photographs, it's ridiculous.
If they wish to keep out of the media glare, why do they give the magazines a different chance to quote or photograph them every week? Since their marriage I cannot recall a week going by without seeing new pictures of them on at least one magazine.
So when celebrities say they are photographed practically everywhere because they are trying to have a normal life, or claim all they want to do is be able to go to the shops like everyone else, they deserve the comment: you should have gone into a different business!
Or at least put on a hat before you left the house.
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media scope is a weekly media studies page for use in schools. Group rates and a special worksheet service (see `faxback', right) are available: FREEPHONE 1800-798884. media scope is edited by Harry Browne.
