[Grammar] A media / A press

[Jiayun]

Hi all,

I am not sure of the usage of the article before the words "media" and "press". It seems to me that, generally speaking, media is a plural noun and press is uncountable and therefore, the article "a" cannot be used before these nouns. Could you let me know whether the following sentences are correct?

1. The country has a very free media.
2. A free press is important to our society.

For the first sentence, it means that the country has a free and independent media. It does not mean any specific media in that country. It means that all the newspaper and TV news channels in that country have the freedom of expressing their ideas without the fear of being punished by the government.

For the second sentence, it also refers to all newspaper in the society. It does not refer to any specific press.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hi all,

I am not sure of the usage of the article before the words "media" and "press". It seems to me that, generally speaking, media is a plural noun and press is uncountable and therefore, the article "a" cannot be used before these nouns. Could you let me know whether the following sentences are correct?

1. The country has a very free media.

The article the tells you the sentence is about a particular country.

2. A free press is important to our society.

The article a tells you that it's talking about the free press in general.

For the first sentence, it means that the country has [delete a: media is plural] free and independent media. It does not mean any specific media in that country. It means that all the newspaper and TV news channels in that country have the freedom of expressing their ideas without the fear of being punished by the government.

Right.

For the second sentence, it also refers to all newspapers and other media in the society.

Right.

It does not refer to any specific medium.

Right. Not just newspapers.

Sometimes you'll see media and data treated as singular. Don't worry about it. It's careless, but it's not a high crime.

The term free press refers to all journalism, not just newspapers.

 

[GoesStation]

Nearly all speakers use data as a singular noun meaning "a collection of information points".

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Nearly all speakers use data as a singular noun meaning "a collection of information points".

I don't get out much anymore.

 

[jutfrank]

I disagree with post #2. I think both noun phrases are okay as they are in the original post. Here are my thoughts:

• The indefinite articles work well, in my opinion. The idea is that the press and the media are seen as discrete instruments of communication, and so are best treated as countable nouns.

• The argument that media is technically plural and therefore should always be treated as such is losing ground, in my opinion. I think it's becoming increasingly acceptable to treat it as a singular noun.

 

[SoothingDave]

Someone once quipped that they call television a "medium" because it isn't rare or well done.

(That's a steak doneness joke, for those not familiar with American dining.)

 

[jutfrank]

Someone once quipped that they call television a "medium" because it isn't rare or well done.

(That's a steak doneness joke, for those not familiar with American dining.)

And does that person also call two psychics communing with the dead 'a pair of media'?

 

[emsr2d2]

(That's a steak doneness joke, for those not familiar with American dining.)

... or with steak dining in any English-speaking country.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I disagree with post #2. I think both noun phrases are okay as they are in the original post. Here are my thoughts:

• The indefinite articles work well, in my opinion. The idea is that the press and the media are seen as discrete instruments of communication, and so are best treated as countable nouns.

• The argument that media is technically plural and therefore should always be treated as such is losing ground, in my opinion. I think it's becoming increasingly acceptable to treat it as a singular noun.

I'll buy that.