Kritischer Umgang Mit Den Massenmedien Als Informationsquellen F(u|¨)r Landeskundeunterricht

The mass media is one of the important sources of information for the course of national conditions. It is also an important way for many German learners in China to contact with the German national conditions. The actual use of the mass media as sources of information in the course of national conditions is investigated through empirical studies in the institute of German Studies in Zhejiang University, which shows the German learners of Chinese with a lack of the ability of media criticism. They may passively accept the information disseminated by the mass media, and thus the entire German national conditions and the German image might be misunderstood or misjudged. This paper focuses on the mass media’s own characteristics and defects through text analysis and comparison of two reports on Merkel’s visit to China by a Chinese and a German newspaper. The criticism on the language, rhetoric, stance, values and other aspects has proved the injustice and subjectivity of the mass media. The German learners should critically look at the mass media and the course of national conditions needs through the use of mass media to promote the German learners the ability of criticism and judgment.