Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457): Topic: Media and communication – Study Guide

This guide is for Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457), using the Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Version 2 (published April 2025). “Media and communication” is one of the 22 topics in the topic list in section 3 of the syllabus. The skills you practise with it are set out in sections 2 and 4. The syllabus says the topic list is for all components, so you can meet this topic in Component 1 (Written Exam), Component 2 (Individual Report) or Component 3 (Team Project).

Topic knowledge is not assessed. The syllabus states: “Knowledge of content is not assessed in this syllabus.” This page does not ask you to learn facts about the media. It shows you how to use the topic to practise the skills that are assessed: research, analysis and evaluation, reflection, communication and collaboration.

Related pages: the subject hub, the 0457 checklist, the revision notes for this topic and the practice questions for this topic.

Coverage table

Syllabus reference	What you must be able to do (from the document)	Where assessed
Section 3, topic list	Use “Media and communication” as a context; the syllabus prints no sub-headings under any topic	All components
Section 3, key terms	Use the syllabus meanings of issue, perspective, research, evidence and argument	All components
Section 2, AO1 Research, analysis and evaluation	Research issues, causes, consequences and courses of action; use evidence; analyse and evaluate evidence, reasoning and sources; develop a line of reasoning	Components 1, 2 and 3
Section 2, AO2 Reflection	Consider perspectives objectively and with empathy; justify your own perspective; reflect on how research and teamwork changed your learning	Components 2 and 3 (0% of Component 1)
Section 2, AO3 Communication and collaboration	Present arguments, evidence and perspectives clearly; cite and reference; contribute to the Team Project	Components 2 and 3
Section 4, Component 1	Analyse information, arguments and perspectives (Question 1); evaluate research or evidence and suggest how to test a claim (Question 2); evaluate arguments and judge their quality (Question 3); assess actions (Question 4)	Written Exam, 1 hour 25 minutes, 70 marks
Section 4, Component 1	Understand bias, claim, fact, generalisation, opinion, prediction, value and vested interest; analyse and evaluate use of evidence and language	Written Exam
Section 4, Component 2	Choose a global issue that divides opinion; write a global research question; cover local and/or national and global perspectives; analyse causes and consequences; propose one course of action; evaluate sources	Individual Report, 1500-2000 words
Section 4, Component 3	Identify a local issue; research different perspectives; plan, carry out and measure an action	Team Project
Section 4, command words	Analyse, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Identify, Suggest	All components

Issues at global, national and local level

The syllabus defines an issue as “an important subject or problem for discussion”. A topic is broad; an issue is narrow enough to argue about. Here are issues inside Media and communication, at each level.

Global issues

• False or misleading information crossing borders faster than it can be checked.
• The safety and freedom of journalists. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) publishes a World Press Freedom Index each year that ranks countries on press freedom.
• Whether large technology companies should pay news organisations for the news shared on their platforms.

National issues

• How public service broadcasters should be funded. In the UK, for example, the BBC is mainly funded by the television licence fee, and people disagree about whether this is fair.
• How far a government should regulate broadcasters, and whether rules protect the public or limit free expression.
• Whether minority languages get fair space on national radio and television.

Local issues

• Local newspapers closing or cutting their print editions, so fewer reporters attend council meetings or courts.
• Notices from schools, clinics or councils that some residents cannot read, because they are online-only or in one language.
• Rumours spreading in community messaging groups.

Key terms (topic vocabulary, not assessed knowledge)

• Misinformation: false information shared by someone who believes it is true.
• Disinformation: false information shared on purpose to mislead.
• Press freedom: the ability of journalists to report without censorship or threats.
• Public service broadcasting: broadcasting meant to serve the public, not mainly to make a profit.
• Media literacy: the ability to find, judge and create media messages. UNESCO calls this media and information literacy and holds a Global Media and Information Literacy Week each October.

Perspectives on media issues

The syllabus defines a perspective as “a viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning”. A perspective is more than an opinion. You need to show the reasoning behind it and explain why the person or group holds it.

For a media issue, ask who gains, who loses and who decides.

Who	Likely concern	Why they might hold it
Journalists and editors	Independence, safety, income	Their work and jobs depend on it
Media owners	Profit and audience size	They run businesses
Governments	Public order, national security, trust in institutions	They answer to voters, and may also be the subject of reporting
Technology platforms	Freedom to run their services, low costs	Payment or regulation laws affect their business model
Advertisers	Reaching audiences cheaply	Advertising money follows audiences
Audiences	Accurate, affordable, accessible news	They rely on it to make decisions
Minority-language communities	Being informed and represented	Being left out of the news leaves them less informed and less heard

Remember Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). It says everyone has the right “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”. People use this in arguments both for less regulation and for more support for independent media. That is a good example of one source backing different perspectives.

Causes and consequences

AO1 asks you to research issues “their causes and consequences”. Use a simple chain: cause, issue, consequence.

Example issue: the decline of local news

• Causes: advertising money has moved from print to online platforms; fewer people buy printed papers; owners merge titles to cut costs.
• Consequences: fewer reporters cover local councils and courts. Some researchers and journalists argue this leaves local decisions less checked. Residents may rely more on unverified posts.

Show the links between steps. “Advertising moved online, so papers had less income, so they cut reporters, so fewer meetings were reported” is analysis. A list of unconnected points is not.

A theory you can use: agenda-setting. McCombs and Shaw (1972) studied undecided voters in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, during the 1968 US presidential campaign. They found that the issues voters rated most important closely matched the issues the media covered most. Evaluation: the study shows a strong link, but a link is not proof that the media caused the voters’ views. The sample came from one town. It was also done long before online news, so you would need newer evidence before applying it today. Use it as a reason why media coverage matters, not as proof.

Judging sources and evidence

The syllabus says you “will benefit from an understanding of” eight terms and should “analyse and evaluate use of evidence and language”. Here they are with media examples written for this page.

Term	What it is	Media example
Claim	A statement put forward as true	“Local papers keep councils honest.”
Fact	Something that can be checked as true or false	“The paper cut its print edition to once a week last year.”
Opinion	A personal judgement	“Television news is boring.”
Generalisation	A broad statement applied to a whole group	“Teenagers never read the news.”
Prediction	A statement about the future	“Print newspapers will disappear within ten years.”
Value	A belief about what matters or is right	“A free press is essential to democracy.”
Bias	A one-sided view that favours one side	An article that quotes only supporters of a new law
Vested interest	Gaining or losing from the outcome	A broadcaster reporting a survey that praises its own news

Testing a source: Who made it, and what is their expertise? What do they gain? How was the evidence collected? How large and how representative was the sample? Is it recent? Do independent sources agree? Is the language loaded?

Worked example (evidence evaluation)

Original source written for Marlbridge: A fictional national broadcaster, VNB, writes in its own annual report: “9 in 10 viewers trust VNB News. Our survey of viewers proves we are the country’s most trusted source.”

Knowledge: VNB has a vested interest because the survey is about its own reputation, and it published the result itself. Application: It surveyed “viewers”, meaning people who already choose to watch VNB, so the sample is likely to favour it. Analysis: The claim jumps from “9 in 10 of our viewers trust us” to “the country’s most trusted source”. That needs a comparison with other broadcasters, which the source does not give. “Proves” overstates what one survey can show. Evaluation: The figure may be accurate for VNB’s regular audience, but it is weak evidence for the national claim. An independent survey of a random national sample, asking about several broadcasters, would be more reliable.

Notice that each point uses details from the source. “It is biased” on its own earns little.

Courses of action

Component 1 Question 4 asks you to “assess actions in response to the global issue”. The Individual Report asks you to propose “a single course of action to change, improve or resolve the issue”. Judge each action by how well it would work, what it would cost, who gains, who loses and whether it could be done.

1. Laws requiring platforms to pay for news. Australia passed its News Media Bargaining Code in 2021. During the debate in February 2021, Facebook briefly stopped people in Australia from viewing or sharing news on its platform. Facebook then signed deals with publishers, but in 2024 Meta said it would not renew them. Canada’s Online News Act received Royal Assent on 22 June 2023. In August 2023 Meta began ending news on its platforms in Canada. Google agreed to give 100 million Canadian dollars a year, indexed to inflation, to support Canadian news businesses. Evaluation: these laws brought new money to some news organisations. But one platform’s response cut people’s access to news on its service. Supporters and critics still disagree on whether the approach works.

2. Media literacy teaching. This builds skills that last, and it does not depend on deciding which content to remove. It is slow, and adults outside school are harder to reach.

3. Independent fact-checking. Fact-checkers can correct false claims quickly. But corrections may reach fewer people than the original claim, and some people distrust fact-checkers themselves.

4. Public funding for public service or local media. This can keep reporting going where the market will not pay for it. Critics worry that funding could weaken independence from government, and that it costs taxpayers money.

5. Community action. Examples include volunteer newsletters, community radio and translated notices. These are cheap and local, but they depend on volunteers and may not last.

Individual Report and Team Project ideas

Individual Report. The syllabus says your global issue “should be one that divides opinion”. You devise “a global research question”, and the perspectives must include “local and/or national perspectives” and “global perspectives”. Possible questions:

• Should large online platforms be made to pay news organisations for the news they share?
• Should public money be used to fund independent journalism?
• Should advertising aimed at children be banned?
• Should national broadcasters be required to give airtime to minority languages?

Narrow the topic into a question you can answer. “The media” is a topic, not a question.

Team Project. The team “identifies a relevant local issue”, plans and carries out an action, and must “measure the success of their action”. Ideas:

• Older residents miss council news posted only online. Action: a printed monthly notice sheet at the library and pharmacy. Measure: a before-and-after survey of how many residents knew about key decisions.
• Families who speak another language at home miss school messages. Action: a translated message board run with volunteer translators. Measure: replies to school events before and after.
• Rumours spread in a community messaging group. Action: a short “check before you share” session. Measure: a quiz before and after the session.

For the structure of these components, see the Individual Report guide and the Team Project guide. For how the exam is set up, see the Written Exam guide.

Common errors

• Revising facts about the media instead of practising how to use sources. Content knowledge is not assessed.
• Calling a source “biased” without quoting the words or naming the interest that shows it.
• Mixing up misinformation and disinformation. The difference is intent.
• Treating “media” as one perspective. Owners, journalists, platforms and audiences often disagree.
• Giving only global points in an Individual Report. The syllabus requires local and/or national as well as global perspectives.
• Proposing several actions at the end of the report. The syllabus asks for “a single course of action”.
• Planning a Team Project action with no way to “measure the success” of it.
• Writing a report title that is a topic (“Social media”) rather than a question that divides opinion.

Where to go next

Test yourself with the practice questions, then go over the revision notes. For general skills, see the Global Perspectives revision notes and the Individual Report revision notes. For issues about online life more broadly, see the Digital world guide. Your teacher will confirm which topics your class will use for each component.

Official syllabus

Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Version 2 (published April 2025). Topic list: section 3; assessment objectives: section 2; component details and command words: section 4.