CREATING A LITERATE GENERATION THROUGH MASS MEDIA LETTERS

Abstract

"A cultured nation is a nation that cultivates a culture of literacy (literacy), not just a culture of oration (speaking). In essence, the spread of a culture of literacy encompasses the culture of reading and writing. Meanwhile, a culture of oration encompasses the culture of society in speaking and receiving information. In the context of language skills, literacy is simply defined as the ability to read and write. A person is said to be literate if they can understand something by reading the right information and act based on their understanding of the content of the reading. Newspapers are one of the mass media that play a role in publicizing the culture of literacy present in society. Through newspapers, ideas expressed on hotly discussed issues in society can be understood more widely. Their presence makes society critical, sensitive to information, and able to improve the quality and quantity of intellectuals. In addition, the mass media of newspapers is able to form literacy habits starting from the habit of thinking from understanding issues/problems followed by a process of reading, then writing, which ultimately will create works. Literacy is also closely related to learning patterns in schools, namely the availability of reading materials and the growth of a reading society. Thus, a culture of literacy as the formation of a literate generation can be said to be the root of civilization. which is able to transform thought patterns and behavior.