Educational potential of mass media: reality and prospects for e-learning

The article is devoted to educational, informative and cognitive functions of mass media. The paper discusses a modern scope of the use of various media in teaching activities, as well as the need and motivation of public administration students to use the educational potential of the media. The paper outlines didactic prospects of newspaper materials, radio, TV and the Internet. Analysing and discussing mass media materials in practical classes on socio-humanistic sciences boosts students’ cognitive activity and develops general and professional competences.