Originally posted by wolfgang59
Strictly speaking "the media" can be considered a collective noun and as such
both "the media is" and 'the media are" can be correct. Much the same as
"my family is large" and 'my family are large" are both correct grammatically
(although they may have different connotations!).
"The media" is not a collective noun; it is simply the plural form of "medium". The consideration regarding collective nouns applies to
singular forms such as "Parliament" or "Congress" or "committee", but not to "media". Parliament and Congress, and committees in general, are bodies which, although consisting of individuals, may nonetheless act as one . The media do not constitute a body which acts as one. Moreover, the plural forms "Parliaments" and "Congresses" would lead to confusion or factual error, since there are not multiple Parliaments in Britain or multiple Congresses in America--whereas there are several media (print, radio, television, etc.) and it is grammatically useful to distinguish one medium from another by retaining the singular and plural forms.
EDIT: Whether your family are [sic] large is a matter best kept out of the forum, for their own good.