The role of the media in our daily lives is discussed and its potential applications in the second language classroom are examined. Evidence of the power of the mass media is noted in the impact of news coverage on the news itself, and in the immediacy of news coverage. Video is also seen as stimulating and appealing to many, and able to reflect real life and real interaction better than other media. It is suggested that video use in the language classroom be used in small doses, no more than 5 minutes at a time, and be focused on a single task such as vocabulary recognition. Teachers are encouraged to look into the use of both prepared video materials and classroom-developed videos involving student performance. (MSE)