Journalism
Quotations
"Journalism largely consists of saying 'Lord Jones is Dead' to people who never knew that Lord Jones was alive." - Gilbert K. Chesterton
"Objective journalism and an opinion column are about as similar as the Bible and Playboy magazine." - Walter Cronkite
Vocabuilder: News and Media
VOCAB LIST: News and Journalism
journalist – a person who writes and reports the news
My cousin wants to be a journalist because he likes to write and he is interested in current events.
correspondent (n.) – a journalist who works for a media network and (usually) reports on aspecific topic (such as foreign news, sports, business, etc.)
Major news networks often have several foreign correspondents working in many different countries.
anchor (n.) – a person who reads the news on TV
Mainstream news networks often hire attractive news anchors to get more people to watch their news programs.
politician – a person who works in politics or serves in the government
Journalists often interview politicians about important government stories.
celebrity – a person who is famous (usually an actor, actress, singer, etc.)
Many people are interested in the love lives of celebrities.
Many celebrities attended the awards show last night.
tabloids – newspapers and magazines that focus on celebrity news and exciting stories
Tabloids are very popular because people enjoy reading about celebrities and their relationships.
sensationalism (n.) – exaggerated news that seeks to get people’s attention
sensationalize (v.) – exaggerated news that seeks to get people’s attention
Tabloids are often criticized for focusing on sensationalism and stretching the truth.
I don’t trust tabloids because they tend to sensationalize the news.
coverage (n.) – the attention given to a news story by a media outlet
cover (v.) – to report about a story or issue
The BBC gives a lot of coverage to international news.
Tabloids tend to cover celebrity news and romantic stories.
manipulate – to change the truth and try to influence people to agree with your opinion
People used to get their news from print and broadcast media, but in recent years more people have turned to online media for their news.
bias (n.) – a strong opinion about an issue; an unwillingness to consider other opinions
biased (adj.) – having an opinion about an issue and being unwilling to consider other opinions
Politicians often say the mainstream media is biased and unfair.
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Vocabuilder: News and Media
VOCAB REVIEW: News and Journalism
The BBC is one of the most well-known news _______________ in the world. They are based in the UK, but they have _______________ in almost every country in the world. On their international news network, BBC World, they give _______________ to events all over the world. The _______________ are very professional-looking and they read the news clearly and with a very serious attitude. Last year, their business _______________ John Johnson won the award for Best International Business Reporting.
However, there are also many, less serious, media outlets in the UK. Every day, many people read _______________, which contain stories about the personal lives of _______________ and _______________. Many people dislike these tabloids, because they say that the _______________ write stories that are not true and _______________ stories to try to make them more interesting. Because of this, many people protested outside the offices of one of the country’s biggest tabloids, saying, “This is not news. It is _______________!”
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Complete the gaps in the statements with the words below.
bias-deadline-privacy-record-scoop-sources-speculation
A good news journalist …
1 never misses a . ............
2 respects the of public figures. .....................
3 deals in facts rather than . ................
4 will do almost anything for a or to break a story. .....................
5 always identifies their . ..................
6 allows people to speak off the to protect themselves. ......................
7 reports honestly, objectively and without . ........................
Questions
• How often do you read the news? Do you believe what you read?
• Do you feel journalists are respected in their profession?
• Are there any famous journalists from your country? What are they famous for?
• Has the Internet created an army of journalists and reporters?
• Could you ever be a war reporter? What would be the difficulties?
• How does investigative journalism differ from tabloid journalism?
• What do you think of paparazzis?
• Would you like to start your own newspaper? What would you like to focus on?
• Does the government try to shape the news in your country?
• How has News changed in the last 75 years?
• Would you like to be a journalist?
• They say traditional media is in decline, why could this be?
• Do you feel news should be censored?
• Is news a universal human right?
| (1) | What is journalism? |
| (2) | What do you know or can guess about the history of journalism? |
| (3) | Would you be interested in studying journalism? |
| (4) | Is journalism a respected profession in your country? |
| (5) | What do you think of the journalism on news stations like the BBC and CNN? |
| (6) | What is the quality of journalism like in your country? |
| (7) | Are there government controls on journalism in your country? |
| (8) | What good does journalism do in the world? |
| (9) | Is journalism always about reporting the truth? |
| (10) | What do you think a career in journalism would be like? |
| (1) | Do you think journalism is different in different countries around the world? |
| (2) | What kind of journalism are you most interested in? |
| (3) | What do you think of journalists who report in war zones? |
| (4) | What kind of people are good at journalism? |
| (5) | Do you think people can make a lot of money from journalism? |
| (6) | Do you think investigative journalism would be interesting? |
| (7) | How important is journalism in today’s world? |
| (8) | What do you think of the paparazzi and gutter press? |
| (9) | Do you think the Internet can make us all journalists? |
| (10) | What do you think world leaders and governments think of journalism? |
Presentation
You work for a large news company and are hoping to launch a new magazine. Give details of the magazine and “pitch” your idea to the class.
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