Foreword
To my Colleagues/ Students
There are a number of very strong arguments in favour of using
newspapers and other media material in the language classroom:

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general education value
cultural information
language change
reading interest & strategies
authentic material
subject-specific material
language difficulty in the media language, etc.
This booklet is not intended to be studied from cover to cover, but for
you to dip into as and when you need to. It is divided into several
parts:
Contents
Foreword
British and American Newspapers and Magazines
The Whole Newspaper
Newspaper Reading Habits Questionnaire
Analysing Newspapers
Broadsheets vs Tabloids
The British Press Battle
Newspapers Headlines and Language
Unlocking headlines
Ambiguity in headlines
Just for fun (newspaper misprints)
Class Presentation 1
Reporting the Article
Vocabulary & collocations
Translation assignments
Class Presentation 2
Newspaper Sections/Columns
News Flash
News in Brief
Potted Biographies
Photographs& Caricatures & Strip Cartoons
3
3
5
5
5
11
12
15
15
16
17
17
18
20
22
22
22
24
Class presentation 3
Advertisements
Weather Forecasts
Weather – Newspaper Stories
Contemporary Media and the Change
The Nature of News
Will Newspapers Survive?
‘_We Media: Introduction to Participatory
Journalism’
Further Discussion: Everyday Ethical Dilemmas
Facing Journalism
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Resources and Further Reading
26
27
30
33
35
36
37
45
47
51
53
55
Each part deals with one particular feature of newspapers, the whole
newspaper or the other media, such as the Internet. In practice, this
means that you’ll find it easy to refer to the relevant part. In addition,
the booklet contains appendixes on newspaper language and style,
abbreviations used in the media, web-links to several online sites of
world popular quality and tabloid newspapers and magazines and the
list of printed and Internet resources used to compile this booklet,
make up activities or used for illustration. All the material which was
originally written and first published on the Internet is a free
download and available at the sites listed.
4
British and American Newspapers &
Magazines
The Whole newspaper
Newspaper reading habits questionnaire
This questionnaire is designed to find out about your newspaper reading
habits. Read the questions carefully and answer them as fully as you can.
1 Write the names of 3 national newspapers in your country. What reputation
and/or political bias do they have?
(a)
(b)
(c)
2 What is the local newspaper in your area?
3 Which English-language newspapers do you know? What do you know
about these newspapers?
4 Is there a particular newspaper you like to read? Why?
5 Do members of your family read the same newspaper as you?
6 How often do you read a newspaper?
7 Do you pay for the newspaper?
8 Is there a particular time of day when you read a newspaper?
9 Is there a particular place where you read a newspaper?
10 . How long do you spend reading a newspaper?
11 Are there any sections of the newspaper you never read?
12 Do you always read a newspaper in the same order?
13 Which section of the newspaper do you read first?
14 Which sections do you read next?
15 Do you ever talk to people about things you read in the newspaper?
16 Do you think it is important for people to read newspapers? Why?
17 Do you believe everything you read in the newspaper?
18 Do you think a newspaper is good value for money?
19 What do you do with a newspaper once you have read it?
20 How do you think reading English-language newspapers can help your
language learning?
Text 1. Read the text and answer the questions.
1. What types of press are there in Great Britain/USA?
5
2. What are the differences between broadsheets and tabloids? Are there
many? What is the modern tendency in development of the press?
3. What is
 a newspaper layout
 puffs/ blurbs
 a front page
 a slogan
 a masthead
 a lead story
 a menu
 a by-line
4. Make sure you can explain words and phrases in bold/ their meaning in the
context of the sentence(s) they are used in.
ANALYSING NEWSPAPERS (abridged from the Internet resources)
The first thing you notice when you look at a newspaper is the size!
Traditionally, newspapers have been divided up into tabloids and
broadsheets, broadsheets being the larger, more serious papers that you have
to fold to read.
The gap between tabloids and broadsheets is a wide one. They look different,
they contain different news, they have a different style of writing and they aim
to attract different readers.
Here are a few of the main differences:
Tabloids eg Standard
Broadsheets eg The Guardian
'Popular' press

Aimed at lower social
groupings

Bold layout (eg colour on
the masthead, very bold
typeface, easy to read), with
large, dramatic pictures

Shorter articles, more
pictures, less 'in-depth'
reporting

Puns and jokes in
headlines

More focus on human
interest stories, celebrity
gossip

Use of gimmicks such as
bingo games, free travel
tickets, phone-in surveys

'Quality' or 'serious' press

Aimed at higher social
groupings

Plainer layout (no or little
colour on the front page, smaller
typeface suggests readers will
make more effort to read it), and
subtle, possibly smaller, pictures

Longer articles, more detailed

Serious headlines

More focus on politics,
international news

6
The Front Page
Newspaper front pages fulfil several different functions. They must:
attract readers
 reinforce the newspaper's identity through easily recognisable
style features
 demonstrate clearly what the newspaper's attitude is towards
the news of the day
 show that this particular edition of the newspaper contains
certain stories - hopefully including better coverage of main
stories than any other newspaper
Broadsheet newspapers tend to print across six columns. Although
each has their own individual style, you will find the following
elements on the front page of all newspapers; these are the
conventions of a front page.

Masthead - the newspaper's
name, often in traditional gothic
lettering. It may not have
changed for many years and is
the easiest way to identify a
newspaper
"All the News That's Fit To Print"
Slogan - a 'catchphrase' for the
newspaper
The NY Times
'Puffs' or 'blurbs' - colour bands
which aim to attract readers to
stories inside the newspaper or
'coming soon'
Headlines - the largest typeface on
the page for the most important
stories
Sub-heads - in smaller
typeface, sometimes italicised,
that explain more about the
story
7
A Hong Kong School was today rocked
to its foundations by a number of
minor explosions. Eye-witnesses said
there were...
By-line - journalist's name &
details
Spending too long on the internet may
ruin your eyes, medical researchers
warned today. New evidence suggests
that there is a definite link...
Lead story - one that has been
chosen as being of most interest to
the most readers
Clark Kent, Education
Correspondent
Secondary Lead - still an important
story, but less than the lead
Photographs!!! Sometimes
colour, sometimes black and
white. They may refer to the
lead story, or be there to make a
reader "turn to page 6..." Don't
forget the all-important
captions which accompany
photographs.
Menu - A 'table of contents'
showing what is in each section and
where to go to find articles inside
Small ad - containing no
images
Display ad - includes a picture
8
In some countries, especially the UK and USA, broadsheet newspapers are
commonly perceived to be more intellectual in content than their tabloid
counterparts, using their greater size to examine stories in more depth,
while carrying less sensationalist and celebrity material. This distinction is
most obvious on the front page: whereas tabloids tend to have a single story
dominated by a headline, broadsheets allow two or more stories to be
displayed, the most important at the top of the page - "above the fold."
However, the competition for readers is intense, and tabloids and broadsheets
may steal tricks off each other in order to win the circulation war, for
example, many broadsheet newspapers in Britain run 'Fantasy Football
Leagues' which originated as a tabloid tactic.
Thus, the distinction regarding specific content is at best a generalization,
and the term "tabloid" technically refers only to the paper's size. Some
tabloid-format papers (such as the Daily Mail and Daily Express in the UK)
use phrases such as "broadsheet quality in a tabloid format" in an attempt to
distinguish themselves from their "tabloid" reputation. In addition,
broadsheets often publish supplements, such as sports reviews and less
news-oriented content (e.g. the Guardian's "G2" (formerly) or the Times's
"Times 2"), in tabloid format.
A Little History: pretty & authentic?
In medieval and renaissance
Britain, news was passed around
chiefly through the use of ballads
or narrative songs performed by
Bards. With the invention of the
printing press in the 15th century,
these ballads were written down
onto small pieces of paper and
sold at markets or in large towns
and called broadsides. These
Broadsides became not only a way
for the common man to get his
entertainment, but also as a
description of current affairs, for
ballads were often written on the
subject
of
current
events.
Through the centuries, the
Broadsides were made larger and
more detail was included. Better
transport systems allowed for
The word "tabloid" comes from
the
name
given
by
a
pharmaceutical company to a
painkiller sold in compressed
tablet. The connotation of tabloid
was soon applied to other small
items and to the "compressed"
journalism that condensed stories
into a simplified, easily-absorbed
format. The label of "tabloid
journalism" (1901) preceded the
smaller sheet newspapers that
contained it (1918).
An early pioneer of tabloid
journalism
was
Alfred
Harmsworth (1865–1922), who
amassed a large publishing
empire of halfpenny papers by
rescuing failing stolid papers and
transforming them to reflect the
9
these broadsides to reach a much
wider audience in a short time,
and proved an effective way for
current affairs to be distributed.
Eventually they were edited to
contain multiple pages, a more
formal and informative use of
language, and were compiled by
large groups of journalists.
Broadsheet newspapers had been
invented.
popular taste, which yielded him
enormous profits. Harmsworth
used his tabloids to influence
public opinion, for example, by
bringing down the wartime
government of Prime Minister
Herbert Henry Asquith in the
Shell Crisis of 1915.
The more recent usage of the term 'tabloid' refers to weekly or semi-weekly
newspapers in tabloid format. Many of these are essentially straightforward
newspapers, publishing in tabloid format, because subway and bus
commuters prefer to read smaller-size newspapers due to lack of space.
These newspapers are distinguished from the major daily newspapers, in that
they purport to offer an "alternative" viewpoint, either in the sense that the
paper's editors are more locally-oriented, or that the paper is editorially
independent from major media conglomerates.
Other factors that distinguish "alternative" weekly tabloids from the
major daily newspapers are their less-frequent publication, and that they are
usually free to the user, since they rely on ad revenue. As well, alternative
weekly tabloids tend to concentrate on local- or even neighbourhood-level
issues, and on local entertainment in the bars and local theatres.
Alternative tabloids can be positioned as upmarket (quality) newspapers, to
appeal to the better-educated, higher-income sector of the market; as
middle-market (popular); or as downmarket (sensational) newspapers,
which emphasize sensational crime stories and celebrity gossip. In each case,
the newspapers will draw their advertising revenue from different types of
businesses or services. An upmarket weekly's advertisers are often organicgrocers, boutiques, and theatre-companies while a downmarket's may have
those of trade-schools, super-markets, and adult-services, both usually
contain ads from local bars, auto-dealers, movie theaters, and a classified-ads
section
The term "tabloid" can also refer to a newspaper that tends to emphasize
topics such as sensational crime stories, astrology, gossip columns about
the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and junk food news. Often,
tabloid newspaper allegations about the sexual practices, drug use, or
private conduct of celebrities is borderline defamatory; in many cases,
celebrities have successfully shown that tabloid stories have defamed them,
10
and sued for libel. It is this sense of the word that led to some
entertainment news programs to be called tabloid television. Tabloid
newspapers are sometimes pejoratively called the gutter press.
Supermarket tabloids are large, national versions of these tabloids,
usually published weekly. They are named for their prominent placement
along the checkout lines of supermarkets. Supermarket tabloids are
particularly notorious for the over-the-top sensationalizing of stories, the
facts of which can often be called into question. These tabloids - such as The
Globe and The National Enquirer - often use aggressive and usually mean
spirited tactics to sell their issues. Unlike regular tabloid-format newspapers,
supermarket tabloids are distributed through the magazine distribution
channel, similarly to other weekly magazines and mass-market paperback
books. Leading examples include The National Enquirer, Star, Weekly World
News (now defunct), and Sun. The oldest supermarket tabloid known to date
was the American "Daily News" in 1919; if it didn't have news to publish, it
would simply make up a story, have the newspaper staff stage a photograph,
then use an editing technique called the composograph to combine the fake
image with a real one.
Tabloid newspapers in Britain, collectively called the "tabloid press", tend to
be simply and sensationally written, and to give more prominence than
broadsheets to celebrities, sports, crime stories and even hoaxes; they also
more readily take a political position (either left-wing or right-wing) on news
stories, ridiculing politicians, demanding resignations and predicting
election results. The term red top refers to tabloids with red nameplates,
such as The Sun, the Daily Star, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Sport, and
distinguishes them from the black top Daily Express and Daily Mail. Red
top newspapers are usually simpler in writing style, dominated by pictures,
and directed at the more sensational end of the market.
Broadsheets vs Tabloids
Put the following words & phrases under the headings.
Broadsheets
Tabloids
the qualities, far exceeding in the sales, many photographs, personalities in the
public eye, the heavies, attention-grabbing headlines, informative, objective,
keeping news and opinion firmly apart, serious news, support by detail, informed
analysis, sensational stories, involving prominent figures, pejorative,
tabloidese/journalese, accurate &appropriate, exaggerated & distorted
11
Reading & Discussion
Text 2. Read the article and
1) say what the ‘British press battle’ is and what tactics the newspapers
employ to win the battle.
2) make sure you can explain words and phrases in bold/ their meaning in
the context of the sentence(s) they are used in.
Edition 6 - December 2008
Tabloids vs Broadsheets: the British Press
Battle Continues
There must be a synapse-or-several inside the mind
of anybody who has been attacked in the British press
that flickers into life and leaps with delight in the
first week of every month. I say this only because the
audited sale of the UK tabloid newspapers - by which
I mean the combined circulation of the popular
tabloids such as the Sun and mid-market papers such The broadsheets - still lagging
as the Daily Mail - has now been declining for a behind in terms of sales
protracted period, according to the official Audited
Bureau of Circulation (ABC) numbers. And each month, sometime in the first
week or so, the ABC figures are published and discussed in the media: there for
all to see.
Here is not the place for a detailed analysis. Safe to say that if you add the sale of
the Daily Mail (which is not declining itself), the Daily Express, the Sun, the Mirror
and the Daily Star the overall figure hasn’t gone up for a very long time indeed.
Until last year I used to edit the biggest of these - the Sun - so I have lived and
fought this battle from the other side and occasionally dreaded the upcoming
ABCs and what my boss, Rupert Murdoch, might conclude from them. In my
experience the pressure from him was as high when they were up as when they
were down - because when they were up he wanted them to be up again next
month. Nothing breeds the appetite for success like success. But despite the
temporary and occasional upward swings the downward decline has been
undeniable for some time.
For those reading this outside the UK it should be explained that Britain is a
unique newspaper market - there are 11 daily papers and nearly as many on a
Sunday. Politicians and business leaders in this country constantly grill me on
12
what the tabloid sales trends mean. Some, ever hopeful, think the sales decline
means they should push fewer resources into those parts of their
communications strategy aimed at this end of the market.
It is far too early to do that. The market share of the Sun, for example, remains
more than 25 per cent in the UK market, which means that one in four of all
papers bought here - including the broadsheets - are copies of the Sun. If you add
up the market share of all the tabloids it comes close to 75 per cent. Such
incredible success has been hard fought and will not be given up easily. If you
look at the business leaders involved you can be guaranteed that they will fight
for every copy.
Murdoch controls both the market leaders in the daily market and the Sunday
market - the Sun and the News of the World. He also owns the Times and the
Sunday Times. Associated Newspapers, controlled by Lord Rothermere, owns the
Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday, the Evening Standard in London and the fast
growing free paper, Metro. The other player in the market is Richard Desmond,
whose Express Newspapers owns the Daily Express, the Daily Star and the
Sunday Express.
Murdoch is the most powerful newspaper magnate anywhere in the world
since William Randolph Hearst, Rothermere has inherited a British powerhouse
and Desmond is not to be dismissed. His business is cash generative and he is
an ambitious man. All these factors, plus the great talent and vibrancy within
these newspapers, combine to make it unlikely that this trend will lead to a
crash anytime soon - no matter what their detractors may hope for.
At the other end of the UK market the recent decision by Robert Thomson, the
editor of the Times, to turn the paper into a tabloid (or ‘compact’, as it is termed)
will lead to an increase in sales. This has already happened for his rival editor at
the compact Independent, Simon Kelner.
Having said that, anybody who thinks this repositioning is going to lead to a
significant narrowing of the sales gap between the ‘heavies’ and the ‘tabloids’ is
in for a shock. The current sale of the Times is 620,870 and that of the
Independent is 228,174. Contrast that with still healthy Sun sales of 3,336,322
and the Daily Mail’s 2,346,229 - or even the Mirror’s 1,793,718 - and you can see
that the realities of the UK market are that the more serious papers lag behind.
This contrasts markedly with the United States, where the biggest selling dailies
nationally are the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. The issue here is
twofold, though, because those who want tabloid material tend to go to TV and
those two papers are among the few who print nationally. Most other papers,
including tabloids such as the New York Post - where I was deputy editor in the
1990s - and the New York Daily News are single-city papers.
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Newspaper sales are falling all over the world in nearly every market. There are
some good performers but generally, just as with network TV, customers lead
such busy lives these days that either they are buying fewer newspapers or no
newspapers at all. Despite all that, the message to anybody hoping for an early
decline in the British red tops is very simple: the decline will not reduce their
power for many, many years.
By David Yelland, senior vice chairman, Weber Shandwick, UK & Ireland.
© 2008 Weber Shandwick
Retrieved from http://www.webershandwick.co.uk/outcomes/issue6/story1.html
Newspaper Headlines & Language (refer to Appendix 1)
Read the following articles and find as many examples of typical features of
broadsheet and tabloid style. Consider the following: length of the article, visual
presentation, information included or excluded/ distorted, the order of information,
language and style.
Text A
Woman wins sex bias case
young
woman's
hopes of a career
with an estate agents
crumbled because they
believed highly paid clients
would only deal with men,
an industrial tribunal in
Manchester
was
told
yesterday.
Beverley Jackson, aged
19, of Heaton Norris,
Stockport, applied for an
advertised
vacancy
as
assistant to Mr Nicholas
Rowcliffe, a partner of J. R.
Bridgford and Sons, at the
branch in the village of
Prestbury, Cheshire.
Mr Rowcliffe replied: 'I
thank you for your letter
but I feel the position more
suits a male applicant but I
will
keep your name on file, and
thank you for replying.'
Miss Jackson, who has
eight О levels, three A levels
and has started a business
studies course, told the
tribunal the letter made her
feel like a second class
citizen.
Mr
Rowcliffe
said
Prestbury had a strong
concentration of men from
the 'higher echelons of
business and professional
life' such as managing
directors, airline pilots and
barristers, who would not
deal with women.
The job involved dealing
with house sales of up to
£300,000. 'It would be
impractical from both the
14
firm and clients' point of
view to employ a woman
assistant.
'It stems from the type of
village and the type of
people who live there. Many
of them insist on talking to
men on certain matters like
finance and will not take
advice from women. This is
nothing to do with me; it
is the clients.'
Miss Jackson's solicitor,
Mr Jack Thornley, told the
tribunal: 'I am not sure
whether this is an insult to
the people of Prestbury or
whether Mr Rowcliffe is
living in the Dark Ages.'
Miss Jackson said later: 'It
was a matter of principle.'
Text B
BEV HITS ROOF AT NO-GIRLS JOB BAN
BEVERLEY JACKSON had all the qualifications for a career with a top people's
estate agents - except one. She wasn't a man.
The pretty 19-year-old's hopes crumbled
when she was told only men could sell
homes to stockbroker belt buyers.
But yesterday Beverley struck a blow for
women's lib when an industrial tribunal
awarded her £600 damages and costs
against the estate agents.
Mr. Rowcliffe, who runs Bridgford's office
in Prestbury, Cheshire, where the average
price of a house is £70,000, told the
tribunal that executives and managing
directors who live there would not deal
with a woman.
'Prestbury is a unique village,' he said. 'I
find my clients insist on taking advice from
a man.
'They are living in quality houses and
expect quality treatment. They are from
the higher 'echelons and they just won't
deal with women.'
Mr. Jack Thornley, for Beverley, asked
the tribunal: 'Is there something in the
water in Prestbury that makes people
difficult and demanding?
Applied
The Manchester tribunal heard that
Beverley, of Green Lane, Heaton Norris,
Stockport, left school a year ago with eight
О levels and three A levels.
She applied to the estate agents, J. H.
Bridgford, for a job as a junior assistant.
A partner in the firm, Mr. Nicholas
Rowcliffe, told her in a two-line
letter: 'Sorry, we want a man,'
'It seems a place of male chauvinists, and
female chauvinists as well.'
'I was livid,' said Beverley, who took her
case to the Equal Opportunities
Commission.
Unlocking headlines
Read and unlock the following headlines. Speak about the story behind the
headline.
a. MANCHESTER MAN WINS FORTUNE
b. EARTHQUAKE HORROR
c. Prime Minister to see US President
d. Garage blast kills driver
e. BT to slash calls cost
f. Alex: Rooney will be Utd legend
Ambiguity in headlines
Read the following headline and say in what way they are ambiguous (have double
meaning). Suggest ways the headlines could be rewritten to make their intended
meaning clear.
a. Kids make nutritious snacks
15
b. Squad helps dog bite victim
c. Miners refuse to work after death
d. Eye drops off shelf
e. Teacher strikes idle kids
f. US President wins on budget, but more lies ahead
g. Shot off woman's leg helps golfer to 66
h. Juvenile court to try shooting defendant
i. Stolen painting found by tree
j. Drunken drivers paid $1000
k. Red tape holds up new bridge
l. Chef throws his heart into helping feed needy
m. Arson suspect is held in Massachusetts fire
n. Local high school dropouts cut in half
o. Include your children when baking cookies
Just for fun… (newspaper misprints)
In each of the following extracts from a newspaper there is a misprint (usually a
word) which completely changes the meaning of the sentence. Write down the word
which is wrong and also write down which word should have been used instead.
1.
2.
3.
He is now being kept alive by an artificial respirator and huge doses of rugs.
The route taken by the King and Queen was lined by clapping, cheering crows.
Barry Janes was seriously burnt last weekend when he came in contact with a
high voltage wife.
4. Congratulations and best wishes to my daring fiancée on her 21st birthday.
5. He was taken to hospital with heard injuries.
6. Young lady required for publishing company. Previous experience not essential
bust must be able to type.
7. 1969 Volvo. One owner. God. Low mileage.
8. A neighbour also claims to have seen the ghost and it upset him so much that he
has not eaten property for several days.
9. The bank robbers tried to escape but were cornered by a polite dog.
11. A thief went into the changing room at Hastings United football club. Honey was
taken from the pockets of five players.
12. The final practice for the children’s concert will be hell on Saturday afternoon
between 2.00 and 2.30.
16
Class Presentations
Take a periodical and speak about it (whether it’s a quality item or a tabloid,
its layout, style and language, manner of reporting the events, photos and
illustrations, readership, etc.)
Reporting the ARTICLE
ARTICLE
V: edit, print, publish, review, skim, submit, summarise, work on, write ~
V: ~ deals with sth, discusses sth
A: brilliant, controversial, dull, inspiring, interesting, libellous, scathing,
scholarly, seminal, sensible ~
P: string of articles
NEWS
V: announce, break, bring, broadcast, catch up with, censor, collect, confirm,
cover, gather, get, give, give out, leak, learn, pass on, receive, send, spread,
suppress, tell, withhold ~
V: ~ alarmed sb, arrived, broke, is corning in/through, flooded in, leaked out,
reached sb, slipped out, spread, trickled through, was delayed
A: advance, alarming, contradictory, dramatic, encouraging, first-hand,
fresh, glad, gloomy, grave, great, happy, heartening, important, joyful, latest,
long-awaited, ominous, recent, sad, sensational, shattering, shocking, stale,
startling, surprising, thrilling, tragic, unbelievable, unexpected, unsettling,
up-to-the-minute, welcome ~
P: ~ flash; bit of, dissemination of, flow of, piece of, scraps of,
snippets of –
NEWSPAPER
V: edit, print, publish, work for ~
V: ~ came out
A: daily, evening, in-house, local, morning, quality, tabloid,
underground, weekly REPORT (n)
V: ~ advocates sth, appeared, calls for sth, claims sth, came out, condemns
sth, covers sth, criticises sth, deals with sth, describes sth, discloses sth,
draws attention to sth, endorses sth, exposes sth, highlights sth, hints ...,
identifies ..., implies sth, indicates sth, makes clear that ..., notes sth,
pinpoints sth, points out that..., raises questions, reaches the conclusion
17
that, recommends sth, reveals sth, shows sth, states sth, stresses sth.
suggests sth, tackles sth ~
A: accurate, adverse, alarmist, annual/monthly etc, authoritative, baffling,
balanced, (un)biasiul, bleak, candid, cautious, clear, complacent,
confidential, critical, damaging, damning, definite, detailed, disappointing,
disquieting, disturbing, draft, encouraging, exhaustive, eye-witness, factual,
fair, (un)favourable, first-hand, forthcoming, garbled, gripping, illuminating,
instructive, interim, intriguing, libellous, long-awaited, majority. minority,
monumental, negative, objective, (un)official, optimistic, police, positive,
preliminary, recent, reliable, revealing, scathing, tendentious, true,
unambiguous, unanimous, unconfirmed, verbatim ~
REPORT (v)
to report accurately, freely, briefly, extensively, faithfully, in depth/ detail,
regularly, reliably, verbatim, word for word
Other Collocations
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
to premier/ debate/ examine/ explore/ discuss the topic
to pit sth against sth
to continue coverage
to discuss the major talking points
to deliver headlines/ in-depth reports
keep the spotlight on
to provide the news/ expert analysis…
to stay informed/ up to date/ involved,
spirited writing and evocative photography
thought-provoking
to bring a unique perspective
an eclectic range of topics,
to give a real insight into
to bring food for the brain and a feast for the eyes
a host of/ a hive of( extras/ activities)
to be exactly what it says on the tin
Translate the following into English
Part 1
1. В статье обсуждаются…(главные темы дня/ публичные люди/
2. В статье представлены детальный анализ проблемы и мнение
экспертов/
3. Статья открывает/ продолжает серию публикаций, посвященных…
18
4. Статья подчеркивает отношение автора/ выделяет одну точку
зрения/ четко выражает отношение читателя к/ привлекает
внимание к/ принимает точку зрения другой стороны/ поднимает
вопросы сотрудничества/ раскрывает секреты…/ игнорирует
мнение экспертов/
5. Событие, попавшее в заголовки/ ряд событий, показывающих
тенденцию к…/
6. Автор сравнивает две точки зрения, противоположные друг другу
7. Информирует и вовлекает читателя в обсуждение целого ряда
проблем
8. Статьи в этом журнале – пища для ума, а фотографии – настоящее
наслаждение для глаз.
9. Для этого журналиста/ издания характерны экспрессивный стиль
и фотографии/ четкое разделение фактов и личного мнения
10.
Желтая пресса печально известна кричащими заголовками,
интересом к скандалам и сенсациям, искажением информации,
излишней эмоциональностью
11. противоречивая/ клеветническая/ академическая/ авторитарная/
шокирующая/ сеющая панику/ объективная статья/ публикация
12. последние/
долго
ожидаемые/
радостные/
невероятные/вчерашние новости (известия)
Part 2
Translate the following into English (for some sentences is advisable to
use a reference file on Bill Mascull’s ‘Key Words in the Media’)
1. Бывший директор компании обвиняется в присвоении 2
миллионов долларов, принадлежащих компании.
2. В жизни, Давид Блум, корреспондент Эн-Би-Си, был энергичным,
ярким журналистом, ведущим по выходным программу «Сегодня»,
несомненно обладающим харизмой и чувством экрана/студии.
3. Большую часть Пулитцеровских премий этого года получили
журналисты, освещавшие политические и экономические события
на Ближнем Востоке.
4. Освещение президентской избирательной компании на радио и ТВ
составляет значительную долю новостных репортажей.
5. Совладельцами этой газеты, ежедневного делового вестника,
являются «Файнаншиал таймс» и «Уолл-стрит Джорнал».
6. В новостных СМИ появились сообщения о пищевых отравления в
детских учреждениях Китая.
19
7. Эта газета за последние годы стала сильно походить на
бульварную. Теперь для нее характерны кричащие заголовки,
сенсационные и скандальные репортажи о публичных людях,
излишне эмоциональный стиль и провокационные фотографии.
8. Статьи в серьезной прессе отличаются глубоким анализом
проблем, четким разделением фактов и личного мнения,
точностью предоставленной информации и высококлассной
фотографией.
9. Наблюдатели ООН оказывают давление на Иран, чтобы он
подписал новый протокол, позволяющий МАГАТЭ проводить
более масштабные инспекции.
10.
Чтобы сделать сенсационные снимки, папарацци устраивают
засады вокруг отелей и особняков знаменитостей, производят
разведку на пляжах и в клубах, прячутся за живыми изгородями и
насаждениями, подслушивают телефонные разговоры.
11. Многие знаменитости обращаются в суд с иском против
бульварных СМИ по обвинению во вторжении в частную жизнь и
клевете. Очень часто они требуют многомиллионные компенсации
за нанесенный ущерб.
12.Некоторые знаменитости в целях саморекламы намеренно
привлекают к себе внимание СМИ своим вызывающим
поведением.
13. Передовицы газет обычно посвящают наиболее важным событиям.
14.Многие серьезные издания перенимаю тактику таблоидов, чтобы
повысить тираж, а некоторые и вовсе сменили имидж и
аудиторию, чтобы выжить в схватке за целевую аудиторию.
15. Сегодня практически все печатные издания имеют параллельные
веб ресурсы, которые предлагают читателю/пользователю не
только информацию о главных событиях дня или недели, но и
целый набор интерактивных программ и даже доступ к подборкам
и архивам издания за последние десятилетия.
Class presentation 2
Reporting the article (there is no particular order or plan according to
which you have to report the article but the following points MUST be
observed)
1. The source the article comes from (the name of the site, publication,
etc., date of publication/placement, the author/contributor, etc.). Why
did you decide to report this article?
20
2. The main topic discussed.
3. Summary of the article (what, who, where, when, how, why?)
4. The style and language (length of the article, visual presentation,
information included or excluded/ distorted/the other point of view
presented, the order of information, language and style.) Did you
check the information in other sources/was it necessary, etc. is the
content and quality of the article suggestive of the target audience?
5. Your appreciation of the article
Use the following words and phrases when reporting the
article
1. The article under my consideration is devoted to… /covers/ deals with/
treats of/ touches upon… the problem of…; The headline
/title/name/heading) of the article /passage under my consideration is…
2. The contributor /author of the article is …
3. The passage contains /includes/consists of/falls into)…2 (3) parts;
4. The article is addressed to /is written for wide public/ research (scientific)
workers/ all who …
5. The subject matter of the article is devoted to (relates to) the problem of…
6. The article provides the reader with some statistics data on…/ material
on…/information on/ details on…, a list of useful references/ an array of...
7. The author /the article discusses /deals with/ covers/ considers/
describes/ gives a description/ outlines, emphasizes, lays emphasis on/
the idea /problem of…/that…
8. The article begins /starts with a discussion of…/a description of…,
introductory notes…
9. The article also says that… . It is also said in the article that…
10. A careful account is given to the problem /theory of…A detailed
(thorough) description is given to… ; Much /little/ no attention is given
to…The major focus of attention is given to …
11. Of particular /special/ great, little interest is the statistics/ theory/
statement …
12. Of great/little/ importance is the idea/fact …
13. The author also gives the highlights of/ a detailed analysis / questions…
14. The article /passage ends with the discussion /idea of…/how to deal with
…
15. In conclusion /to sum up/ to finish with/ to conclude I would like to say
that…
16. In conclusion /to sum it up, summarizing/ the author says that…
17. It is notable /noteworthy,/to the author's credit that …
21
18. The article suffers from some mistakes /lack of information on…
19. (In spite of some drawbacks) the article is interesting to read (is helpful
to…, is useful to…, is a valuable source of information).
News flash
What, who, where, when, how, why?
What happened?
Who did it involve?
Where did it happen? When did it happen?
How did it happen?
Why did it happen?
Read the paragraph and answer the questions. Brief the paragraph to class.
Schoolgirl tragedy
A 14-year-old schoolgirl
drowned in a swimming pool
yesterday while she was on
work experience at a holiday
camp.
Who? ________________________
What? ________________________
Where? _______________________
When? ________________________
Why? _________________________
News in brief
This article in its present form is fairly long for publication or presentation on
TV because normally newspapers lack space and TV - time.
A. Reduce it to exactly 50 words for publication/presentation as a News in
Brief Item. The rewritten version must be an accurate summary of the
original article, containing all information which is of central importance.
B. When you are ready find a partner and exchange your versions. Decide
whether your partner’s version is true and accurate.
What is a Potted bio:
+
= ?
A practice commonly found in the media (most often tabloid) and a way
‘cramming the most information into the shortest space’.
‘a curious side product of the name-tag industry is the growing tendency,
particularly in headlines, to identify a person in the news either by what
makes them newsworthy, as in coma boy, death-fall teacher, sex-ban star,
stab dad, kidnap Briton; or, more obscurely, by some event or object
associated with their newsworthiness – holiday girl, bridge man, rugby boot
boy.’
22
‘A particular difficulty caused by this convention is that it may not be until
quite far into the article that the biographical information becomes clear to
the reader, and even then, the link may be extremely tenuous, if any at all.’
Keith Waterhouse, Waterhouse on Newspaper Style, Penguin.
A. Find examples of potted biographies in the following extracts, say how the
potted bios could be expressed in other words, e.g. Little Buddha screenplay
writer Bernardo Bertolucci… could be rewritten as Bernardo Bertolucci, who
wrote the screenplay for the film Little Buddha…:
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Charlie Sheen, star of U.S. television's hit
comedy "Two and a Half Men," has followed his wife and entered a
rehabilitation facility as the couple try to put their lives back together after
a violent Christmas Day argument. Sheen, 44, checked in for undisclosed
reasons in what his publicist on Tuesday called "a preventative measure," causing his
top-rated CBS TV show to temporarily suspend production. (yahoo.com)
LOCATED in the posh Bel Air community of Los Angeles -- this
party palace has had several high-profile owners, including
Rat Packer Dean Martin, Welsh crooner Tom Jones, and most
recently Nicolas Cage, an Oscar winner who has appeared in
more than 60 movies, according to IMDB.com, including
"Raising Arizona" and "Leaving Las Vegas." (yahoo.com)
VANCOUVER — Entering Tuesday night's women's figure skating short
program at Pacific Coliseum, impish U.S. skater Mirai Nagasu playfully said
she hoped to benefit from the apparent burden of expectations on reigning
world champion Kim Yu-Na of Korea. (VOA)
Alex: Rooney will be Utd legend
TWO-GOAL Man U hero Wayne Rooney sunk West Ham to earn praise from Alex
Ferguson (the sun.com)
Jeeves Spoken Here
Scornful of audiobooks, Christopher Hitchens puts actor
Martin Jarvis to the acid test: P. G. Wodehouse’s novels.
(VF.com)
Michael Foot, politician and man of letters, died on March
3rd, aged 96 (The Economist)
23
PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE
Proust Questionnaire: Martin Scorsese
The Oscar-winning director of Mean Streets, Raging Bull, and this
month’s Shutter Island describes his funny walk, his inability to cook, and his
issue with the word “wonderful.” (VF.com)
Joel Surnow, the creator of 24, is making a History Channel miniseries called “The Kennedys” in which J.F.K. comes up with the idea
for the Berlin Wall and … (VF.com)
…So let me see if I have this straight. Joseph
Stack, an engineer and anti-tax activist gets
good and mad, burns… (theroot.com)
The ‘JFK’ star, Kevin Costner, returns to Camelot for the Red-alert thriller
‘Thirteen days’. (Entertainment)
Battle-wise Aboriginal leader Pasepa Close, 49, who for two decades
has been fighting for land claims in the area, says…(New Idea,
Australia)
B. Create potted biographies for a) yourself,
b) other students in class,
c) the people in the public eye you know.
Photographs – photo stories
Every Picture Tells a Story
Directions
Before you come to class:
Find an image which you think tells a story or is illustrative of the current
event(s). Print it out or download it for further use in class. Make sure you can
display it to other students appropriately.
In class:
You are the top editors of the famous newspaper.
A. Work in small groups, exchange the images you’ve brought/displayed or
distributed by the teacher, then choose the image you feel is the strongest
and list five reasons why you chose it. (Criteria to consider might include
the story the photo tells and how it tells that story; its historical, political,
or cultural importance; its composition and aesthetic qualities; and its
24
emotional power.) Each group should then argue for the image they chose
by stating their reasons.
B. Each group must determine how your newspaper will cover this story by
deciding where in the newspaper you will display this photo and how you
will caption it.
Further Questions for Discussion:
 Do you agree with the point of view that photographers are simply doing
their job by capturing controversial images and presenting them for the
public to judge?
 How do photographs effect you emotionally?
 What makes a news photograph transcend mere illustration and become a
story in itself? Can you think of other famous images that have done this?
 How can photos be manipulated? How could either of the photos you’ve
chosen be cropped or otherwise changed to portray something different?
 When do you think pictures can tell a story better than words?
 What techniques do photographers use to make their images memorable
and interesting?
 What other images do you expect to see in upcoming days and weeks?
Why?
 What photos have been important to you in your life, whether personal or
widely published? Why?
Wrap-up Homework & Extension Activities:
1. Research photojournalistic images to find one image or a series of related
images you feel are especially important and memorable.
Mount/download your image(s) and write an accompanying paragraph or
short essay in which you discuss why you chose it. In a future class you
may display these for other students to read about and discuss.
2. Analyze famous images from photojournalism to determine what makes a
photograph go beyond mere illustration to become a cultural or historic
icon.
3. Capture some controversial issue in your own community through
photojournalism that tells the story. Try to take pictures that document an
aspect of conflict or emotion in the controversy. In a future class you may
display these for other students to see and discuss.
4. Compare different types of images of a famous person or event. Collect
examples of photography, caricature, cartoon, drawing, sculpture, video or
25
any other form of imagery, then analyze how each form conveys different
information and a different point of view.
What a Caricature!
Directions: Find an example of a political/ social caricature in the
newspaper, on television, on the Internet or from another medium and
analyze it below by answering each question.
SOURCE and DATE:
TYPE OF CARICATURE (e.g., a
cartoon, parody, spoof, skit, etc.):
CARICATURE ANALYSIS:
What person or people is/are being caricatured here?
What features, mannerisms or other characteristics did the caricaturist
choose to exaggerate or distort?
What general message about this or each political/ social figure do you think
this caricature is supposed to convey, and why?
Do you think this caricature effectively satirizes this or each political/ social
figure? Why or why not?
How, if at all, does this caricature reflect your own impression or opinion of
this or each political/ social figure? Why?
How, if at all, do you think this caricature (or ones like it) might influence
public opinion about this or each political/ social figure?
Why?
Class Presentation 3: Character Caricature
Directions: Follow the steps below to create a caricature of your character.
1. Who is your character? Make a list of details that describe this character's
physical appearance, personality, talents, demeanor, attitude, behavior and
other attributes:







26
2. Which of these attributes would you exaggerate to capture the "essence" of,
and "send up" this character? Why?
3. On a separate sheet of paper, create a visual representation of your
caricature. In addition to your exaggerations or distortions of this character's
appearance, you should also caricaturize his or her non-visual traits by adding
a clever caption or speech bubble.
Advertisements
Sample ads
a.
b.
c.
27
e.
f.
g.
28
h.
j.
i.
k.
How Many: 10 Price: $300.00
Is Buyer/Seller a Breeder?: N
Item Location: Brooklyn, NY
Payment Terms: Visa, MasterCard,
American Express
Registries, Clubs? CFA
Web Site: http://furrydream.visit.ws
29
A. Look at sample ads and say fairly quickly which one/ones
1. cannot be called classified as they are not published by individuals?
2. offer services?
3. will help you rent an apartment/ office/ buy property/ a pet/ a car?
4. will help you find a job?
5. is placed by an individual/ company that seeks job/employees?
6. is aimed at people that do not speak English?
7. announces a competition/ tender for professionals?
8. is historically valuable?
B. Look at sample ads B, D, I and J. Use Appendix 3 to explain abbreviations used.
C. Now imagine you are selling something. Fill in a classified ad coupon giving the
details of your item: age, size, colour, make/brand, condition, guarantee, etc. and
the price asked.
CLASSIFIED COUPON
ADVERT DETAILS: one word per box, price included
Please fill in details below
Your name ______________________
Address ________________________
_______________________________
Phone number _________________
ADVERTISE YOUR ITEMS UNDER £500 IN VALUE
FREE
use block capitals ONLY
Weather forecasts
Sample weather forecasts and maps
a.
30
b.
c.
d.
31
e.
f.
32
g.
Look at sample weather forecasts and maps and say fairly quickly
which one/ ones
1.
2.
3.
4.
is not/are not about Britain? How do you know?
warn(s) you that it’s not the best day for an outing?
tell(s) that there is a spell of good weather awaiting?
is intended as a joke?
Weather - Newspaper Stories
The weather in a newspaper can be a main headline or it can be the
daily weather report. The weather section in a newspaper reports
33
what the weather will be like for the day or the week. The weather
predictions aren't always right. They are just predictions, a really
good guess based on weather satellite pictures, and what the weather
has been like over the past few days. Not only does the weather page
tell you what they predict for the next few days, but it also tells you
what the temperature will be, the air quality, the county forecast,
national weather systems, national high and low temperatures, global
temperatures, and California temperatures. The weather reports also
tell you county temperatures, about the tides, a diving report, a
surfing report, a Marine report, and where there are polluted waters.
Here is an example of a weather heading (Text A) and a weather
forecast (Text B). The story Night of the Twisters is based on the bone
chilling tornado disasters in 1980, when 12 tornadoes strike in Grand
Island, Nebraska.
Text A
Grand Island Nebraska Daily News
Tuesday, June 6, 1980 Issue 21
Night of the Twisters
12 Twisters Hit Grand Island, Nebraska Boy Saves 3
Lives, Separated from his family, Reunited
By TQ22, Canyon View Press – On June 4th, 12 twisters hit
Grand Island, Nebraska. Dan Hatcher, a 12 year old boy,
tried to save his 2 year old brother Ryan, his friend
Arthur, and himself as a twister overhead ripped apart his
home. Nothing but the cement floor and basement were left.
After the first twister had gone, Arthur’s sister Stacy,
came and helped the 3 boys out of the basement.
As soon as Dan Hatcher found his mother and had given his
little brother Ryan to her, Stacy, Arthur, and himself
went out to find their good friend Mrs. Smiley, an 81 year
old woman. Dan Hatcher and his friends found Mrs. Smiley
asleep in her basement. Fortunately she was not hurt. They
took her to shelter for care and they went on to the
armory.
As Dan Hatchter and his 2 friends were taken to the armory
for the night, a 2nd twister hit the police car they were
in. The driver was injured by flying glass. The driver
quickly lost his vision, so 12 year old Dan Hatcher drove
the police car to the armory. After Dan Hatcher and his
friends, Stacy and Arthur, spent the night in the armory,
they went in search of their parents. They found Arthur’s
father in his office. He had not seen Dan’s family, so Dan
34
went to the local K-mart to find his mother. A police
officer told him everyone was evacuated to the churches,
high schools, and other places that were not damaged by
the twisters.
On his way to the park Dan found himself reunited with
his father, along with his mother and little brother
Ryan.
Text B
Weather Report
Today’s forecast calls for clear skies with a high of 72 and a low of 61.
Tomorrow, a calm, sunny day is in store for the Grand Island area with
temperatures in the high 70’s, a nice change after all those twisters.
Thursday and Friday will be cooler with light breezes and temperatures
in the middle 60’s.
To make your own weather section of a newspaper, you can predict
what it will be like for the next couple of days. You could even draw
pictures of your predictions to show what you think.
Now create your own weather heading or weather forecast.
Contemporary Media: the Change
Read this article about some of the ways that news has changed
The Nature of News
What do people mean by the term "news"? More than a century ago, an editor at the
New York Sun explained it this way: "If a dog bites a man, it's not news. It a man
bites a dog, that's news." That statement is still true today—unusual things make the
news. Conflicts and events that are very recent are also news. When famous people
do something, that's news, too.
The way we get the news — the media—is undergoing tremendous change. For
example, more and more people today have access to the Internet, where they can
choose what type of news to look at. These days, people are choosing "news you can
use." Rather than looking for in-depth news stories about events in the world, they
want news about their own needs and concerns. People want reliable information
about the traffic on the roads near their house, where to buy the cheapest plane
tickets, or whether it's going to rain tomorrow. "News you can use" means accurate
information that people can act on directly, by taking a different route to work, by
buying a plane ticket online, or by changing their weekend plans.
35
Another feature of today's news is its focus on analysis. In the past, the news gave
people information about individual events. Today, people depend on the news to get
informed about how individual events happen together to affect the world, their
work, or their lives. They want to know what's happening, but they also want to know
what it means for their lives. News reporters are constantly searching for groups of
events that signal new trends. For example, a reporter in Chicago went to several
supermarkets in one week. He noticed that they were all offering free child-care for
their customers. Shoppers could leave their children in a supervised play area while
they shopped. The reporter did not report on one store and its new childcare feature.
He reported on a new trend on the part of businesses to become more parent-friendly.
This kind of news analysis helps people keep up with trends and better understand
how to adapt to them.
The new emphasis on practical news applies to every type of news medium—TV,
print media, radio, and especially the Internet. With so many media choices, there is
almost no limit to the amount of "news you can use."
Will Newspapers Survive?
Look at the charts below and outline the main findings of a national
opinion and statistic surveys on newspapers, newspaper reading
habits, news and the change in reading habits and getting access to
the news.
a.
b.
c.
d.
36
Jigsaw reading
‘_We Media: Introduction to Participatory Journalism’
Group A You will read text 1 ‘_We Media…’
Group B You will read text 2 ‘Citizen journalism – What is it?’
Group C You will read text 3 ‘Participatory journalism starts conversation’
Read the texts and answer the following questions:
1. What do you learn about citizen /participatory journalism?
2. What changes have taken place in the media? Can you give examples?
3. What is said about the origins, quality, reaction of the traditional mainstream
journalism to citizen /participatory journalism?
4. Do you get the impression that the statement that ‘participatory media aims
at validation of the truth about what is happening in the world’ is true? Can
you give examples from the texts you have read/ from real life of today?
5. What is said about different forms of participatory journalism?
6. Do you agree with the statement that citizen journalism often attracts the
community’s attention/causes reaction and starts the ongoing conversation
more often that the mainstream media? Give examples from the texts you
have read/ from real life of today?
7. To what extent is citizen journalism involved with the local community, nation
and the rest of the world?
8. Compare the situation in mainstream media and citizen journalism, their
relationship in Britain and the US (as presented in the texts) with your
country. Give examples.
Text 1
‘_We Media: Introduction to Participatory Journalism’ (How
audiences are shaping the future of the new and information)
Citizen Journalism has put democracy back in people's hands.
An army of individuals with mobile phones, portable cameras, and blogs is
rapidly replacing traditional media as a reliable and wide-ranging source of
information.
Chris Willis and Shayne Bowman, ‘_We Media…’
37
Unfortunately, popular belief has it that news coming from official,
mainstream channels is superior in quality and reliability than news reported by
a blogger or someone with a shaky camcorder. Traditional media keep being
preached as the source of truth, but what they lack is exactly the essence of
truth: validation.
How do you establish what is true from what is false? Mainstream media have a
one-way dialogue with their audience: there's no way to check back what was
told or written. Participatory journalism, on the contrary, finds its very strength
in the continuous, ongoing validation process operated by a large community.
You can easily share your opinion, agree / disagree with what is being said by
taking advantage of new technologies and the web. This is why it is also called
Participatory Journalism.
Participatory journalism is:
The act of a citizen, or group of citizens, playing an active role in the process
of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information.
The intent of this participation is to provide independent, reliable, accurate,
wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires.
In his 1995 book Being Digital, Nicholas Negroponte predicted that in the
future, online news would give readers the ability to choose only the topics and
sources that interested them.
"The Daily Me," as Negroponte called it, worried many guardians of traditional
journalism. To actively allow a reader to narrow the scope of coverage, observed
some, could undermine the "philosophical underpinnings of traditional media."
The vision that seemed cutting edge and worrisome eight years ago seems to
have come partly true. The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC.com, The Washington
Post and CNN, to name a few, all offer readers some degree of personalization on
the front pages of their sites. Millions of Yahoo members customize their
MyYahoo personal news portal with the same news wire reports that editors use
in daily newspapers across the globe. Google's news page uses a computer
algorithm to select headlines from thousands of news sites - creating a global
newsstand, of sorts.
In the view of futurist and author Watts Wacker, the question is not about
greater personalization but about greater perspectives. According to Wacker,
the world is moving faster than people can keep up with it. As a result, ideas,
styles, products and mores accelerate their way from the fringe to the
38
mainstream with increasing speed. Now, it appears, the vision of "The Daily Me"
is being replaced by the idea of "The Daily We."
Behind The Citizen Journalism Revolution
The venerable profession of journalism finds itself at a rare moment in
history where, for the first time, its hegemony as gatekeeper of the news is
threatened by not just new technology and competitors but, potentially, by the
audience it serves.
Armed with easy-to-use web publishing tools, always-on connections and
increasingly powerful mobile devices, the online audience has the means to
become an active participant in the creation and dissemination of news and
information. And it's doing just that on the Internet:

According to the Pew Internet Project, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,
2001, generated the most traffic to traditional news sites in the history of
the Web. Many large news sites buckled under the immense demand and
people turned to e-mail, weblogs and forums "as conduits for information,
commentary, and action related to 9/11 events."
The response on the Internet gave rise to a new proliferation of "do-it-yourself
journalism." Everything from eyewitness accounts and photo galleries to
commentary and personal storytelling emerged to help people collectively grasp
the confusion, anger and loss felt in the wake of the tragedy.

Immediately after the Columbia shuttle disaster, news and government
organizations, in particular The Dallas Morning News and NASA, called
upon the public to submit eyewitness accounts and photographs that
might lead to clues to the cause of the spacecraft's disintegration.

ABCNews.com's The Note covers political candidates and gives each an
individual weblog to comment back on what was reported. (A future
president of the United States might be chosen not only on his or her
merits, charisma, experience or voting record but on the basis of how well
he or she blogs.)

College coaches, players and sports media outlets keep constant vigil
on numerous fan forum sites, which have been credited with everything
from breaking and making news to rumor-mongering. "You can't go
anywhere or do anything and expect not to be seen, because everyone is a
reporter now," says Steve Patterson, who operates a web site devoted to
University of Georgia sports.
39
Text 2
Citizen Journalism - What Is It?
by Chriss Hogg and and David Silverberg of DigitalJournal.com
Weblogs Come of Age
The Internet, as a medium for news, is maturing. With every
major news event, online media evolve. And while news sites have become more
responsive and better able to handle the growing demands of readers and
viewers, online communities and personal news and information sites are
participating in an increasingly diverse and important role that, until recently,
has operated without significant notice from mainstream media.
While there are many ways that the audience is now participating in the
journalistic process, which we will address in this report, weblogs have received
the most attention from mainstream media in the past year.
Weblogs, or blogs as they are commonly known, are the most active and
surprising form of this participation. These personal publishing systems have
given rise to a phenomenon that shows the markings of a revolution - giving
anyone with the right talent and energy the ability to be heard far and wide on
the Web.
The growth of weblogs has been largely fueled by greater access to bandwidth
and low-cost, often free software. These simple easy-to-use tools have enabled
new kinds of collaboration unrestricted by time or geography. The result is an
advance of new social patterns and means for self-expression.
Blog-like communities like Slashdot.org have allowed a multitude of voices to
participate while managing a social order and providing a useful filter on
discussion.
Weblogs have expanded their influence by attracting larger circles of readers
while at the same time appealing to more targeted audiences.
"Blogs are in some ways a new form of journalism, open to anyone who
can establish and maintain a Web site, and they have exploded in the past
year,"
writes Walter Mossberg, technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal.
"The good thing about them is that they introduce fresh voices into the
national discourse on various topics, and help build communities of interest
through their collections of links.
40
Mossberg's description of weblogs as a new kind of journalism might trouble
established, traditionally trained journalists. But it is a journalism of a different
sort, one not tightly confined by the traditions and standards adhered to by the
traditional profession.
These acts of citizen engaging in journalism are not just limited to weblogs.
They can be found in newsgroups, forums, chat rooms, collaborative
publishing systems and peer-to-peer applications like instant messaging. As
new forms of participation have emerged through new technologies, many have
struggled to name them. As a default, the name is usually borrowed from the
enabling technology (i.e., weblogging, forums and usenets).
Text 3
Participatory Journalism Starts the Conversation
Chris Willis and Shayne Bowman
Participatory journalism is a bottom-up, emergent phenomenon in which there
is little or no editorial oversight or formal journalistic workflow dictating the
decisions of a staff. Instead, it is the result of many simultaneous, distributed
conversations that either blossom or quickly atrophy in the Web's social
network.
While the explosion of weblogs is a recent phenomenon, the idea of tapping into
your audience for new perspectives or turning readers into reporters or
commentators is not. Many news organizations have a long history of tapping
into their communities and experimenting with turning readers into reporters
or commentators.
Conversation is the mechanism that turns the tables on the traditional roles of
journalism and creates a dynamic, egalitarian give-and-take ethic.
The fluidity of this approach puts more emphasis on the publishing of
information rather than the filtering. Conversations happen in the community
for all to see. In contrast, traditional news organizations are set up to filter
information before they publish it. It might be collaborative among the editors
and reporters, but the debates are not open to public scrutiny or involvement.
41
John Seely Brown, chief scientist of Xerox Corp., further elaborates on
participatory journalism in the book The Elements of Journalism:
"In an era when anyone can be a reporter or commentator on the Web,
'you move to a two-way journalism.' The journalist becomes a 'forum leader,'
or a mediator rather than simply a teacher or lecturer. The audience
becomes not consumers, but ' pro-sumers,' a hybrid of consumer and
producer."
This raises some important questions:

If participatory journalism has risen without the direct help of trained
journalists or news industry initiatives, what role will mainstream media
play?

And are mainstream media willing to relinquish some control and
actively collaborate with their audiences?

Or will an informed and empowered consumer begin to frame the
news agenda from the grassroots?

And, will journalism's values endure?
42
In his 1996 book News Values, former Chicago Tribune publisher Jack Fuller
summed it up well: "The new interactive medium both threatens the status quo
and promises an exciting new way of learning about the world." This deftly
describes both camps of opinion concerning participation by the audience in
journalism.
The most obvious difference between participatory journalism and traditional
journalism is the different structure and organization that produce them.

Traditional media are created by hierarchical organizations that are built
for commerce. Their business models are broadcast and advertising
focused. They value rigorous editorial workflow, profitability and
integrity.

Participatory journalism is created by networked communities that
value conversation, collaboration and egalitarianism over profitability.
Clay Shirky, an adjunct professor at New York University who has consulted on
the social and economic effects of Internet technologies, sees the difference this
way:
43
"The order of things in broadcast is 'filter, then publish.' The order in
communities is 'publish, then filter.'
Many traditional journalists are dismissive of participatory journalism,
particularly webloggers, characterizing them as self-interested or unskilled
amateurs. Conversely, many webloggers look upon mainstream media as an
arrogant, exclusive club that puts its own version of self-interest and economic
survival above the societal responsibility of a free press.
"This kind of high-tech interaction is a journalism that resembles
conversation again, much like the original journalism occurring in the
publick houses and coffeehouses four hundred years ago. Seen in this light,
journalism's function is not fundamentally changed by the digital age. The
techniques may be different, but the underlying principles are the same."
(The Elements of Journalism, Kovach and Rosenstiel)
What is emerging is a new media ecosystem, where online communities
discuss and extend the stories created by mainstream media. These
communities also produce participatory journalism, grassroots reporting,
annotative reporting, commentary and fact-checking, which the mainstream
media feed upon, developing them as a pool of tips, sources and story ideas.
Scott Rosenberg, managing editor of Salon.com, explains,
"Weblogs expand the media universe. They are a media life-form that is
native to the Web, and they add something new to our mix, something
valuable, something that couldn't have existed before the Web.
It should be obvious that weblogs aren't competing with the work of the
professional journalism establishment, but rather complementing it. If the
pros are criticized as being cautious, impersonal, corporate and herdlike, the
bloggers are the opposite in, well, almost every respect: They're reckless,
confessional, funky - and herdlike."
Dan Gillmor, one of weblogging's most vocal defenders and a technology
journalist and weblogger for the San Jose Mercury News, describes this
ecosystem as "journalism's next wave." In a post to his weblog on March 27,
2002, Gillmor described the principles that define the current "we media"
movement:

My readers know more than I do.

That is not a threat, but rather an opportunity.

We can use this together to create something between a seminar and a
conversation, educating all of us.
44

Interactivity and communications technology - in the form of email,
weblogs, discussion boards, websites and more - make it happen.
[This material is originally written by Chris Willis and Shayne Bowman, and first
published on September 21st 2003 as "We Media: Introduction To Participatory
Journalism", PDF free download is available at
http://www.hypergene.net/wemedia/weblog.php?id=P36 ]
Everyday ethical dilemmas facing journalists
Here are a number of everyday ethical issues that can confront journalists:

Should journalists ever lie or use deceit in the pursuit of a story?
• Should they ever edit a direct quotation?
Is it legitimate to tape a conversation and not inform the interviewee of
this?
• Should journalists accept freebies? Should they do so only on certain
conditions? Are there any significantly different ethical issues in being
offered a book for review, a free ticket to review a play and a free trip to
the Seychelles for a travel feature?

What is the impact of the plethora of awards on standards?

What considerations should a journalist have when interviewing
children?

Should a reporter contact the parents of a student who has committed
suicide at university?

Should newspapers carry columns by local Christian leaders but not by
those of other faiths?
• To what extent should newspapers provide readers with the right to reply
to inaccuracies?
• What special consideration should a journalist have when dealing with
the mentally ill?
• How important is it for journalists to protect their sources?
• Is cheque-book journalism (paying sources) justified?
Is it legitimate to invade someone's privacy for a story? Do different
standards apply to public figures and to members of the general public?
45
• To what extent does overt commitment to a political party or campaigning
movement interfere with professionalism and notions of fairness?
• Should newspapers carry government misinformation during times of
war (and peace)?
• Is it legitimate ever to break an embargo?
• Is it possible to provide guidelines on questions of taste and the use of
'shocking' photographs or obscene language?
• To what extent does newspaper language reinforce militarist and ageist
stereotypes and how can journalists confront this issue?
46
Appendix 1
1. Structural features
Abbreviations and acronyms
Abbreviations and acronyms are often used in headlines to save space.
Razor-sharp legal star beaten by the OJ factor
NATO envoys bring peace hope
Organ donor in CJD shock
NHS faces a terminal lack of faith
AIDS clinic to close
Sea birds could help set EU fishing quotas
Omission
Articles and other determiners, possessive adjectives and parts of the verb 'to be'
(particularly in passive constructions) are frequently omitted in newspaper
headlines.
Pound falls
Biker loses arm in crash
Man stabbed after rail row
Tenses
1 The infinitive is used to refer to future events.
Minister to quit
France to sell 20% of Telecom
2 The -ing form of the verb, representing the Present Progressive, is used to refer
to events that are happening at the moment.
Au pair agency facing huge damages claim Authorities failing child ME sufferers
3 The -ing form of the verb, representing the Present Progressive, is also used to
refer to future events.
Women facing poverty in old age
4 The Simple Present is often used to refer to events which happened in the past.
Beatles' PR man dies aged 65 Elephants kill 7 in
rampage
5 The Simple Present can also be used to refer to events happening at the
moment.
France prepares for World Cup mania
Bank expects high rate of interest in open day
Short headlines
Many short news reports, particularly News in Brief items, are accompanied by
headlines made up of only two or three words. Although a number of different
variations are possible, there are several fairly common combinations.
47
1 noun + noun
Tunnel death
Birthday rat
2 adjective + noun
Lethal attack
Lucky numbers
3 noun + verb
Sailors rescued Trains withdrawn Pound falls
4 noun + noun + noun
Poison case wait Briton arrest fear Ferry fire payout
5 noun + verb + noun
Animals left fortune Court delays crucifixion Racer loses title
2. Stylistic and structural features of newspaper headlines
Stylistic features
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial sound in a group of words.
Wives' war of waiting and writing Spice Girls feel the fickle finger of fame
Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of one particular vowel sound in a group of words.
Wotto lotto bosh on lotto dosh
Cliché
The word cliché is used in a pejorative sense to refer to a word or expression that is
considered to be over-used, or used indiscriminately. Clichés come in several
different forms, including alliterative phrases, over-dramatic adjectives, metaphors
and single words.
Skiers safe and sound
Proud parents win coveted title
Tower of strength
Fairy-tale romance
Soap star in love-child mercy dash
Euphemism
Euphemism is the use of a particular word or expression which is considered more
acceptable or pleasant, or less controversial, than certain other words or
expressions. It can be used as a way of being vague and unclear, or to cover up the
truth or reality of a situation.
Minister threatens air support [i.e. bombing]
BA reports passenger underflow [i.e. very few passengers]
48
IBM announces job rationalisation [i.e. job cuts]
Irony
Irony in newspaper headlines can be used for news events in which a person seems
mocked by fate or events. Although frequently tragic, there is often an element of
black (graveyard) humour to be found in such headlines.
Bike crash kills flying phobia man
Bull savages anti-bloоdsport campaigner
Metaphor
Metaphor is when a phrase or expression usually used to describe one thing is used
to describe something else.
Ministers read the riot act by PM
[i.e. the Prime Minister was angry with his ministers]
New hospital put on ice
[i.e. the building of the new hospital has been suspended]
Pun
A pun is a play on a word which has several meanings or which sound like another
word. It is a feature frequently used in tabloid newspaper for humorous effect.
Fisherman nets lotto jackpot
Xerox present the fax to shareholders [i.e. the facts]
Car-makers drive up profits
Repetition
Repetition of words in headlines is for emphasis and very strong dramatic
effect.
Out Out Out
Why, Oh Why, Oh Why?
Shared knowledge
Many headlines assume shared cultural knowledge and shared general knowledge
between the headline writer and the reader. This includes the use of only first
names or surnames of people who are considered so well-known that stating their
full name, position or title or reason for prominence is considered unnecessary.
Kiss for Harry as he meets pop idols
[reference to Prince Harry, the son of the Prince of Wales]
You cannot be serious
[reference to the exact words used by an American tennis star in an angry
outburst]
Where in the world is our poor kidnapped Tinky Winky? [reference to a
popular children's TV programme character]
Odd couple who longed for a Mary Poppins life
49
[reference to a film character and the type of person she represents]
Tragedy of A-level girl on joyride
[reference to a public examination in the British school system]
Simile
Simile is describing one thing by likening it to another.
Crash scene like a battlefield Villagers sick as a parrot
50
Appendix 2
Web sites
This is only a small collection of Internet resources you might find useful. The best
collections of newspapers and magazines can be found at
http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/magazines/ - ‘The World magazines at your
fingertips’, http://magazine-directory.com/ - alphabetic magazine directory and
http://www.newspapers.com/ - a newspapers directory called ‘What in the world is
going on…’, http://pppp.net/links/news - The Ultimate collection of news Links .
Britain, Scotland & Ireland
Daily Mirror
Electronic Telegraph
European
Evening Standard
Financial Times
Guardian
Independent
Observer
Telegraph
Sunday Times
The Times
Electronic Herald
Evening Times Scotsman
Scotsman
Sunday Mail
Belfast Telegraph
Examiner
Irish Independent
www.mirror.co.uk
www.telegrph.co.uk
www.the-european.com
www.thisislondon.co.uk
www.ft.com
www.guardian.co.uk
www.independent.co.uk
www.observer.co.uk
www.telegrph.co.uk
www.sunday-times.co.uk
www.the-times.co.uk
www.dcthomson.co.uk/mags/tele
www.cims.co.uk/eveningtimes
www.scotsman.com/index.html
www.record-mail.co.uk/rm
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
www.examiner.ie
www.independent.ie
USA
Los Angeles Times
New York Times
USA Today
Wall Street Journal
Washington Post
CNN Interactive
www.latimes.com/HOME
www.nytimes.com
www.usatoday.com
www.wsj.com
www.washingtonpost.com
www.cnn.com
51
Reuters
www.reuters.com
Russia
Вести.RU
Russia Today
www.vesti.ru
www.rt.com
Cartoons and strip cartoons
The Born Loser
Cartoon Stock
The Comic strip
Garfield Online
www.unitedmedia.com/comics/bornloser
www.cartoostock.com
www.unitedmedia.com/comics
www.garfield.com
52
Appendix 3
Abbreviations used in classified advertisements
Abbreviation
Full form
Abbreviation
A-E
Full form
E-L
a/phone; an/phone
answerphone
ex con; ex cond
excellent condition
appt
appointment
exel
excluding
att; attract
attractive
ext
extension
avail
available
F
female
bale
balcony
f/k; f/kit; f/kitchen fitted kitchen
bath; b/room
bathroom
fir
floor
BB; B&B
bed and breakfast
fr
from
bed(s); bedrm(s) bedroom(s)
fsh
full service history
bldng
building
f/ship
friendship
brkfst rm
breakfast-room
ft
foot/feet
b/w; b&w
black and white
f/t
full-time
c.
circa (e.g. c. £30,000)
gch
gas central heating
c
chest (e.g. c 36" = gdn
garden
chest size 36 inches)
gf; g/f
ground floor
cc
credit card(s)
gfch
gas-fired central heating
cent
century
gge; grge
garage
ch; c/h
central heating
g/con
good condition
charm
charming
grnd
ground
clkrm
cloakroom
gsoh
good sense of humour
c/o
care of (e.g. Write do
g/tee; guar
guarantee
The Manager)
gwo
good working order
cols
colours
hrs
hours
cones
concessions (e.g.
h/some
handsome
student cones)
immed
immediately
CV
curriculum vitae
in(s)
inch(es)
dble
double
inc; incl
included/including
dep
deposit
indpt
independent
det
detached
ins
insurance/inches
din rm
dining-room
int
international
DIY
do it yourself
ints
interests
d/g; d/glazing; d/glz double glazing
k
thousand (e.g. £l5k)
educ
educated
kit
kitchen
ent
entrance
l
length (e.g. / 24" = length 24 inches)
ent'ment
entertainment
lnge
lounge
e/phone
entry phone
l/r; liv/rm
living-room
est
established/estimate
lrg
large
eves
evenings
lux
luxury
53
Abbreviation Full form
M-P
M
male
max
maximum
min
minimum/minute
mins
minutes
mnth
month
mod cons
modern conveniences
mpg
miles per gallon
'n'
and
new dec; new decor newly decorated
no.
number
nr
near
n/s
non-smoker
nt
night
OAP
old age pensioner
ono
or near(est) offer
ovno
or very near offer
pa
per annum
pat
patio
pcm
per calendar month
ph; pr hr
per hour
poss
possibly
p+p
postage and packing
pppn
per person per night (e.g.
£25 pppn)
prof
professional
prog
programme
prop
proprietor
p/t
part-time
pw
per week
p/x; p/exchange
part-exchange
Abbreviation Full form
rec rm
ref
refs
reg
sip
people)
sngle
sq
tel
tdh
tic
v
VAT
VCR
VDU
vgc
w
inches)
wc
w/d; w/day
w/e
wk(s)
wltm
yo
years old)
yr(s)
54
R-Y
reception-room
refund/reference
references
registered (e.g. reg childminder)
sleeps (e.g. sip 2-6 = sleeps 2-6
single
square
telephone
tall dark (and) handsome
tender loving care
very
Value Added Tax
video cassette recorder
visual display unit
very good condition
waist (e.g. w 36" = waist size 36
water closet (i.e. toilet)
weekday
weekend
week(s)
would like to meet
years old (e.g. 32 yo = thirty-two
year(s)
Resources and Further Reading
1. Chris Willis and Shayne Bowman. We Media: Introduction To Participatory
Journalism", PDF free download is available at
http://www.hypergene.net/wemedia/weblog.php?id=P36 ]
2. New York Times Learning Network
(http://nytimes.com/learning/students/index.html)
3. Paul Sanderson. Using Newspaper in the Classroom. Cambridge Handbooks
for Language Teachers. CUP,1999
4. Bill Mascull. Key Words in the Media. Collins Cobuild Series. Москва, Астрель,
2005
5. LTP Dictionary of Selected Collocations. LTP Language, 1999
6. Comparative Media Studies: MIT Communications Forum.
http://cms.mit.edu/news/2007/01/mit_communications_forum_why
7. Countries Profiles http://www.atlapedia.com/online/country_index.htm
8. PBS.org: PBS for Educators. The Vanishing Verb.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/foreducators/index.php
9. Keith Waterhouse. Waterhouse on Newspaper Style. Penguin, 1993
10. Peg Sarosy & Kathy Sherak. Lecture Ready. Oxford, 2006
11. Ильина А.К. Язык СМИ: 500 «трудных» слов. Флинта, Наука, 2007
On-line Periodicals
1. Guardian www.guardian.co.uk
2. Independent www.independent.co.uk
3. Observer www.observer.co.uk
4. Telegraph www.telegrph.co.uk
5. Sunday Times www.sunday-times.co.uk
6. New York Times www.nytimes.com
7. Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com
55
Учебное издание
Пластинина Нина Анатольевна
‘Media Guide: Учебно-методические материалы для студентов 3
курса по дисциплине «Особенности публицистического стиля:
Язык средств массовой информации’
Издание подготовлено в авторской редакции
Подписано в печать – апрель 2010.
Формат 60х84 1/16. Бумага для множительных аппаратов.
Гарнитура Bookman Old Style.
Печать плоская. Усл. печ. листов 3,2.
Тираж 50 экз.
Нижневартовский государственный университет
628609, Тюменская обл., г. Нижневартовск, ул. Ленина, 56.
56