Gathering the news

SPEAKING

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word from the topical vocabulary, making any necessary changes.

to baffle to squabble to be scarce to designate to be designated

1. After the war, food and clothing were _________________________.

2. The disease has _______________________ doctors, who are unable to treat it.

3. Three of the children are __________________ ____ to you as special students.

4. Cheap, clean hotel rooms are __________ in this city, especially in the summer.

5. The kids always _________________________ about who should do the dishes.

6. $6 million has been ______ to make road safety improvements on Pacheco Pass.

7. The mysterious phenomenon of long marriage _______________ him.

8. Water is always _______________________________ in these parts.

9. Fidel has ____ his brother Raul, now head of the armed forces, as his successor.

10. Now moderate and conservative Republicans are ______ over the interpretation.

11. What _________ me is how anyone could escape from the jail in broad daylight.

12. One of the queues was ___________________ for people with an EC passport.

Work in pairs and dicuss with your parner the following points: what news is, why we need news, what its five qualities and how you understand them.

News: gathering and delivering

& 1. Read the text and find words in the text which mean the following:

1. short memorable sentence or phrase that will be repeated in news bulletins and articles

2. people trying to influence what other people think about a particular issue

3. space

4. meetings to give information to and answer questions from the press

5. regularly checking

6. want to reach a wider audience

7. express their opinions

8. present a story in a particular way

9. give a formal announcement to the press

10 time of year, summer in the UK, when there is not much happening and trivial stories end up on the front page

11.collecting scandal (informal and disapproving)

12. making use of people or organisations which regularly provide news

Journalists gather news in a number of different ways. They may get stories from pressure groups which want to air their views in public. They seek publicity for their opinions and may hold press conferences or may issue a statement / press release. A person who especially wishes to attract news attention will try to include a sound bite in what they say. It is particularly hard for journalists to get material in the silly season.

Journalists also get stories by tapping useful sources and by monitoring international news agencies like Reuters. The more important a story is, the more column inches it will be given in the newspaper. Journalists of different political persuasions often put their own gloss/spin on a story and some journalists gather stories by muck-raking.

2. Match the two parts of the collocations used in the text above:

1. air groups

2. issue conference

3. muck bite

4. press season

5. pressure raking

6. silly sources

7. sound a statement

8. tap your views

3. Translate into Ukrainian:

pressure groups; to air one’s views; to seek publicity; to hold press conferences; to issue a statement;press release; a sound bite; silly season; to tap useful sources; column inches; to put one’s own gloss/spin on a story; muck-racking.

& 4. Read and comment on the following text:

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