Read all about it!

Enseñanzas Oficiales de Idiomas

English C1
Lesson 1

It Hit the News: Read All About It!

Image by geralt in pixabay under Public domain.

DropDown Activity
Newspaper vocabulary
Choose the correct words for the phrases.

a. The of the International

New York Times is actually quite small - only 220,000 copies per
day. However, its is obviously
bigger as each one may be read by more than one person.
b. The Department of Justice has just issued a
, explaining the new reforms.

c. According to the under the

photo, that's Renny Zellweger - but it certainly doesn't look like
her.
d. The latest of Hello magazine
is now on sale.
Image by Flickr in Wikipedia under CC
e. Let's have a look at the in Renee Zellweger at the Oscars 2011
the paper so we can see what's on at the cinema.
f. Sir Thaddeus Jones has just died - his
.
is in the paper.

g. He's - he tries to find out about scandals and secrets.

h. The of a paper contains in-depth explanations of the news stories.

i. The Guardian has got an - they were the only ones who found out about the
story.
j. At weekends, my newspaper comes with all sorts of - about travel, business,
leisure time - even one for the crossword and sudokus.
k. In the US, a is a pejorative term for a writer, especially a bad one, while in
the UK, many journalists used it to refer to themselves ironically.
l. You can find out the news online.

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Cloze Activity

You are going to hear six people talking about when they read the press and which part first. Listen
and choose the correct answers. Write 0 in the options that are not needed.
1. 2.
 1. 2.
3. 4.
5. 6.

When do they read it? Which part do they

read first?
On the way to work The obituaries
At lunchtime The sports
On the way home Foreign news

At weekends Travel supplement

At the start of the Analysis section

working day Image by Kelly B in Flickr
In bed under CC. The crossword
Over breakfast Politics
At dinner TV listings

Submit

1. Hold the front page!

DropDown Activity

In Britain, newspapers are either tabloids or broadsheets (also called qualities). Do you know what the
difference is? Read the questions then listen to an interview with Luke Green and answer them.
 TABLOIDS AND QUALITIES
1. What was a tabloid originally and how did the
word come to be applied to the newspaper?
2. Why did people travelling to work need great
skill to read broadsheets?
3. Which is bigger, the Berliner size format of
the Guardian or the tabloid format?
4. What is the purpose of the red on the
masthead (the part which names the paper)?
5. Why does Luke mention the example of
Princess Diana?
6. What is the target readership of a) the
tabloids; b) the qualities?
7. How does this readership affect the actual
content of the paper?
8. What 2 examples of headlines does Luke give
from tabloids?
9. What is emotive language, according to Luke?
10. In what way would a headline from a tabloid
be different to that of a quality?

Image by NaomiBooth in pixabay in Public domain.

Image by A J Watson. Image by A J Watson.

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Reading Activity

The Schwa /ə/

The Schwa /ə/
The schwa is the most common vowel sound in English, appearing in up to 80% of the sounds in a spoken text.
As you know, schwa appears in unstressed syllables. Grammatical words (articles, auxiliary verbs, conjunctions,
prepositions) usually have a strong form when stressed (e.g. can't - /kɑːnt/ - as in I can't swim) and a weak
sound when they are not (e.g. can - /kən/ - as in I can swim, and this weak form contains schwa.
Look at the sentence below taken from the audio. The schwa sounds have been underlined.
There are several differences between tabloids and broadsheets and if we take a quick look at one of each,
(I’ve got the Sun, the1 Express and the Daily Telegraph here) there are several aspects that stand out from
the start.

1There is no schwa on the because it is before a vowel so it is pronounced /ðiː/

Look at these sentences. Which words contain schwa? Listen and check. Repeat them.
1. The tabloids are possibly not as accurate as the serious papers.
2. This is reflected in the actual content, because you’ll find several things that aren’t in a broadsheet
3. The Sun announced they were going to have one

Other cases of Vowel Reduction can be found at: http://trainingesl.blogspot.com.es/2012/04/vowel-

reduction.html
For a detailed account of vowel changes which affect pronunciation and make you sound more "English", click
here.
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DropDown Activity

Emotive language is the deliberate choice of words to elicit emotion, usually intended to influence either
positively or negatively towards something/someone. It’s not the same to call someone frugal as tight-fisted or
mean. As Luke noted in the dialogue above, tabloids in particular are famous for this manipulation of language.

Look at these expressions. Match the emotive with the neutral.

1. kill

2. break

3. cut

4. bad

5. good

6.negative (experience)

7. hot
Image by sandid in Pixabay in Public domain
8. cheap

9. hungry

10. fire

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DropDown Activity
Now you are going to read the same story as told by the Sun (a tabloid) and the Guardian (a
broadsheet). Decide for each paragraph which is which.
What emotive vocabulary can you find?
Do you see any other differences?

Image by Michel Espig in Flickr under CC. Image by pahlin ool in Flickr under CC.
 Source: Leopard enters Indian school and injures five people before capture. (2016). Retrieved A pril 17, 2016, from
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/08/leopard-enters-indian-school-and-injures-three-people-before-capture and Leopard mauls six on
terrifying 10-hour rampage through school. (2016). Retrieved A pril 17, 2016, from
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/6915910/Rampaging-leopard-injures-six-after-getting-loose-and-charging-through-Indian-
school.html

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1.1. The Inverted Pyramid

Preknowledge

The Inverted Pyramid

T he inverted pyramid is a metaphor used by journalists
and other writers to illustrate how information should be
prioritized and structured in a text (e.g., a news report). It
is a common method for writing news stories (and has
adaptability to other kinds of texts, e.g., blogs and editorial
columns). This is the best way to understand the basics
about a news report. It is widely taught to mass
communication and journalism students, and is
systematically used in Anglophone media.
As a result, the first paragraph of a news story usually
contains the answers to the six Wh- questions (who, what,
where, when, why and how) and information in the
following paragraphs is increasingly less important.
Man bites dog
Image by A FDP in Wikimedia in Public domain.
This refers to a classic journalist aphorism about the
difference between an everyday event (“dog bites man”)
and news ("man bites dog").

DropDown Activity

Look at the headlines. Guess what the story is about. Then match each headline with its correct
extract. There is one extract you do not need (mark it as 0 ) and one extract is missing.

2
 2

1 3

5
6
4

Image by West Midlands Police in Flickr under CC. Image by Lars Larsson in Flickr under CC.

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Case Study

What are the Wh-s for each of the six news stories?

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1. Which extract did you find most interesting? Why?

2. Which story would you like more details about? Why?

Cloze Activity

Tenses in Newspaper Headlines

Look at the examples from the headlines. Indicate if the following are True or False.
 1. To indicate the future we use: GOING TO.
2. The present simple indicates a past action.
3. The present perfect is not normally used.
4. In general the auxiliary of the passive is omitted, except in the
future.
5. Abbreviations and commonly understood expressions are used.
Image by Gary Winfield in Flickr under
6. Articles are included. CC.

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Reflection

UNDERSTANDING AMBIGUITY
Sometimes headlines can be ambiguous. Look at these headlines and decide what the two possible meanings
are.
For example: MPs to act to keep theatres open >
1. MPS are to take action in order to keep theatres open.
2. MPS themselves will take to the stage in order to keep theatres open.

POLICE DISCOVERED SAFE MINERS REFUSE TO WORK PM CONVINCES CABINET BUT MORE
UNDER BLANKET AFTER DEATH LIES AHEAD
POLITICIANS TO DISCUSS GIRL FINDS THIEF IN BOOT DEFENDANT'S SPEECH ENDS IN
RUBBISH LONG SENTENCE
POLICE SHOOT MAN WITH DRUNK GETS 9 MONTHS IN GENERAL FLIES BACK TO FRONT
KNIFE VIOLIN CASE

Image by Michael Coghlan under CC. Image by Francis Storr under CC.
Image by William Warby under CC.

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1.2. Actively Passive

Cloze Activity
The Passive
Look at these examples from the texts on the previous page:
Five people were being questioned by police.
London has been hit by a Tube strike.
The Chiswick building is going to be demolished.
Match the examples with the use of the passive:
The subject was blindfolded throughout while being submitted to a
1 series of tests.
2. No smoking is permitted on the premises.
3. Mistakes have been made by the department.
4. I've been robbed!
5. The troll fell off the bridge and was carried away by the river. Image by tuchodl in Flickr
6. The ballpoint pen was first invented by Lazlo Biro. by CC.

When the author of the activity is not known or it is

unnecessary to say
To disclaim responsibility
To emphasise the activity or affected part

In impersonal style (for scientific articles and signs, etc.)

Image by Windywinters in Flickr
under CC.
For stylistic purposes (e.g. to avoid changing the subject of a
sentence)

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Activity

Note: in the passive, the verb MAKE adds to.

They made me work hard > I was made to work hard.
For practice on the passive, click on one of these links:

Practice 1 Practice 3
(verbs with 2 objects)
Practice 2 Practice 4
(verbs with 2 objects)

Reflection

Choose the best form, active or passive,in the text below.

 Citizen Kane and Randolph Hearst
People often choose Citizen Kane/Citizen Kane is often chosen
1among the lists of the best films that directors have ever
made/have ever been made 2. It begins/It is begun 3with a scene in
which newspaper proprietor Kane is on his deathbed, his last words
being “Rosebud” . They spend the rest of the film/The rest of the
film is spent 4 trying to find out what that means. Experts
particularly praise it/The film is particularly praised 5 for its
cinematography, music, and narrative structure, which were
innovative for its time.
The writer based the character/The character was based 6 on
William Randolph Hearst, millionaire and proprietor of over 30
newspapers. People credit Hearst/Hearst is credited 7 with creating
yellow journalism and they famously blame him/was famously blamed Image by O ctubre CCC in Flickr in
8 for pushing public opinion in the US into causing the Spanish- public domain
American War in 1898.
Hearst was enraged at the thinly disguised representation in the film
and did all in his power/all in his power was done to prevent it being
released, even though he hadn’t even seen it. The publishers didn't
mention the film/No mention of the film was made 10in his papers
but Hearst and his friends succeeded/it was succeeded by Hearst
and his friends 11 in pressuring cinema chains to limit screenings.

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1.3. It's believed to be

DropDown Activity

This is a true story about a famous case in Britain. Read and answer the questions.
 mage by meridy in pixabay in Public domain.

Read the main news story and decide if the following are true, false or it doesn't say.

1. Lord Lucan killed his nanny.

2. The police believe Lucan was a murderer.

3. His children never saw him again.

4. Lucan's friends are believed to have helped him escape.

5. Lucan's disappearance coincided with that of a government minister.

6. There were physical reasons for rejecting Woodgate as Lucan.

7. The judge believes in the Loch Ness monster.

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Look at these examples from the text:
Lucan is thought to be the only suspect.
It was claimed that an aging hippy .. was Lucan.
Just as with any other passive, when the subject is generic the people or we don't want to say who, we use an impersonal
instruction. There are two possible ways:
People believe he lives in Kenya > It is believed he lives in Kenya. (It + passive of reporting verb + that clause)
He is believed to live in Kenya. (Subject + passive of reporting verb + to + infinitive)
Other verbs that can follow the same pattern:
allege, calculate, claim, expect, feel, hope, report, say, think, understand
With past reference, the passive is followed by the perfect infinitive:
They calculate he earnt $4 million last year. > He is calculated to have earnt $4 million last year.
Present and past continuous are also used:
They say he was living in South Africa> He is said to have been living in South Africa.
People report he is working in Madagascar> He is reported to be working in Madagascar.
The reporting verb can also be past:
The people claimed he was in prison> He was claimed to be in prison.

Cloze Activity
 Image by Greenville Daily News in Flickr under CC

Rewrite the sentences below using the passive reporting verb.

People say he lives in London > He is said to live in London/ It is said he lives in London.
1. They think she is ill.
She ill.
2. The police allege he was the mastermind behind the robbery.
He the mastermind behind the robbery.
3. The people believe he has gone crazy as a result.
He crazy as a result.
4. The police think they broke into the bank at night.
They into the bank at night.
5. They alleged that Lord Lucan killed his nanny.
It that Lord Lucan killed his nanny.
Lord Lucan his nanny.
6. They thought that 100,000 people disappear every year in the USA.
that 100,000 people disappear every year in the USA.
every year in the USA.
7. They believe there are over 100 criminals in the area.
over 100 criminals in the area.
are over 100 crimninals in the area.

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Activity

Be Expected to
This verb has 2 possible meanings.
 This verb has 2 possible meanings.
1) To talk impersonally about the future.
They expect him to pass the exam easily.
>It is expected (that) he will pass the exam easily.
>He is expected to pass the exam easily.
Note that as we are talking about the future, we need a future clause after It is expected
In the second case, we use the infinitive as normal. The verb expect gives it a future meaning.
2) To talk about the appropriate behaviour or conduct
When you pay in a restaurant or taxi in the USA, you are expected to give a 10% tip.
Be supposed to.
This passive construction has two possible meanings:
1) Said to:
I want to see that series; it is supposed to be brilliant. (People say it is brilliant).
2) Duty, obligation, rule or timetable - though in general there may be doubt as to whether it is possible or not:
She is supposed to finish all her work by 7:00 pm. (though I don't know if she can - there's a lot to do)
The train is supposed to arrive at 5:20. (but it is often late)
That's not how you play Monopoly. You're supposed to throw a 6 before you get out of prison.

Image by Global Panoramain Flickr under CC Image by Mike-fleming in Flickr under CC

2. Photo editor

Multi-select

You are going to listen to a radio interview of

 You are going to listen to a radio interview of
two photo editors. Listen and choose the correct
answer.

1. Fern got a job in the photo department of a

magazine __________.
a. via a friend.
b. in the typical way.
Image by Tiberlu A na in Flickr under CC. c. because she was seen by an agent.
d. by accident.

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2. At first, Fern found the job __________.

a. glamorous.
b. exciting.
c. menial.
d. testing.

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3. According to Tom, to be a good photo editor, you need to

__________.

a. learn from those who are already experts.

b. have natural talent.
c. practise by taking as many photos as you can
d. follow the stages of the process.

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Image by Leandro Gisiviez in Flickr under CC.

4. Getting the top photographers to work for you __________.
a. is a virtually impossible task.
b. is a good experience.
c. requires tact.
d. will help you move on to better jobs.
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5. Another useful thing you can do is __________.

a. take photos of stars like Penelope Cruz.
b. networking.
c. go to work for a big magazine like Vogue.
d. show the photographers how much you depend on them.

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DropDown Activity
 Look at these expressions from the text. Choose the correct definition for the words in bold. There are
more definitions than you need.
It takes a
w h i l e to
find your
feet
There's
someone
t o show
you the
ropes
Eventually,
I got the
hang of it
There
aren't
any
shortcuts
Start at
the
bottom
a n d work
your way
up
Feel free
to jump in
You
scratch
my back
and I'll
scratch
yours
That's
another
story
It's who
you know
that
counts
I'd say
......

Check

Have you ever found yourself in a postion where it took you a time to find your feet? How long did it take you to get the hang of
it?
In a new job or place of study you have been to, was there anyone to show you the ropes?
Do you agree that in a job (or just finding one), it's who you know that counts, rather than your abilities?

True-False Question

In the 2nd part of the interview, they talk about ethics in relation to photojournalism. Listen and choose the
best answer.
Decide if these statements are true or false.
 Decide if these statements are true or false.

1. According to Tom, the use of photoshop adds to the pressures on

female self-image.
True False
2. Fern agrees that there is a major problem with the doctoring of images.
True False
Image by Rod Waddingto Flickr under CC .
3. In Tom’s opinion, journalists need to separate the professional from the
personal.
True False
4. The subject of one of the famous photos they mention survived his experience.
True False
5. Fern thinks the paparazzi do a good job
True False
6. In Fern’s opinion, if a person has sold rights to a photo of themselves to the media, they are a potential
objective for every other photographer.
True False
7. According to the Categorical Imperative, you can always publish photos, regardless of the subject.
True False
8. It’s unacceptable to publish unpleasant pictures in any circumstances, according to Utilitarianism.
True False

Which of these statements do you agree with? Justify your answer.

1. The subjects of photos should always have the right to veto their publication.
2. Paparazzi should be banned as they serve no useful purpose.
3. Distressing photos such as dead bodies, executions, accidents and the like, should never be allowed either in the press or on
TV.

2.1. Yes, but is it ethical?

Preknowledge

The Leveson Inquiry

In 2010, certain illegal practices carried out by journalists from the News of the World newspaper
 In 2010, certain illegal practices carried out by journalists from the News of the World newspaper
came to light. They included hacking the phones and voicemail of a variety of people, from John
Prescott, the deputy Prime Minister; to film stars like Hugh Grant and even the telephone of Milly
Dowler, a girl who had gone missing and whose dead body was later found.
This inquiry examined the culture, practices and ethics of the British press. As a result of criticisms
aimed in particular at the News of the World, Rupert Murdoch, owner of the paper, shut it down.

Image by K Rinaldi in Flickrunder CC.

Rupert Murdoch

Multi-select

The Moral Maze

The Moral maze is a BBC radio show, conducted by Michael Buerk, on which members of a panel hear opinions
from experts and members of the public and discuss moral and ethical issues.
from experts and members of the public and discuss moral and ethical issues.
You are going to hear an extract from a show shortly after the beginning of the Leveson Inquiry (see above).
Listen and choose the best answer.

1. Why does the reporter make a comparison with other groups

of people?

a. To suggest that journalists are currently facing

persecution in the same way.
b. Because he believes that they are all equally truthful.
c. Because he’s angry about stereotyping.
d. Because he feels all those groups do an excellent job.

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2. Why do the reporter and the panellist disagree about the

Milly Dowler phone hacking?
a. The reporter feels that it is a typical case. Image by portableantiquities in wikimedia under CC
b. The reporter feels that there has been an exaggeration Michael Buerk
as to the numbers involved.
c. The panellist feels sorry for the families involved.
d. The panellist feels that there may be many more cases yet to be discovered.

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3. As regards how journalists used to find out information in the past,

a. the journalist feels it was unacceptable to eavesdrop on other people's conversations.
b. the reporter feels journalists used to do far worse things than phone hack.
c. the panellist feels people chatting in public should feel safe from eavesdropping.
d. the panellist rejects listening in on any clearly private messages.

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4. Phone hacking, according to the panellist,

a. probably recorded only small talk.
b. involved minor celebrities.
c. was completely ineffective.
d. posed a potentially serious issue.

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5. The journalist mentions the case of when using a recording device has been successful __________.
a. because he was congratulated for doing it.
b. because it shows that if used properly, it can be very effective journalism.
c. as the importance of the case has never been recognised.
d. to prove that journalists have a moral conscience.

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Look at these expressions from the interview:
(it) still functions in a pretty impressive fashion.
They clearly feel incredibly angry.
Phone hacking is an extremely unhelpful and slightly sloppy expression.
I think it's perfectly reasonable.
I think that it's absolutely true.
Modifying gradable Adjectives
We can modify gradable adjectives such as a bit or less to indicate different degrees of a quality.
Modifying Gradable
Adverbs Adjectives
More of a quality poor
rather really busy
extremely very shocked
pretty exciting
somewhat surprised
Less of a quality angry Image by rushil chopra in Flickr
hungry under CC.
slightly fairly tired
a bit/a little silly

Modifying non-gradable adjectives

Non-gradable adjectives (e.g.perfect, marvellous, awful) cannot refer to more or less of a quality. They are intensified with
extreme adverbs such as absolutely.

Intensifiers Non-gradable
Adjectives

extremely extraordinary
absolutely amazing
utterly appalling
completely enormous
totally starving

Note: in many cases, choosing the appropriate intensifier and non-gradable may depend on collocation, i.e. phrases that generally
go together. We say absolutely starving but not completely starving.

Multi-select

Decide in each case which of the adverbs is appropriate. More than one may be possible.
1. We are _____________ grateful.
 a. greatly
b. truly
c. utterly
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2. They were _______________ disappointed by his decision.

a. bitterly
b. deeply
c. totally

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Image by alex yosifov in Flickr under CC.
3. Your behaviour is _______________ inappropriate.
a. greatly
b. utterly
c. completely

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4. The family were _______________ moved by what they saw.

a. totally
b. strongly
c. deeply
d. profoundly

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5. Your proposal is ______________ absurd.

Image by Laurendaveyxin Flickr under CC.

a. completely
b. very
c. totally
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3. Don't believe everything you read!

Activity

In this activity, you need to complete the gaps with a grammatical expression. It is a test of
grammatical, not lexical knowledge. The typical type of words needed are auxiliary verbs, articles
and other determiners and pronouns. In order to do this type of activity you need to examine
several things.
 several things.
1) The tense: if it's present perfect, then you can expect the typical time expressions associated
with the tense such as yet, since, etc. For instance: We have been here _____ January. >since
2) Active or passive? If it's passive, you need to remember the auxiliary and the agent, e.g. The
book was written ____ Tolstoy. > by
3) Is the phrase positive or negative? If it's negative you need to think of the appropriate
determiner: There isn't ____ reason why you can't do it. > any
4) Is it a double preposition/adverb phrase - e.g. back and forth, up and down, in and out, as....as -
or a set expression/idiom?
5) With time expressions, which is the appropriate preposition (at, on,in or Ø)?
6) Is a comparison or superlative needed? In which case you need to remember the appropriate
linkers and constructions: He's the _______ intelligent person I know; it's bigger __ I thought.
>most, than.

Cloze Activity

You’ve been had! April Fool in the media

From television revealing that spaghetti grows in trees
pictures of the Loch Ness monster, the tradition of April
Fools' Day stories in the media has a long and bizarre
history.
Newspaper hoaxes thought to have appeared in the
early 19th century, mainly in America. One of the very first
was a series of New York Sun articles in 1835 about life on
the moon. involved the Boston Post
announcing that a cavern of gold and jewels had
found on Boston common; hundreds of readers set out in
the rain search of the treasure.
British publications were rather inclined towards
such frolics but after the BBC's spaghetti harvest hoax of
1957, Fleet Street began to lighten up and carry more
daring jokes. Nowadays, readers and viewers all try to spot
news item that is actually an April Fool hoax.
Image by S. MacEntee in Flickr under CC licence
The spoof which all others are measured is the
Guardian's 1977 San Serriffe travel guide, a seven-page
travel supplement to a non-existent island which was
described throughout using an obscure vocabulary
composed entirely of printing terms. The success of
hoax is widely credited inspiring the
British media's enthusiasm for April 1st jokes
subsequent years. The Guardian has revisited the island at
least twice then. The spoof was helped by
advertisers getting in on the act, with Kodak, the camera
company, offering prizes for the holiday snap from
the island.

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 Cloze Activity

On April 1st 1957, the BBC's current affairs programme Panorama showed the traditional spaghetti harvest in
Ticino, Switzerland. There had been no tradition of April Fools' jokes on BBC and the show was presented by the
BBC's most famous reporter, Richard Dimbleby. At the time, spaghetti was not a very well-known dish and many
viewers wrote in asking where they could get a spaghetti plant for their garden!
Watch and listen to the original broadcast and complete the gaps.

The area has flowered at least weeks earlier than usual.

Last winter was one of the in living memory so they expect a bumper crop.
The most worrying period for spaghetti growers is the end of because late frosts can affect the
.
Whereas in Italy it is big business, in Switzerland it is grown by the .
This year they have been lucky because there has been no problems with the spaghetti weevil.
People are surprised that spaghetti is produced at a length. It is due to many years of patient
.
People drink to the harvest and eat the traditional meal of spaghetti.

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Cloze Activity

This next activity tests both your knowledge of grammar and your lexical knowledge, principally
collocations (which words combine together normally).
April Fool Advertising
 April Fool Advertising
Advertisers, in fact, are enthusiastic participants in April Tomfoolery. Memorable spoofs include
BMW offering cars 1 changing the position of the steering wheel depending on
whether you are driving in Britain or mainland Europe. 2 to say, many people were
3 and called the company asking to purchase one. Of course, they 4
have taken note of the engineer involved, Dr. Aapril Fuhl.
Other companies who have 5 on the act are Google, who give a press release every
year about some new discovery. In 2014 it was Google Nose, 6 allowed you to smell
flowers, the sea and perfume over the internet. In fact, though, they were not entirely original; in
1965 the BBC broadcast an interview with the inventor of Smellovision which permitted 7
to experience aromas produced in the studio. To prove it, he cut up some onions
and brewed coffee. Many people wrote in claiming to have smelt the aromas that were 8
.

1. a. ready to b. able to c. capable of

2. a. Unnecessary b. Obvious c. Needless
3. a. fallen for b. taken in c. taken out
4. a. should b. must c. would
5. a. entered in b. got in c. jumped
6. a. what b. this c. which
7. a. watchers b. spectators c. viewers
8. a. given away b. given off c. given out Image by A J Watson.

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3.1. Reports of my death

Preknowledge

I'm not dead yet!

In most newspapers, the great and the good who are deceased receive an obituary, a mini-
 In most newspapers, the great and the good who are deceased receive an obituary, a mini-
biography of their life and achievements. However, as in any other subject, newspapers sometimes
get it wrong and announce a death prematurely, much to the person's surprise and the
newspapers' embarrassment. Nowadays, social media also provide grist for the rumour mill. The
actor Morgan Freeman, star of films like Shawshank Redemption and Invictus, has had to deny his
own passing twice on Twitter.
Mark Twain, author of Huckleberry Finn and The Prince and the Pauper was also reported dead
twice. The first time, in 1897, was due to being confused with his cousin. Though no obituary was
published, Twain later told the story, including his famous words: "Reports of my death are greatly
exaggerated." However, this is in fact a misquote - what he actually said was: "The report of my
death was an exaggeration."
His second pronounced death occurred in 1907 when a yacht he was travelling on was held up by
fog and so he had disembarked elsewhere. When no news of the yacht was received, people
assumed he was dead. He didn’t actually pass away till 3 years later.
Another writer, Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book and Kim, was also surprised to read of
his own demise in a magazine. He immediately sent off a letter, saying: "I've just read that I am
dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."
The death of his brother Ludvig led several newspapers to publish the obituary of Alfred Nobel,
then famous only for his arms manufacturing and as inventor of dynamite. So upset was he by the
tone (including comments suggesting he had become "rich by finding ways to kill more people faster
than ever before") that he decided to bequeath most of his riches to establishing the prize which
bears his name.
And finally, there was Ron Moody, an actor best known for playing the role of Fagin in Oliver
Twist. Moody was furious and he apparently said: "I’m bloody annoyed... it can affect your work. If
people think you’re dead, they’re not going to use you. Unless it’s a kinky film."

Image by Plum leaves in Flickr under CC Image by Chris Drumm in Flickr under CC Image by LSE in wikipedia in Public
domain Image by ALatele in Flickr under CC

Kipling's The Cat who walked Alone Mark Twain Ron Moody
Morgan Freeman

DropDown Activity

Newspaper editors, like anybody else, make mistakes in their writing, though the former may feel the wrath of
their readership on top of their own personal embarrassment. The Guardian newspaper in the days before
computer spell checkers was so famous for its typos (typographical errors) that many people still refer to it as
 computer spell checkers was so famous for its typos (typographical errors) that many people still refer to it as
the Grauniad. Learning to check one's work is an important skill.
Read this advice about correctness and for each line, put a tick or a cross, depending on whether there is a
spelling mistake or not. The first one is done for you.

It really doesn’t matter if you are writting an article or an

x
opinion piece, good spelling is always necesary. If a word

is mispelt, it distracts the reader and causes a bad Image by quotes everlasting in
Flicker under CC.
impression.
Missippi's Literacy
Althought nowadays it is checked by machine, frankly,
editors Program shows
Improvement
musn't forget to proof-read each piece of writing themselves
(Genuine headline)

because they recieve the blame and the angry complaints

form their readers. The problem is that the brain and the eye

contrive to play tricks on us because, when we think we

know
what the text should say, our brain ofen reads it as correct

automaticly and so we miss the misprints.

What can be done then? Fortunately, the red squiggle in

word processing programs will warn us most of the time but

not
necessarily always. The rest of the time is down to practice.
The
more you practise reading throught a piece, the more likely

you are to find the errors.

Another thing to consider is whether your using British or

American
spelling. Obviously that depends on the style guide wich

your blog or paper is using but you must be consistent.

Check Show Feedback

4. The future of the press?

 Multi-choice

And the Pulitzer goes to… a computer

Nobody wants to confront the idea of their own obsolescence. Still, sitting across a desk from Kris Hammond, it
is hard not to have a sense of the inevitable. Hammond is the co-founder of a company called Narrative
Science which has worked out a way of teaching machines how to write journalism. At the moment, the
computer's output is limited to basic sports reports and business news. But Hammond is convinced this is only
the beginning. It probably won’t be that long, he half-suggests, before they can bash out 2,500 word stories on
innovations in machine learning for the Observer. Worse, he is irrepressibly cheerful about the prospect.
“Look!” he says, “we are humanising the machine and giving it the ability not only to look at data but, based on
general ideas of what is important and a close understanding of who the audience is, we are giving it the tools
to know how to tell us stories.”
Terrific, I think.

Image by solomon borroa in Pixabay under Public domain.

Narrative Science has married huge advances in pattern recognition software with the revolution in natural
language generation to create algorithms that resemble a writer (minus the soul-searching and the
procrastination and the deadline anxiety). They are at the stage where the machine can, given the statistics of
a baseball game, do this, for example: "Tuesday was a great day for W Roberts, as the junior pitcher threw a
perfect game to carry Virginia to a 2-0 victory over George Washington at Davenport Field. Or, without any
“journalistic” intervention, this company report: Apple Inc on Tuesday reported fiscal first-quarter net income
of $18.02bn. The Cupertino, California-based company
said…"

It’s not deathless prose – at least not yet; the machines are still “learning” day by day how to write effectively
– but it’s already good enough to replace the jobs once done by wire reporters. Computers provide daily market
reports for Forbes as well as sports reports for the Big Ten sports network.
Have readers noticed? Last year, a Swedish media professor, Christer Clerwall conducted the first proper blind
study into how sports reports written by computers and by humans compared. Readers taking part in the study
suggested, on the whole, that the reports written by human sports journalists were slightly more accessible and
enjoyable, but that those written by computer seemed a little more informative and trustworthy.
Kris Hammond at Narrative Science suggests, with an edge of mischief, that a computer will win a Pulitzer prize
within five years, and that 90% of journalism will be written by computer by 2030. He sees the stories
generated by Narrative Science’s programme, Quill, as a way of augmenting and personalising news, of making it
relevant to individual needs.
The Chicago Tribune’s lead story today is about a tornado that the previous day had ripped through towns in
northern Illinois. Could Quill have put that together? Given access to social media sites and weather reports, it
probably could have told the story, Hammond suggests, though this is not something they are interested in
attempting right now. “The tornado is one story. We can do that. But we would rather use the technology to
tell this story a million different ways that grasps what is important about it to a particular group or even an
individual. A natural disaster story might result, instead, in a report sent out to 10,000 companies showing how
their supply chain is impacted, or, say, directly to people who the data suggests have relatives out there. That
will not come very soon, but that is what news will become.”
Can it do that in different tones of voice, as it were? Can it do quirky? “It probably could, but I resist it. We can
inject some randomness. But I like to have a trail that says, this is why this is here. We will have quirky and we
have had sarcastic. At every point there has to be – here’s why I said this.”
About six years ago, Hammond and some students at Northwestern University built a system called News at
Seven with the aim of presenting the results of a standard computer search query as a narrative argument.
That was the beginning of Narrative Science, which, with the help of budding sports journalists who created its
lexicon of natural baseball language, turned its attention to data-driven sports reporting. A year or so in, they
gave a presentation to sports news organisations. A reporter from ESPN was “angry and appalled,” Hammond
suggests, "but not because," he said, "I am looking at a story and it seems to have been written by a machine,
but because the story appears to have been written by a human being and I have a real sense of this person’s
voice."
Quill quickly learned to frame stories to suit its audience. For the supporters of a particular baseball team, it
gave the match report from that team’s vantage point. Likewise, if creating two company reports based on the
same data, the machine can produce a positive emphasis for clients and a must-try-harder tone for employees.
It has learned the art of spin.
Like any decent hack, the machine is coming to learn that there are only five or six compelling tales. Much of
that comes from analysis of narrative arcs, of basic plotlines: back from the brink, outrageous fortune, sudden
catastrophe and so on. The machine is not about to write nuanced profiles or wisecracking think pieces. But
within its data-rich limits, Hammond and his team are finding many of the same patterns of story. “Performance
review – measuring against benchmarks – is 70% of what we do. The big question most people have about
review – measuring against benchmarks – is 70% of what we do. The big question most people have about
anything – sports, business, politics – is: how is it doing?”
“In the longer run, I believe that machines will be as smart and eventually smarter than we are about
everything,” Hammond says.
But will it ever be able to replicate great storytelling that, like a piece of music, takes us on an emotional
journey? Or through an argument that unfolds in surprising ways? Does he imagine that there will be a
resistance to the idea that the interaction between writer and reader has been deconstructed and manipulated
in that way?
“I don’t think it will take anything away from that interaction,” he says. "Storytelling is one of the great gifts we
have. When you go home, what is the question your wife or husband asks? ‘How did your day go?’ That’s not
going to stop. But what the machine will be able to do is to communicate with us about a lot of the other stuff
that goes on in the world and explain how it relates to us. What would you rather have?"
“When I think about that I always remember an interview I once heard with Bob Dylan,” Hammond says. “He
didn’t know a lot about a lot of things, but he knew better than almost anybody how to craft a song so that it
would produce particular effects. When a great writer tells a story, he or she knows how to craft it to make
readers believe something, through argument, a set of emotional dramas or a particular structure. You can make
someone sad without being sad yourself. Or you can make someone angry and be completely calm and
distanced from that anger. That is what journalism does. It is a craft. It is not that the machine will have its
own emotional states but it will know that it is doing enough to produce that reaction. At the moment, we can
probably make someone happy or sad about how something has turned out at a very coarse-grained level; that
will become more subtle.”
Will it make journalism better? It instinctively fails the first test of journalism: it sounds way too good to be
true.
Adapted from: Adams, T. (2015, June 28). And the Pulitzer goes to.. a computer. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/28/computer-writing-journalism-artificial-intelligence

1. As regards the possibility of computers taking over from journalists, the author is __________.

a. enthusiastic.
b. pessimistic.
c. excited.
d. resigned.
2. Computers can at present __________.
a. only write decent informative texts.
b. write literary descriptions and brief narratives.
c. write better texts than many journalists.
d. produce more accurate work.
3. Mr Hammond believes programs like Quill __________.
a. will soon replace journalists.
b. are able to win prizes for their writing.
c. will allow the news to be aimed more individually at its reader.
d. should adopt different stylistic tones.
4. Reaction from other professionals in the business __________.
a. has been critical of the innovation.
b. has been enthusiastic as it will take over boring work.
c. has been muted.
d. has been surprised at the effectiveness of the writing.
5. The art of good storytelling __________.
a. depends on following one of the typical storylines.
b. is related to the emotion one is able to include.
c. depends on the storyteller.
d. is to relate the story to everyday life.
6. The advantage of the computer programs over people is that __________.
a. they can play with reader’s emotions.

b. they do not get emotional about what they are writing.

c. they are able to access multiple sources of information so as to give a clearer picture.
d. they are cheaper than journalists.
 DropDown Activity

Look at theses phrases that were underlined in the text. Use the context to match them with these
meanings.
1. overall, in general 4. the edge, about to fall 7. at the point where
2. assembled, created from 5. at an early stage of
different parts 8. devise, invent
development
3. not likely to be real 6. make with great skill 9. eventually, after a
long period

the brink in the longer run worked out

on the whole put that together budding

craft at the stage where sounds too good to be true

Check

Cloze Activity

The press is in a battle for its own survival in the face of online news, blogging and, for some, a lack of trust in
the papers after scandals about the partiality or even the truth of stories.
Look at the graph representing the circulation of three newspapers. Then match them with the correct
 Look at the graph representing the circulation of three newspapers. Then match them with the correct
description.

Circulation remained steady for a couple of months before rising sharply and then
levelling off before plunging in July.
Total sales shot up steeply then plunged in early April. They then evened out and
remained constant till
suddenly plummeting at the end of June.
Sales soared in March then levelled off and were constant for 3 months before
starting a slow decline.

Submit

DropDown Activity

Now look at the following words and decide if each word is used for going up, down or neither.
soar keep steady level off remain constant c o l l a p s e skyrocket

plunge plummet shoot up even out decline d i p

The addition of the words steeply/sharply indicate a rapid change.

Check Show Feedback

4.1. Slow Journalism

Cloze Activity

Slow Journalism
One suggestion to improve the fortunes of the press is slow journalism. What do you think it involves?
You are going to hear parts of a TED conference in which a speaker, Rob Orchard, explains the crisis in
You are going to hear parts of a TED conference in which a speaker, Rob Orchard, explains the crisis in
journalism and his proposal to solve it.

Read through the questions beforehand. Anticipate what type of information is needed (a date, a
number, a word). Listen and complete the gaps.
1. According to the speaker, the qualities expected in journalism that are at risk are ,
impartiality, and .
2. The Mail Online has nearly million people visiting its webpage monthly.
3. The original headline published was wrong because Amanda Knox was found of murder
and she now lives in .
4. Many of the quotes and descriptions contained in the original article were .
5. According to the speaker, nowadays in journalism it is more important to be than to be
.
6. News of Amy Winehouse’s death was trending on Twitter within 1 hour, discussed by
people equivalent to the population of .
7. The El País newspaper fired of its editorial staff and asked the others to take a % pay
cut.
8. The Guardian made a £ million loss , equivalent to losing £ , on a daily basis.

Submit

Reading Activity

In the second part of the talk, the speaker explains the pressures faced by journalism due to Google.
1. What has happened to online advertising now?
2. Why is it necessary for adverts to be seen online by millions of people?
3. What percentage of people click on the top 3 hits in Google?
4. Finish the phrase: The more stories you produce,_____________________
5. Why is it not sensible to commission a long article any more?
6. What has happened to the ratio of public relations executives compared to journalists in recent years? Why
is it a problem?
7. What is wrong with the story about the app, Livr?
8. What is churnalism? How common is the practice?
Show Feedback

DropDown Activity

In the final part of the interview, the speaker explains his view on the future of journalism. Match the
beginning and the endings of the sentences.
 The story
about Nixon
Quakebot
can
produce a
story about
earthquakes
Wordsmith
will be able
New
technology
In 10 years'
time
News
stories will
be delivered
Some
readers will
continue
Slow
Journalism
(To watch the full conference on Youtube, click here)

Check

Which of these statements do you agree with? Why (not)?

The press (printed and online) is neutral and can be trusted.
In the future there will be no printed press.
The press follows public opinion, it doesn't make it.
The press pays too much attention to bad news stories and not enough to the good news ones.

Once you have an opinion, you might want to share it with your partners.

Preknowledge

One of the most famous investigative cases in newspaper history was that of
Watergate. In 1972, police arrested 5 men who had broken into the headquarters of the
Democrat party in the Watergate Office Complex in Washington D.C. When the F.B.I.
 Democrat party in the Watergate Office Complex in Washington D.C. When the F.B.I.
began to investigate, they discovered the burglars were being paid by CREEP (the
Committee for Re-election of the President), the official organisation of president Nixon's
campaign. The investigation discovered that Nixon had had a tape-recording system in
the White House and had recorded many conversations. The Supreme Court obliged
Nixon to hand over the tapes, which revealed that Nixon had attempted to interfere
with the investigation and cover up posterior activities. When the House of
Representatives, part of Congress, began impeachment proceedings to eject Nixon from
the presidency, he resigned in disgrace, claiming "I am not a crook". He was later
pardoned by the new president, Gerald Ford, his former vice-president. Since then, the
suffix -gate is routinely applied to political and other scandals (e.g. Irangate, about the
illegal sale of arms to Iran by the Reagan administration and Monicagate, about the
cover-up relating to Monica Lewinsky's relationship with President Bill Clinton).
Parallel with the FBI investigation was that carried out by 2 young reporters at The
Washington Post, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. Woodward's secret source in the
Nixon administration, known only as "Deep Throat" urged the pair to "follow the money".
Over a 2-year period, they were able to substantiate many of the allegations, despite
the White House's denial and Nixon's reelection. A best-selling book about their
investigation, All the President's Men, was later made into a film starring Dustin Hoffman
and Robert Redford as the reporters.

Image by O liver F. A tkins in wikipedia under Public

domain.

5. Bite size

Image by A nonymous in O penclipart under Share.

The expected Outcomes for this unit can be found by clicking here. Don't forget to fill out your sheet so you keep track of your
progress.
Make sure you have mastered these points:
Newspaper vocabulary and expressions.
Variety of passive structures.
Reduced vowels: schwa.
Expressing: knowledge or lack of it, facts, activities, or events.