English Vocabulary in Use Advanced » Unit 50: The news: gathering and delivering
The way journalists work has changed a lot over the last twenty years. When I started out as a junior reporter, we had to produce all our 1_____ to very tight 2_____, because we had to make sure it was all in place before the paper 3_____ to press, ready to be in the shops the next morning. Now a lot of what we do is online, which means we can publish a story only a few minutes after it 4_____. It’s much easier to find old articles to check facts, too, because most newspapers have an online 5_____ that you can access. People expect a lot more photos these days, though, which is why we rely on the 6_____ so much.
Professional journalists gather news in a number of different ways. They may get stories from pressure groups4 which want to air their views5 in public. Journalists also attend press conferences6 where politicians or others may issue a statement or press release7. A person seeking publicity8 will try to include a soundbite9 in what they say.
Journalists also hunt for10 stories by tapping useful sources11 and by monitoring12 international news agencies like Reuters. The more important a story is, the more airtime13 it will achieve and the more column inches14 it will be given in the newspaper or on the webpage: in other words, the more coverage15 it will receive. Paparazzi16 follow celebrities or public figures and try to get photographs of them for newspapers and magazines.1 newspapers and magazines
2 radio and TV
3 news websites
4 people trying to influence what other people think about a particular issue
5 express their opinions
6 meetings to give information to and answer questions from the press
7 give a formal announcement to the press
8 wanting to reach a wider audience
9 short memorable sentence or phrase that will be repeated in news bulletins and articles
10 look for
11 making use of people or organisations which regularly provide news
12 regularly checking
13 minutes given to it on radio or TV
14 space
15 media attention
16 an informal and sometimes disapproving word for press photographers
A rag is an informal word for a newspaper and it suggests that it is not of very high quality. The gutter press is a disapproving term used about the kind of newspapers and magazines that are more interested in crime and sex than serious news.
Journalists produce copy, which has to be ready for a deadline. With printed newspapers, when everything is ready, the newspaper goes to press.
Previous issues of a paper are known as back copies. These are usually accessible in an online archive.
A story that is only to be found in one newspaper is an exclusive or scoop. All newspapers or TV news channels hope to run a story that no one else has discovered. A major story can be said to hit the headlines on the day it is published. At that time, the story breaks or becomes public knowledge.
A newspaper may be taken to court for libel or defamation of character if it publishes an untrue story that, for example, wrongly accuses someone of something.
Journalists of different political persuasions will put their own gloss/spin on a story. [present it in their own way]
Some journalists gather stories by muck-raking. [collecting scandal]
Generally, newspapers like to make stories sound more dramatic by using words like heroic and triumph, even for some occurrence that is quite ordinary. [happening, event]
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for elementary level (A2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with 60 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for pre-intermediate and intermediate level (B1) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with 100 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for Upper-intermediate level (B2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with over 100 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.