Development of mass media

   In more traditional news programmes, the news is read by a newsreader or newscaster: newscaster is now a rather old-fashioned word.

   Reporters and correspondents, or television journalists, make reports. They and the camera operators who go with them are news gatherers. Together they form TV crews.

   Broadcasters are TV and radio organizations, the people working for them, or, more specifically, the professional media people who actually participate in programmes (М.С. Лебедева, Г.М. Фролова Язык средств массовой информации Великобритании и  США. – МГЛУ, 2009). 

   II. Match the type of newspaper with two typical things it contains.

2. Tabloids
3. Regional papers
4. Free sheets
5. Broadsheets
6. National newspapers
7. Sunday papers

 

1. Details on local cinema and theater performances.
2. Sensational stories and large headlines.
3. Limited editorial content.
4. Political, financial, cultural news.
5. A large amount of advertising.
6. Financial matters and international news.
7. Pictures of pretty women.
8. Matters concerning the community.
9. Color supplements or magazines.
10. Sections on literature, the arts

 

III. ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION:

• What do media include?
• In what context does the word media mean the same as news media?
• What does the term press include?
• What format of newspapers do you know?
• Why are tabloids sometimes referred to as the gutter press?
• Who is in charge of newspaper content?
• What are tabloid newspapers often accused of?
• What do celebrities often complain about?
• Which of the mass media do you consider the most entertaining,  
  
• which the most influential? Give your reasons.

 

IV. TEAMWORK PROJECT:

• In groups make up a list of newspapers in your country.
• Classify them into:
• a weekly, a monthly, a quarterly or an annual; 
• quality press, popular press, tabloid press, gutter press;
• national, local,  regional, free sheets 
• Search in the Internet for their circulation and readership
• Present your findings in a written and oral report in front of a group.

   

V. ROLE-PLAY

   

You’re invited to participate in a press conference with a director of the First Channel.

   

Student A: the director of the First Channel.

   

Other Students: the journalists, who should prepare the interesting and provocative questions about the role of mass media in our country.

   

Here are some phrases which will help you to manage any meeting and a conference.

   

Opening a meeting

   

Starting

Let’s get down to business. We'd better start. OK, shall we make a start? Right, let's begin.

   

Welcoming

We're very pleased to welcome . . . It’s a pleasure to welcome ... I’d   (particularly) like to welcome . . . I'd like to start by welcoming . . .

   

Introducing

I’d like to introduce . . . / don't think you've met . . . Can I introduce...?

   

Stating purpose/objectives/aims

We are here today to…  Our aim is to…  The purpose of this meeting / conference is to... By the end of this meeting / conference, we need...

   

Setting the agenda

As you'll see from the agenda... Have you all seen a copy of the agenda?  I suggest we take this item first / next / last. There are three items on the agenda. Is there any other issue for discussion?

   

Timing

This should take about two hours. The meeting is due to finish at... We’re short of time, so can I ask you to be brief? I'd like to keep each item to ten minutes, otherwise we'll never get through. I would like to aim for a three o'clock finish. I would like to finish by four o'clock.

   

Interrupting, commenting, and resuming       

   

Interrupting

Excuse me, may I interrupt / stop you here for a moment/ come in here with my idea?  Just a moment... Can I say something here? Bella, sorry ... (Using someone's name is a good way to get their attention).

   

Commenting

Yes ... that s interesting. That's a good point. I see what you mean.

   

Emphasizing

I’d like to point out … Let me emphasize … Can I just draw your attention to...?

   

Finishing what you want to say

Just let me finish. I'll come to that in a moment. I haven't finished what I was saying.

No, wait a moment... May I just finish?

   

Considering alternatives

Have you considered...? What about...? There's another way of looking at this.

... is worth considering.

   

Referring     

You said … You know what you said about… Somebody mentioned …

   

Summarizing, clarifying, and closing

   

Completing the agenda

Right, it looks as though we've covered the main areas / main points.

I

think that just about covers everything.

Is

there anything more to discuss?

   

Summarizing  

Before we

close, let me

summarize

the main points. Shall I just go over the main points?

So,

to sum up...

   

Agreeing and assigning actions

So,

what’s the next step? Ann, could you let us have a report...? David has agreed to look into

... So,

Nina, you're going to write up

...

Basically, I'd like you to

...

   

Asking for clarification

Could you just explain / clarify

...? I'd

like to clarify one thing.

   

Ensuring that everything is clear

OK, is that clear? Let me just clarify one thing. Do you all see what I’'m getting at?

So, I hope everything's clear. Obviously,... / Clearly,

...

   

Closing the meeting

Let’s

stop there. I'm afraid we'll have to finish here. I declare the meeting closed (formal). Let's call it a day (informal).

   

Useful verbs

to clarify / to write up / to explain / to interpret / to put (something) another way / to recap (on something)

   

Useful nouns

a summary / a decision / a report / an outcome /  a write-up /

a recommendation

   

For more information on presentations see also the Internet resource.

   How to Run a Good Conference

: 

http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/000750

Guide on the Side - Meeting Skills: Antidote for Bad Meetings

http://www.llrx.com/columns/guide25.htm

How to conduct a meeting

http://www.write101.com/meeting-procedure.htm

Meeting Skills

http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/jpt/mecha/projects/Meetings.pdf

How to Conduct a Review Meeting

http://saulcarliner.home.att.net/oll/chap10reviewmeeting.htm 

Unit 2. NEWSPAPER HASN’T GONE OFF

Lead-in:

• What type of newspapers do you know?
• How do you think what information goes on the front page?
• Is advertising an important part of releasing a newspaper?

 
 

1. Read the text. Study the main points and make up a scheme of the newspaper skeleton .

 

THE SCELETON OF A NEWSPAPER

   

Long before any of the words are written the editor knows what tomorrow’s newspaper is going to look like - from a dummy.

   

Dummies are blank pages, exactly the same size as the real paper, with spaces, which have been booked for advertisements crossed out. The crosses are accurately measured to indicate the exact space the advertisements will occupy in the finished paper.

   

Every newspaper has its own shape, size and general layout. This is known as its format.

   

A format makes life easier for both journalists and readers. If really important news comes in, such as a general strike, everyone knows it goes on the front page. The results of a football match belong unquestionably on the sports pages, and an interview with a pop singer will never be mixed up with share prices. Likewise, the television and radio programmes won’t jump from page to page each day. They will always be in the same place where regular readers can find them.   

   

The format will vary from paper to paper. Some newspapers set out with the main intention of entertaining their readers. They will have lots of photographs, illustrations and cartoons and large eye-catching headlines. These are known as “popular” papers and often use the rather smaller “tabloid” format.

   

Other newspapers are aimed at the more serious or committed readers: those who like their news in-depth want to know how well the dollar and the pound and the deutschmark are doing and what the latest trading figures are. The newspapers that cater for them are known as “heavy” or “quality” papers. They usually give much greater emphasis to foreign news and the arts and have fewer photographs.

   

At 11.00 a.m. the editor calls his morning conference. Departmental editors with clipboards and pens file into his office and sit themselves down.

   

The news editor begins. He has six possible lead stories for tomorrow’s paper: a mining accident, a mountaineering death in the Himalayas, a restaurant blown up by terrorists, an Asian writer who had died in police detention, the kidnap of a foreign industrialist's child, and a fire at a local power station.

   

The diary editor has five ideas to work on, including a rumour about a film star marrying for the third time, which he heard at a dinner party last night.

   

The features editor explains how she was planning to use an interview with a ventriloquist, but another paper ran a similar article this morning.

   

“Then spike it”, the editor declares. “What else have you got? What about something to tie in with the Himalayan story?”

   

“Yes”, says the features editor. “One of our freelances is a very keen climber. I'll see if I can get him to write something”.

   

The sports editor announces he is expecting results from the Test Match, a report from the tennis championship, and a profile on the golfer tipped to win the British Open.

   

The picture editor reports that some good shots of the restaurant blast have come, and two photographers are covering the fire at the power station.

   

When they all meet again in the editor’s office at 5.00 p.m. for the afternoon conference, they look at the stories once more.

   

Further details have come in about the mining accident. There are now known to be 35 people trapped underground and rescue operations are under way.

   

The story of the death of the Asian politician is unchanged. The details seem confused, but the police now claim that the man tried to escape from prison.

   

The fire still rages at the power station - but all the early evening papers have led with the restaurant blast.

   

The meeting breaks up.

   

At 7.00 p.m. a politician speaks out and accuses the Asian police of murder. This makes the story far more important. On the other hand, the fire provides good local interest.

   

At 8.30 part of the burning building collapses, killing two firemen, That decides it. The main lead for tomorrow's paper is the firemen. The second story covers the politician, and the mining accident is spread across four columns at the bottom of the page.

So another edition goes to press (Телень Э.Ф. Газета в современном мире. Пособие по английскому языку. М.: Вш.шк., 2007). 

   

II. Answer the questions using the text:

• What is a dummy?
• Why does a format make life easier for both journalists and readers?
• What is a “popular” paper? What would you expect to find in a “popular” paper?
• What’s a “quality” paper? What kind of readers do “quality” papers cater for?
• What “popular” and “quality” newspapers in Britain do you know?
• Describe the editor’s morning conference.
• What normally decides the main lead for the paper?

   

III. In the newspaper the headlines play the most important role in the absorbing readers’ attention. Below you can see 7 ways to write a good headline. Read through them. 

   

7 Effective Ways To Writing Headlines That Will Be Read

   

1. Filter

   

Having a bad flu? Learning how to drive? Drivers! Singles!

   

This approach of writing headlines acts as a filter that only appeals to people who fall under the category you are calling out to.

   

2. Attention Grabbers

   

Introducing! Finally! Warning! Caution! Danger!

   

This approach of writing headlines is known to make eyeballs turn simply because of their power to grab our attention. Writing headlines using this approach works best by leading with words that suggests danger.