In newspaper headlines (Headlinese style)

1. Most verbs are in the Simple Present, e.g.: Governor signs bill.

2. The future is expressed as “to” followed by a verb, e.g.: Governor to sign bill.

In Hot News writers can use the Present Perfect to announce news and the Past Simple to give the details of what happened at a definite time:

• Have your heard? Maria has just quit. She went up to the boss and shouted.

• What did the boss say?

• Nothing! He just looked really shocked and told us to get on with our work!

In providing a commentary on the events as they occur, reporters and commentators use the Present Simple instead of the Present Continuous

e.g.: Ronaldo dribbles round the defender and shoots.

TASK 9

Examine the specific grammar of the Headlinese style. Identify the meaning of the headlines:

1. STOLEN PAINTING FOUND BY TREE

1. Has a tree managed to find a stolen painting?

2. Did someone find a stolen painting next to a tree?

2. WOMAN IMPROVING AFTER FATAL CRASH

1. Has the woman made a miraculous recovery after being killed in an accident?

2. Was the woman involved in a fatal accident in which she was injured?

3. MAN HELD OVER HUGE BUSH FIRE

1. Did people dangle the man over the flames of a huge bush fire?

2. Did the man get arrested for starting a huge fire?

4. MORE STUDENTS ARE TURNING TO VEGETABLES

1. Is the education system so bad that students are becoming vegetables?

2. Are students beginning to eat more vegetables in their diets?

5. MINERS REFUSE TO WORK AFTER DEATH

1. Do dead miners refuse to work?

2. Are the miners refusing to work after a colleague has died?

6. JUVENILE COURT TO TRY SHOOTING DEFENDANT

1. Are they going to shoot the defendant?

2. Is the defendant guilty of shooting someone else?

TASK 10

Read the passage. State and explain grammar usage of the highlighted verbs:

Here is the Saturday morning news. Public transportation unions have just put an end to the ten day strike. Millions of commuters were really pleased to hear the news. Negotiations on retirement issues started two days ago, within the companies. Unions decided to return to work yesterday evening, but they also threatened to start another strike in December if the results of the negotiations don’t meet their requirements.

TASK 11

Read the news brief. Use the necessary tense form of the verbs (keep in mind the text is a piece of journalism writing):

Now it’s 21.30 on 23rd November, 2007. A strong hurricane (to pass through) Bangladesh. But the country has very poor capabilities to overcome this natural destruction within a very short time. So it takes a lot of time to recover. The people of Bangladesh (to be) really shocked although they (to hear) the precaution but (not to believe) that alert.

TASK 12

Use the appropriate grammar tense:

1. Journalists (to question) sources and (to dig) around for news pegs as part of their daily routine.

2. People say the media (to be) biased today.

3. The Internet (to change) the way people (to get) news in the recent years.

4. She (to host) the morning news show for about five years before the channel (to change) its broadcasting policy.

5. Reporters Without Borders (to release) its annual Press Freedom Index last Tuesday.

6. Some ace journalists believe new media (to destroy) the credibility of mainstream journalism.

7. He is a very motivated student. By graduation from university he (to file) a good portfolio and (to get) his foot in the media door.

8. Some of the stories we (to cover) were really inspiring.

9. Meeting deadlines always (to be) an integral part of the newsroom reality.

10. The way information is delivered to the public (to transform) greatly in the recent years, and it (to change) even more by the 2020s.

TYPES OF JOURNALISM

Journalism can be admired and hated, it can be profitable and dangerous, routine and glamorous, conditioned by the medium (as print or broadcast) and tailored to the public (like specialized editions or social networking platforms), professional and amateur. Later in this book you will learn about the specifics of print, broadcast and web journalism.

Whatever the medium, journalism is always associated with the investigation and reporting of news, including political and social issues, current events, and popular trends.Throughout the years, there have been different types of journalism developed that have given different dimensions to the field of mass media. Some of these are: news journalism, celebrity journalism, sports journalism, investigative, citizen, business and finance, environmental journalism.

 READING AND DISCUSSING 1

TASK 13

Learn more about different types of journalism from the following text. Decide which type of journalism is described in each paragraph. Remember to write out key words for your vocabulary and cognitive maps on the topic:

1. news journalism,

2. business and finance journalism,

3. celebrity journalism,

4. investigative* journalism,

5. fashion journalism,

6. citizen journalism,

7. sports journalism,

8. environmental journalism.

Text 1

1. ( ) Here, the primary aim of the journalist is to report on events in a straight-forward manner that covers all the required facts. The style is concise and precise with focus on the gist of the story. The facts must be crosschecked to avoid media bias. Here, the story can be for the print media, television, radio, etc. Such news pieces often cover politics and social movements. Stories based on political suppression or abuse of human rights have proved instrumental in effecting many a social change, or giving voice to the oppressed.

2. ( ) The journalist is connected to news and events related to famous people from the entertainment world and also from music, sports, dance, art and politics. This journalism is all about news that is related to people’s professional and personal life. Reporting gossip is one of the angles of this, wherein journalists are often accused of misconstruing news or quotes in a deliberate fashion.

3. ( ) It is all about articles or reports related to the fashion world. Journalists are also known as fashion writers or fashion editors. The primary job is to cover the latest issues in the fashion business or develop lifestyle articles. Today, there are many television channels that cater only to this kind of journalism, which gives ample opportunity for journalists who have a passion to cover such topics.

4. ( ) This kind of journalism is about unearthing facts and studying cases that may require more efforts, which can take months or even years. Journalists who specialize in this branch create headlines with news that expose scandals. Sometimes, persistent follow-up of a story proves beneficial to uncover some hitherto unsolved cases. This would require in-depth research from the journalist along with evidence.

5. ( ) Here, journalists spend hours reporting on a particular sport event. A journalist has to report the accurate facts and statistics related to that event. Interviews with celebrity sport stars are yet one of the interesting features. Although sports-lovers watch the live coverage thanks to the media, there are many people who still enjoy reading or watching in-depth details about the event.

6. ( ) It is not only the professional journalists who are responsible for the news reports. Any person can participate and report news to the media. He / she collects and reports news to the media and participates voluntarily to offer help to the media. They bring to notice issues that may have been missed by media houses.

7. ( ) There are many journalists who prefer to cover issues related to the non-human world with which humans necessarily interact. These journalists must have an understanding of scientific language and practice, knowledge of environmental events, the ability to keep abreast of environmental policy decisions and the work of accountable organizations, a general understanding of current environmental concerns, and the ability to communicate all of that information to the public in a clear and understandable way, despite its complexity.

8. ( ) The journalist or reporter covers in-depth reports about the latest developments in business, launch of products, stock markets situation, etc. To work in this field it requires sufficient understanding of both domestic and international politics and economics to be able to report on a wide range of issues relating to business and finance, and to do so with the ability to humanize complex subjects, making them accessible to a general audience.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/types-of-journalism.html

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