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ПОСОБИЕ ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ ДЛЯ СТУДЕНТОВ ГУМАНИТАРНЫХ ВУЗОВ 51

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Human interest

People like to read about other people. That is why the news media often focus on the lives of the rich and famous or even the poor and downtrodden.

A journalist may focus on the plight of one welfare family to illustrate the prob-lemes of the entire social services system. Television news, which tries to explain com­plex issues in a minute or two, often uses the vehicle of personalizing the problem or issue by letting one individual or family speak. Indeed, people would rather listen to the problems of a welfare mother in her own words than view a series of bar charts showing the decline in state funding.

Conflict

When two or more groups advocate different points of view on a topic of current interest, this creates news. Indeed, reporters often fuel the controversy by quoting one side and then asking the other side for a comment.

Organizations get coverage when they state a point of view that is contrary to other points of view.

Newness

Advertising and marketing people say that the two words they find most useful are "new" and "free". You will seldom use "free", but you should constantly search for somethimg "new". Any news release announcing a new product or service has a good chance of being published. Every year, the automobile companies get major coverage in the media when they announce their new models.

New uses for old products are the basis of most food publicity. There is nothing new about potatoes or walnuts, yet food editors steadily publish new recipes for these and scores of other foods..

One note of caution. The news media are getting somewhat distrustful of claims that a product or service is "new". In many cases, the only thing "new" about a product is the packaging: from an editor's point of view, that is not "new" enough.

□ Words and word-combinations

1. to focus on — фокусировать внимание на, привлекать внимание к ч.-л.

2. downtrodden — угнетенный

3. the plight of — (затруднительное, плохое) положение или состояние к.-н.

4. vehicle — зд. средство выражения мысли (передачи)

5. chart — карта, диаграмма, таблица

6. to fuel — подливать масла в огонь, подогревать

7. free (of charge) — бесплатный

8. recipe — рецепт (кулинарный)

9. scores of — десятки ч.-л.

10. caution — 1) предостережение; 2) осторожность

11. distrustful — недоверчивый

12. claim — заявление, утверждение (часто голословное)