5.4. Thinking and Trusting

5.4.1. Discussion spot.

Which is your most trusted mass-medium? Do you always trust what is said/written? Do you practice verifying the facts using alternative mass-media?

5.4.2. Who lied and got caught

Open a newspaper and you expect to read, more or less, the truth. So what happens when it turns out that journalists invent their stories? Ask Stephen Glass or Jayson Blair or Janet Cook. They all spent parts of their careers inventing stories before being caught and fired.

Imagine the scene:

Washington DC, 1980. Janet Cooke writes a long article for The Washington Post describing the world of eight-year-old Jimmy, a child living in terrible conditions in the poorest part of the city. She writes about every detail of his life, even describing the “baby-smooth skin of his brown arms”. The story shocks Washington, and Cooke wins a Pulitzer Prize for outstanding journalism. But when the city government tries to find Jimmy to help him, Cooke goes quiet. Under pressure, she eventually admits that Jimmy doesn’t exist.

Stephen Glass, a star reporter at The New Republic magazine, invented stories for years. “My life was one very long process of lying and lying again to work out how to cover those other lies”, he says. Glass made great efforts to avoid getting caught. He created fake notes, fake faxes, fake e-mail addresses; he even designed a website for a company that didn’t exist. Eventually, he got caught when he wrote a story about a 15-year-old boy at a conference of computer hackers. His editor insisted on seeing the conference room. Of course, there was no conference room. And no conference either. And no 15-year-old boy. Glass’s career as a journalist was finished, but he wrote a novel about his life, The Fabulist.

The most recent case was Jayson Blair. A 27-year-old journalist for The New York Times, Blair invented details for at least 36 of the 73 articles he wrote in his final seven months with the newspaper. He frequently pretended that he was doing interviews with people all over the USA, from Ohio to Texas, when in fact he was simply inventing the stories in New York, or copying them from other media. When the truth came out in 2002, the media world was shocked.

The message for us, the public? Don’t believe everything you read, even if it comes from your favourite, trusted newspaper!

5.4.2.1. Find the words or expressions from the text that mean:

1. people who break into technological systems illegally

2. was revealed

3. top journalist

4. removed from a job

5. demanded

6. in a stressful situation

5.4.3. Discussion spot.

Have you ever lied when writing a composition for your English lessons? What were the reasons for such deed?

5.4.4. Studying phrasal verbs. Read the page from the dictionary and make sure you understand all given examples.

bring vt (with prepositions and adverbs)

to bring about to cause smth: What brought about this quarrel?

to bring back to recall

to bring to mind (things of the past): The snapshot brought back to me my childhood.

to bring down 1) to cause smth or smb to fall or come down: The hunter brought down a deer. 2) to reduce (a price): Shopkeepers have been asked to bring down their prices.

to bring someone down to earth (with a bang/bump) (colloq.) to make someone face reality, unpleasant truth, etc.: He had no idea how food prices had risen, so a day’s shopping soon brought him down to earth with a bump!

to bring forward to suggest (an idea), as to bring forward a proposal.

to bring home to to persuade smb to believe smth: You must bring the difficulty home to John.

to bring in 1) to yield (money), as profit or earnings: He does odd jobs that bring him in ten to twelve pounds a week. 2) to introduce (an idea), as to bring in a bill.

to bring in a verdict (in a court of law) to give a judgement to bring on to cause (to happen): You’ve brought the trouble on yourself.

to bring out 1) to reveal (smth) to be seen or known: Difficulties can bring out a person’s best qualities. 2) to publish (a book, etc.): When are the publishers bringing out his new book?

to bring round to persuade smb to change his opinion: We must bring the rest of the committee round to our point of view.

to bring smb to one’s or to his senses

to bring smb round to cause smb to regain consciousness or remember his surroundings: Some cold water on her face might bring her round (bring her to herself/to her senses). The sudden sound of the train whistle brought me to myself; I had not known how far I had been walking, deep in thought.

to bring up 1) to educate; raise (a child): My aunt brought up four children. 2) to mention or introduce (a subject): Your suggestion will be brought up at the next meeting.

to bring up to date to advance the knowledge of smb, to bring smth level, esp. in time: We must try to bring Mother more up to date with modern styles, and persuade her not to wear such old-fashioned clothes.

5.4.4.1. Translate the following sentences into Ukrainian.

1. How a few words can bring it all back! 2. Clocks and watches should be brought forward one hour from midnight to­night. 3. In his speech he tried to bring out all the salient features of the author’s career. 4. Nothing that she could have done, nothing that she had done, brought home to him like this the inner significance of her act. 5. The punishment cell was a dark, damp, filthy hole under ground. Instead of bringing Arthur “to reason” it thoroughly exasperated him. 6. Nick played so well at the concert that he brought the house down. 7. That scolding should bring him to his senses. 8. Mr. Brown, who is on the editorial board, announced that the case would be brought before the committee the next Tuesday. 9. Clyde’s work at the hotel brought him into contact with different people.

5.4.4.2. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences.

1. Seeing you brought... many memories. 2. The new dress brought... her hidden beauty. 3. How can we bring ... to him the seriousness of his mistake? 4. The cool air outside soon brought her ... . 5. He has just brought... a new book. 6. All children should be brought... to respect their parents. 7. The proposal brought... seemed a foolish one. 8. You must bring ... ... John that it is a matter of great urgency. 9. His remark brought ... a lot of misunderstanding. 10. I did enjoy his lecture. And I think that a slightly sceptical audience brings ... the best in him. 11. They gave him an injection but it did not bring him .... 12. She wants to bring ... all the old customs.

5.4.4.3. Translate the following sentences into English using the phrasal verbs.

1. У наш час ЗМІ щоденно піднімають питання, що потребують нагального вирішення. 2. Тe, що подібні мандри увели родину у великі затрати, викаликало гарячу суперечку. 3. На жаль, іноді через великі гроші виникають нагірші риси у людині. 4. Сумніваюсь, що Вам зможете схилити їх до Вашої точки зору. 5. У середині ХІХ ст. картопляний голод в Ірландії спричинив загибель більш, ніж чверті всього населення острова. 6. Через 11 років після страти Карла І, в 1649 р. в Англії була відновлена монархія. 7. Кожний виступ піаністки, у якої було світове визнання, захоплююче зустрічається публікою. 8. Якби фортепіано не було таке розладжене, його продаж приніс би вдвічі більше грошей. 9. Був прийнятий новий план, що дозволяв робітникам отримувати частину прибутків. 10. Присяжні винесли вирок: невинний.

5.4.5. Discussion spot.

Do you usually trust the news easily? What do you know about world’s best news broadcasters? How often do you watch the news on television? Which channels do you watch? What are the big news stories at the moment?

5.4.6. What do you know about these news companies?

BBC World, Al Jazeera International, OneWorldTV, AllAfrica.com, CNN, World News Network (WNN.com)

5.4.6.1. Read this article from a British in-flight magazine and find out more about the news companies. Choose the best title for the text 1-4.

1. The end of TV news 3. World news, global lies

2. Choose the news 4. Local news, real life

After a long flight you finally arrive in your hotel room and throw your bag on the bed. You turn on TV and watch an international news channel that probably comes from the UK or the USA.

The main international broadcasters are BBC World and CNN. With an audience of over 1.5 billion people, these are popular channels that offer good quality news programmes. In both 10 companies, the journalists are experienced writers that produce journalism of a high standard.

However, there are alternative news channels which people watch because they want a less traditional or non-western view on world events.

Al Jazeera International is an Arabic television news company that started an English language international channel in 2006. With more than 15 offices and professional journalists all over the world, it says it gives a fresh view on the big stories and it shows the news that we don’t normally see.

The Internet offers even more variety. OneWorld is an Internet site which has stories about the developing world and human rights, rather than the usual stories about US politics and business. The writers for this company are often local people who write the stories for free. This non-professional journalism is increasing and it certainly offers more choice.

AIlAfrica.com and WNN.com are also Internet news sites, but they don’t produce the news stories. Instead, they have Sinks to more than 4,000 news organisations across the world. On sites like these, with a click of the mouse, you select the news that you want to see.

So, next time you are in a hotel room, before you turn on the TV, perhaps you should turn on your laptop and discover the world's news yourself.

5.4.6.2. Complete these sentences with the names of the news companies in the text.

1. _______ and _________ are traditional, western news broadcasters.

2. _______, _______ and _____________are not television companies.

3. _________ and ___________ report some different stories from the main broadcasters.

4. __________, ________ and ___________ employ well-trained, professional reporters.

5. ___________ does not usually pay its reporters.

6. ___________ has a special interest in poor countries and their problems.

7. ___________ and _________ are Internet sites that provide links to many news producers.

5.4.7. Listen to the news bulletin. Choose the correct answers.

1. The first news item is about

A a murder

B a kidnapping

C a robbery

2. Richard Steen’s wife is believed to

A be dead

B be searching for her husband

C have gone to another country

3. Glenda Branston was kidnapped

A as she was arriving at her office

B as she was leaving home

C as she was leaving work

4. The vandals were aged between

A six and thirteen

B eight and thirteen

C eight and thirty

5. The parents of the vandals

A were given a warning

B had to pay for the damage

C had to buy new cars

6. What did the Paterson family first think was the noise?

A the water system

B a ghost

C an animal

7. When did Rosie the Chimp disappear from?

A three weeks ago

B four weeks ago

C this morning

5.4.8. Watch the “Wag the Dog” movie fragment (1997). Answer the questions.

• What are the movie main characters? What do they do?

• What kind of news were they shooting?

• Was it the true news? Why do you think so?

• What was the influence of the newsflash they had made?

• Do you agree that the people always believe the news on TV? Why?