How does a news story become a headline?

Answer each question with 2–3 sentences.

1. Where do you get your news?
2. Do you read the whole article or only the headline?
3. Have you ever shared a story that turned out to be wrong?
4. Which news source do you trust most?
5. Do you think news is mostly bad news?
6. Do you pay for any news?

Read each word and the example. Then say a sentence about the news.

Choose the word that fits.

1. The line at the top of an article, written in large letters, is the .
2. Journalists must a claim with a second source before they publish it.
3. Headlines that exaggerate to attract clicks are known as .
4. Readers noticed in the report, which seemed to favour one party.
5. The newspaper printed a the next day, admitting that a name was wrong.
6. A story that one paper publishes before any other is called a .
7. The report was under until midday, so no outlet could publish it earlier.
8. A newspaper's decides which stories are published and how they are written.

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

1. a headline is the title of a
   news storyfilmbank account
2. to verify = to check that something is
   loudcheaptrue
3. bias is an unfair preference for one
   sidehourstreet
4. a correction fixes an earlier
   errormealjourney
5. a spokesperson speaks
   secretlyofficiallyprivately
   for an organisation
6. sensational = designed to
   shock or excitehide or savebore or tire

Use these phrases to report what people said.

• She said that she had...Вона сказала, що вона вже...She said that she had checked the story.
• He told us that... would...Він сказав нам, що...He told us that the paper would publish a correction.
• They asked whether...Вони запитали, чи...They asked whether the source was reliable.
• She wanted to know where...Вона хотіла знати, де...She wanted to know where I had read it.
• The editor told her to...Редактор наказав їй...The editor told her to cut the story.
• He warned us not to...Він попередив нас не...He warned us not to trust the first report.
• It was announced that...Було оголошено, що...It was announced that the talks had ended.
• According to the...За даними...According to the spokesperson, nobody was hurt.

Read the text. Hover over the dotted words for help.

1. The text says that editors decide what counts as news.
   TrueFalse
2. The text says that the writer always writes the headline.
   TrueFalse
3. According to the text, headlines use the present simple for past events.
   TrueFalse
4. The text says that responsible papers never make mistakes.
   TrueFalse
5. The text suggests that readers sometimes share stories without opening them.
   TrueFalse

1. Why does bad news seem to dominate?
2. Who should write headlines, the writer or someone else?
3. Should newspapers apologise for mistakes on the front page?
4. How can readers protect themselves from misleading headlines?

Common mistakes: after a past reporting verb shift the tense back (had finished, would announce), use if / whether with normal word order in reported questions, and use tell + object + (not) to for commands. ✗ She said she has finished it the day before → had finished. ✗ He asked did I see it → whether I had seen it. ✗ She told me don't go → not to go. ✗ He asked where had I been → where I had been.

1. She said that she
   had finishedhas finished
   the report the day before.
2. He asked me
   did I seewhether I had seen
   the story.
3. The editor told the reporter
   checkto check
   the facts.
4. The spokesperson said that the company
   will announcewould announce
   the results the following day.
5. Headline for a future event: Talks
   resumedto resume
   next week.
6. She asked where
   had the journalist gotthe journalist had got
   the information.
7. He told us not
   publishto publish
   the name.
8. Two men
   arrestedarresting
   after market fire.

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

1. She said that she has finished the report the day before. →
2. He asked me did I see the story. →
3. The editor told the reporter check the facts. →
4. She asked where had the journalist got the information. →
5. He told us don't publish the name. →
6. The spokesperson said the company will announce results the following day. →

Answer in detail. Use reported speech.

1. What did your teacher or boss say to you last week? Report it.
2. Tell me what a friend asked you recently, in reported speech.
3. What headline would you write about your day?
4. Which headline have you seen recently that misled you?
5. What did the news say yesterday? Report one story.
6. If you were an editor, what would you tell your reporters to do?

Three people talk about how news is made. Compare them. Who trusts the media most? Who trusts it least? Whose view is closest to yours?

Your teacher will time you.

1. Plan for one minute, then speak for one or two minutes.
2. Part 1: describe where you get your news and how you check it.
3. Part 2: report something that someone told or asked you recently (use at least three reported structures).
4. Part 3: say how you think headlines should change.

1. How do you usually read the news?
2. Do you ever check a second source?
3. What was the last headline that you remember?
4. Do you think headlines are often misleading?
5. Have you ever read a correction?
6. Which news do you skip?
7. Do you trust social media for news?
8. What did a friend tell you yesterday?

1. Who in your family reads the news every day?
2. Who told you the last big piece of news?
3. Who do you trust to give you honest information?
4. Who asked you something interesting this week?
5. Who would make a good editor?
6. Who in your life always shares stories without checking?

1. Should news always be impartial?
2. Is clickbait harmful?
3. Do we need professional editors in the internet age?
4. Should newspapers charge for online news?
5. Can a headline ever be completely fair?