1、 adj. 批评的，批判性的批评的，批判性的 To know the content about the two news reports To learn why reports on the same events contain different or even contradictory information To learn what can we do to be critical news readers Inverted Pyramid in News The inverted pyramid is the model for news writing. It simply
2、 means that the heaviest or most important information should be at the top the beginning of your story, and the least important information should go at the bottom. And as you move from top to bottom, the information presented should gradually become less important. Why is the “inverted pyramid” wi
3、dely used in writing news reports? The purpose of news reports is to inform readers of what is happening in the world. It makes senses for the facts to be arranged from most to least important. The “inverted pyramid” allows information to be found quickly in specific sections. Most of us learn about
4、 news through the mass media, but can we just believe news as it is presented? The two news reports and the article below encourage you to be a critical news reader. Before you read the news reports and the article, think about the following questions: Do you believe everything you read in a news re
5、port? Why or why not? I agree with statement that you should not believe everything you read in the newspaper. Firstly, because of the fierce competition between news companies, they are modifying news to attract more customers. Secondly, there is always race of showing news first or breaking news.
6、In this race sometimes newspaper editors do not check truthfulness of that news. Directly write that news without knowing it may be a false information or a half information. Additionally, many powerful people have ties with newspaper editors and reporters to manipulate news in their favor knowing i
7、ts influence on people. Some businessman spread rumors about other competing company products to make them out of competition. What do you think makes a critical news reader? The readers that exercise careful judgement and judicious evaluation while engaged in decoding a written message are critical
8、 readers. Its better to use our own judgement than rely entirely on a single source of news. What are the two news reports? News OneNews Two Firefighters put out tower block fire Deadly fire in tower block causes serious damage What are the biggest differences between the two news reports? Different
9、 emphasis Different details Different background News 1: rescue efforts News 2: the numbers of deaths and injuries Factual differences. The numbers of deaths differ: 12 in news 1 while 30 in news 2 News 1: concerns News 2: further investigation Fake news, misinformation and disinformation Misinforma
10、tion is false or inaccurate information that is mistakenly or inadvertently created or spread; the intent is not to deceive. Disinformation is false information that is deliberately created and spread “in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth”. Some stories may have a nugget of trut
11、h but lack any contextualizing details. They may not include any verifiable facts or sources. Some stories may include basic verifiable facts, but are written using language that is deliberately inflammatory, leaves out pertinent details or only presents one viewpoint. Fake news exists within a larg
12、er ecosystem of mis- and disinformation. Understand the structure of the essay. How do these differences come about? Why do they differ? How can we be a critical reader? Read the two news reports and the article and complete the tables below. A1 TimePlace Deaths and injuries Rescue effortsCause News
13、 report 1 Sunday night Henderson Tower (1) _ _ _ _ (2) _ _ _ _ _ News report 2 4 confirmed dead and dozens of people injured (3) _ _ _ _ The number of death could reach 5 Fire engines and ambulances reached the scene within 15 minutes A dropped cigarette end on a carpet of the 8th floor n. 救护车救护车 n.
14、 许多许多 n. 香烟香烟 n. 地毯地毯 Reading news reports critically Why do news reports differ from or even contradict each other? (4) _ _. News reports may be written at different stages of an event. (5) _ _. How can we be critical news readers? Read different news reports on the same event written from various
15、perspectives and at different stages. (6) _ _. Journalists write the news from different perspectives Journalists may approach information they get from research or interviews differently Its better to use our own judgement than relay entirely on news reports n. 新闻记者新闻记者 vt. 相矛盾相矛盾 Read the two news
16、 reports and the article again carefully and answer the following questions. A2 1 How long did it take the firefighters to get the situation under control according to the first news report? Fire engines and ambulances, called at 9:30 p.m., reached the scene within 15 minutes. They got the situation
17、 under control around 11 p.m. so they spent 1 hour and 15 minutes in total. 2 How did Lisa feel about the fire according to the second news report? It was like an awful dream. 3 What should we not do when we come across factual differences in different news reports? Dont rush to the conclusion that
18、one of the news gives false information, check different sources enables us to draw a more informed conclusion. adj. 根据事实根据事实 的，真实的的，真实的 n. 结论，推论结论，推论 4 What may different journalists do when an estimate of a number is given? Journalists may choose to present the minimum, the maximum or something in
19、 between in their news reports. n. 最小值，最小值， 最少量最少量 n. 最大量，最大量， 最大限度最大限度 In pairs, discuss the following questions. A3 1 Three texts are presented to encourage the reader to read news critically. Why is the information organized this way? If you were to write on the same topic, what information would
20、 you choose to present and how would you organize the information? Using examples to back up statements of fact can add value to your writing. Making a statement without using examples can make your writing muddy, as well as create more work for the reader. Examples make statements clearer, give rea
21、ders more information, and decrease the chances that the fact or idea to be wrongly applied to real-life situations. Comparison and contrast is particularly valuable because it enables you to see familiar things in new ways. Common sense says that two things are the same, but a careful comparison an
22、d contrast demonstrates their important differences. 2 A community needs news, for the same reason that a man needs eyes. It has to see where it is going. How do you understand it? Its said by William Randolph Hearst. He stressed the importance of news in the first half of the sentences. News mainly
23、 informs the public about events that are around them and may affect them. provides a distraction of information about other places people are unable to get to or have little influence over. makes people feel connected too. there is opportunity to advertise. The 2nd half of the sentence shows that t
24、here are misinformation, or disinformation or fake news in the news paper. But Its always difficult to spot them. Therefore, it is better to use our own judgement than rely entirely on a single source of news. 3 What else can we do to be critical news readers? Determine if the article is biased in a
25、ny direction. Determine if the news article states its sources and attributes its information correctly. Determine if the material is accurate. Determine if the use of unnecessary obscenity or graphic images of a violent nature are displayed simply for shock value. dozens of come about for instance bring sth to light sum up be committed to 很多，许多很多，许多 发生发生 例如，比如例如，比如 揭露，披露揭露，披露 总结，概括总结，概括 致力于致力于 Read the text again and recite something of the important sentences.
