News and media – B2 English Vocabulary

News and Media

In this pre-advanced vocabulary lesson, you will learn about the essential words and phrases related to the world of news and media. From television and radio to newspapers and publishing, these terms will help you navigate the ever-evolving landscape of information and communication. Check the following pictures and read the descriptions and examples to grasp the exact meaning of each term and how to use it.

Radio and Television

An 1 anchor is a person who reads the news on television, usually from a recording studio, and a 2 correspondent is a type of journalist who reports news from a specific country or on a particular topic. If you watch a regular news programme, you’re likely to see an anchor delivering the main part of the news, talking to a correspondent who is on video from the place where the news feature is taking place.

• The anchor who reads the news each night has a very clear voice.
• The correspondent was speaking from Turkey, where the earthquake took place.

A 3 viewer is a person who watches a programme, event, or report on television, while a 4 listener is a person who listens to these things on the radio.

• The programme has over 200,000 regular viewers.
• The majority of the radio station’s listeners are over the age of sixty.

The verb 5 broadcast means to send out or show a programme on the radio, television, or internet. Broadcast can also be a noun, meaning any programme that is shown by the media.

• The programme has been broadcast in over 30 countries.
• Most of the station’s broadcasts are news-related.

6 Live coverage is the term used to describe a programme or report that is broadcast while it is happening or has just happened. This is common with pressing news reports, concerts, and important sporting events.

• Live coverage of the match enabled viewers all over to watch the match as it happened.

We use the term 7 breaking news when referring to news or events that are reported as they are developing or that have happened very recently, so if something is breaking news, you may not have heard about it yet.

• We’ve just heard some breaking news about an explosion in the capital.

A 8 talk show is a programme on television or radio in which famous people are interviewed. Talk shows are usually filmed in front of a live audience in a studio and are also referred to as chat shows.

• One of my favourite actors was interviewed on a local talk show.

9 Commercials or ads are paid advertisements that are broadcast on television or radio, usually to promote a product or inform people about an important issue or event. They are played at various points during or between programmes.

• The only thing I don’t like about the channel is the fact that there are so many commercials.

The term 10 ratings refers to measurements of how good a programme, film, or product is based on the opinions of people who have watched or used them. Many of us often read the ratings before deciding to watch something or purchase a product.

• The programme had received high ratings, so I assumed it would be good.

A 11 current affairs programme is a programme in which people discuss topics or events of interest that are happening in the world at the present time. These can be political, social, or environmental matters on which speakers often express their views.

• We watched a current affairs programme about the war last night.

A 12 weather forecast is a prediction of what the weather will be like in the coming days. Weather forecasts can be broadcast on television or radio and are often shown at the end of the daily news. They are also a regular feature in daily newspapers, appearing in written and illustrated form.

• The weather forecast for the weekend is not good.

Newspapers and Publishing

A 1 headline is a line of words printed in larger writing that you see at the top of articles in newspapers and magazines, especially on the front page. When something makes the headlines, it is important and is receiving a lot of media attention.

• The story made the headlines in newspapers all over the country.

An 2 article is a piece of writing that you find in newspapers, magazines, and online. They usually contain a headline and focus on a particular story.

• I read an interesting article in yesterday’s newspaper.

3 Editorial articles express the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board on a particular issue. They often reflect the newspaper’s stance on important topics.

• The editorial in today’s newspaper discusses climate change and its impact.

4 Small ads are brief, simply designed advertisements that you see in newspapers and at the back of certain magazines. Small ads are usually printed in small type and are often found in the classified section of newspapers.

• I checked the small ads in the paper to see if there were any job vacancies listed.

A 5 journalist is a person whose job is to collect news and write about it for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio, and an 6 editor is a person who checks and corrects articles and books before they are published. So, after a journalist submits an article, it is always checked by an editor. An editor is also the person who is in charge of a newspaper or magazine and who decides what will be published in each edition of it.

• After the journalist had submitted the article, the editor checked it.

A 7 column is a piece of writing that appears regularly in a newspaper or magazine and is usually written by the same person. They usually focus on a particular topic and appear in the same part of a newspaper in every publication.

• I read his column in the Saturday paper every week.

A 8 press release is an official written statement that is shared with the media. For example, if the president of a country makes an important announcement, the media will be informed of it through a press release.

• The Queen’s abdication was announced in a press release.

A 9 feature is a piece of writing that you see in newspapers and magazines that is longer than a regular article. They vary in type but usually cover a topic in greater depth than a regular article and often look at it from a different perspective.

• I read a five-page feature about veganism in a food magazine last week.

The 10 front page is the first page of a newspaper, containing the most important news of the day. If a story makes the front page, it is printed on the first page of a newspaper.

• The scandalous revelation about the mayor’s secret dealings made the front page of the city newspaper.

A 11 tabloid is a type of newspaper that has small pages and short articles. They are often considered to be less serious than regular newspapers and usually contain a lot of photos.

• The tabloid featured sensationalist headlines about the celebrity’s supposed alien encounter.

A 12 media outlet is a broadcasting channel providing news, information and feature stories to the public by way of newspapers, magazines, social media and the Internet, television and radio.

• The news company has a number of popular media outlets.

13 Censorship is the prohibition of parts or the whole of an article, book, or other publication from being made available to the public because it is believed to be unsuitable, harmful, or offensive. Censorship is often used for political reasons or to protect a person’s privacy.

• The article was not published for censorship reasons.
• The government has strict censorship laws.

There are also some important adjectives that are used to describe articles and features. 14 Biased is an adjective that we use to describe an article in which the writer illustrates their own personal opinions or preferences rather than simply providing information. 15 Unbiased has the opposite meaning, so an unbiased article is written in a more informative, neutral tone.

• The writer’s scepticism was evident throughout the biased article.
• The feature was informative and unbiased.

The word 16 sensationalist is used to describe headlines or articles that are written in a style that is intended to provoke interest, often at the expense of accuracy. Sensationalist articles usually appear in tabloids and have headlines that are often exaggerated so as to grasp the attention of the reader.

• The tabloid is full of sensationalist articles, many of which are hard to believe.