ESL Vocabulary – News and Journalism (list, definitions, sample sentences, and review worksheet)

(vocab list, definitions, sample sentences, and review worksheet)

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 VOCAB LIST: News and Journalism

journalist – a person who writes and reports the news

• • My cousin wants to be a journalist because he likes to write and he is interested in current events.

correspondent (n.) – a journalist who works for a media network and (usually) reports on a specific topic (such as foreign news, sports, business, etc.)

• • Major news networks often have several foreign correspondents working in many different countries.

anchor (n.) – a person who reads the news on TV

• • Mainstream news networks often hire attractive news anchors to get more people to watch their news programs.

politician – a person who works in politics or serves in the government

• • Journalists often interview politicians about important government stories.

celebrity – a person who is famous (usually an actor, actress, singer, etc.)

• • Many people are interested in the love lives of celebrities.
  • Many celebrities attended the awards show last night.

tabloids – newspapers and magazines that focus on celebrity news and exciting stories

• • Tabloids are very popular because people enjoy reading about celebrities and their relationships.

sensationalism (n.) – exaggerated news that seeks to get people’s attention
sensationalize (v.) – exaggerated news that seeks to get people’s attention

• • Tabloids are often criticized for focusing on sensationalism and stretching the truth.
  • I don’t trust tabloids because they tend to sensationalize the news.

coverage (n.) – the attention given to a news story by a media outlet
cover (v.) – to report about a story or issue

• • The BBC gives a lot of coverage to international news.
  • Tabloids tend to cover celebrity news and romantic stories.

manipulate – to change the truth and try to influence people to agree with your opinion

• • People used to get their news from print and broadcast media, but in recent years more people have turned to online media for their news.

bias (n.) – a strong opinion about an issue; an unwillingness to consider other opinions
biased (adj.) – having an opinion about an issue and being unwilling to consider other opinions

• • Politicians often say the mainstream media is biased and unfair.

VOCAB REVIEW: News and Journalism

Fill in the blanks with the words below: 

journalist / correspondent / tabloid / anchor

network / politicians / celebrities

manipulate / sensationalism / affiliate / coverage

The BBC is one of the most well-known news _______________ in the world. They are based in the UK, but they have _______________ in almost every country in the world. On their international news network, BBC World, they give _______________ to events all over the world. The _______________ are very professional-looking and they read the news clearly and with a very serious attitude. Last year, their business _______________ John Johnson won the award for Best International Business Reporting.

However, there are also many, less serious, media outlets in the UK. Every day, many people read _______________, which contain stories about the personal lives of _______________ and _______________. Many people dislike these tabloids, because they say that the _______________ write stories that are not true and _______________ stories to try to make them more interesting. Because of this, many people protested outside the offices of one of the country’s biggest tabloids, saying, “This is not news. It is _______________!”