Read All About It! - Page 73

C2 Proficiency · Gapped Text · Ready for C2 Proficiency Student's Book, Macmillan

You are going to read an article on attracting newspaper readership. Seven paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs A–H the one which fits each gap (1–7). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

Today's is an endless stream, and dubious or even fake news continues to be an effective way of making money. In fact, many of today's news stories shouldn't genuinely qualify as news. They are simply there to generate clicks by dangling a tasty morsel of a story that inevitably turns out to be disappointing.

Anything that frequently cites 'anonymous sources' should also be eyed with caution, especially in investigative articles on the rich and famous, as the likelihood is that the source is simply non-existent. Likewise, anything in the article that is overtly fanning the flames of excitement, anger, or controversy should raise suspicion.

There was uproar on social media when a banned books list was circulated for Florida schools, and on it was the American classic To Kill a Mockingbird. The list was shared widely, even though its source was unknown, and in fact, a complete fabrication. Fortunately, in this case, the Florida state government proved that the book was on the schools reading list.

What makes it impossible to resist a non-news story? Do we truly enjoy these stories, or just read them because they're there? Well, engagement usually starts from an emotional response, so like news headlines, titles of links are there to whip up some form of excitement, and there is some indication that the most effective way to do so is to target anger and indignation.

However, we shouldn't feel too ashamed of falling for something like this. After all, it happens to the best of us. A number of books, and even the Scottish government had referenced one 'Alan MacMasters' as the inventor of the toaster, unwittingly falling for the fake information put online by a class of students.

Accusations of 'yellow journalism' were levied against some big-name newspapers virtually at their foundation, proving that this aspersion is not just a 21st century phenomenon. This term described a paper that published salacious and sensationalist stories, the accuracy of which seemed neither here nor there to the newspaper, but in doing so, resulted in increased circulation.

We, the readers, also have a part to play by thinking and checking before we share news. However, while people who are unsure about an issue tend to look up their sources, unfortunately those with stronger opinions tend not to bother to corroborate any evidence that supports their ideas.

Needless to say, this supposed scoop of theirs sold in incredible quantities, which was a great bonus for a paper that relied on advertising revenue for its income. After all, why would the advertisers focus on the reliability of stories, when the ones with the biggest reaction sold the most?

The Great Moon Hoax of 1835, where the New York Sun published a series of articles detailing astronomer John Herschel's supposed observations of unicorns and giant man-bats on the moon, is a case in point. Regrettably, Herschel himself, deeply ensconced in study and thousands of miles away in South Africa, was powerless to counteract these absurd claims.

Fortunately for us, there are some tell-tale signs of such news articles that are still helpful to the general reader today. Firstly, large graphics and pictures are frequently used to entice the reader, in addition to sensationalist language. After all, hard-hitting words like scrap or oust can easily draw more attention than boring old remove ever will.

These techniques have been used by some in the news business since the beginning of the 20th century and still are today. However, where the news once wore its banner of ownership quite clearly, now it's a lot harder to discern its origin. With one click, we can be taken through a tour of any number of news sites without ever knowing who owns them or their veracity.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has clicked on links like 'This is how you earn

A study of 200,000 social media users by Beihang University in China, found that posts exploiting those kinds of emotions are three times more likely to be shared or retweeted than any other kind. So, perhaps there is some truth in the old adage that 'bad news travels fast', whether it turns out to be fact or fiction.

It is situations like this, and the distribution of far more serious misinformation, that has led to the rise of fact-checking websites in more recent times, which, although perhaps going some way to offering us reliability in our news, are by no means a panacea. There are over 300 fact-checking websites throughout the world, and they are still dwarfed by the sheer volume of misinformation on the internet.

What we can say with some certainty is that although the truth may well be out there, it isn't always easy to find. Even the savviest reader can fall prey to a hoax story or two, so how can we expect to know the difference?

It's good to be in the know, so to speak, but how much do we really know of what's going on in the world around us? We tend to assume that news outlets will keep us well-informed on any subject we might care to know about, but we overlook the fact that news isn't just a service, it's a business. In fact, many go so far as to claim that, for some news sources, offering objective information isn't even on their radar. ___ The Great Moon Hoax of 1835, where the New York Sun published a series of articles detailing astronomer John Herschel's supposed observations of unicorns and giant man-bats on the moon, is a case in point. Regrettably, Herschel himself, deeply ensconced in study and thousands of miles away in South Africa, was powerless to counteract these absurd claims. ___ Fortunately for us, there are some tell-tale signs of such news articles that are still helpful to the general reader today. Firstly, large graphics and pictures are frequently used to entice the reader, in addition to sensationalist language. After all, hard-hitting words like scrap or oust can easily draw more attention than boring old remove ever will. ___ These techniques have been used by some in the news business since the beginning of the 20th century and still are today. However, where the news once wore its banner of ownership quite clearly, now it's a lot harder to discern its origin. With one click, we can be taken through a tour of any number of news sites without ever knowing who owns them or their veracity. ___ I'm sure I'm not the only one who has clicked on links like 'This is how you earn

000 an hour' or 'You won't believe what child stars look like NOW!' only to see old, hackneyed information that is no surprise, and certainly no news to anyone. But that's the way sites can make money, and it's everywhere. ___ A study of 200,000 social media users by Beihang University in China, found that posts exploiting those kinds of emotions are three times more likely to be shared or retweeted than any other kind. So, perhaps there is some truth in the old adage that 'bad news travels fast', whether it turns out to be fact or fiction. ___ It is situations like this, and the distribution of far more serious misinformation, that has led to the rise of fact-checking websites in more recent times, which, although perhaps going some way to offering us reliability in our news, are by no means a panacea. There are over 300 fact-checking websites throughout the world, and they are still dwarfed by the sheer volume of misinformation on the internet. ___ What we can say with some certainty is that although the truth may well be out there, it isn't always easy to find. Even the savviest reader can fall prey to a hoax story or two, so how can we expect to know the difference?

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