ESL Podcast 541 - Reporting the News

news reporter - a person whose job is to research and describe important current events for a newspaper, magazine, TV news program, radio news program, or a news website

Which news reporter is covering the story about the earthquake?

to publish - to print and distribute something for other people to read

They published 10,000 copies of her first book. (one's) first taste of (something) - one's first experience with something; the first time one has had, used, or done something

He got his first taste of snow when his parents took him to the mountains for the weekend as a child, and he has been skiing and snowboarding ever since.

press - media; all newspapers, magazines, television stations, radio stations, and websites that report on news

How do famous musicians decide which members of the press they'll allow in for interviews?

copy editor - a person who's job is to review, correct, and improve what other people have written, especially for a newspaper or magazine

At most newspapers, reporters write their stories during the day and copy editors work late at night, reviewing what they've written so that it can be printed early in the morning.

to edit - to review, correct, and improve written text, often focusing on spelling, grammar, word choice, sentence structure, and organization

Could you please edit my paper before I give it to the professor?

headline - the title of a news article

Do you read everything in the newspaper, or just the articles with interesting headlines?

to cover - to research and describe something; to focus on a particular topic

This book doesn't cover John F. Kennedy's entire life, only the years of his presidency.

byline - the line of text below a title or headline that says who wrote something

Angie was so happy to see her first byline in a national newspaper that she bought many copies of the newspaper and sent it to all her relatives and friends.

in print - included in a published document that is shared with many people

It must be exciting to see your words in print and know that other people are reading them.

obituary - a short article included in a newspaper when someone dies, describing his or her life

When I read the obituaries this morning, I was shocked to learn that my high school history teacher had died.

news brief - a very short description of something that has happened, usually just a few sentences

There was a fascinating news brief about biotechnology in this morning's paper. I wish they'd made it into a full story.

beat - the geographic area or general topic that a reporter is assigned to

Michelle works the political beat, reporting on what's happening in the Senate.

feature - a feature article; a main story; a special report

How can we get the local newspaper to write a feature article about our organization's work in the community?

investigative - involving a lot of research to learn something that is a secret

A team of reporters spent months on an investigative report about corruption in the mayor's office

editorial - a special kind of article in a newspaper that gives an individual's opinion instead of just the facts (things that can be proven to be true)

The editorial about gun rights made Alberto really angry, so he wrote a letter to the editor in response, expressing his own opinions.

to shoot for - to try to do, get, or have something that is difficult but not impossible

Denise is studying all the time, because she's shooting for a score of 800 on the medical entrance exam.

Pulitzer - a Pulitzer Prize; an award for excellence in newspaper reporting

Fourteen graduates of the university's journalism program have won Pulitzer Prizes.