Conversation Questions--The Media

Karin's ESL PartyLand/ Š1999 by Karin M. Cintron & Karl Graham/Reproducible for Classroom Use

Conversation Questions: The Media
How often do you read the paper or watch the news on TV? How important is it for you to keep up with current events?	In your opinion, what has been the single biggest news item from this past year? How did the media cover this event?
Do you think that news reporting has gotten better, gotten worse, or stayed the same over your lifetime?	Do you think a politician's private life is newsworthy? Why or why not?
Are there certain things journalists shouldn't report on? Why?	How do you feel about censorship? Are there times when the news should be censored?
Who owns the newspapers and TV stations in your country? Do you think this has an effect on the news that you hear?	Do you think that the media covers too much bad news and not enough good news? What was the last "good news" story you heard?
How has technology effected the way that we receive news?	Have you (or anyone you know) ever been in the newspaper/on TV? If so, what for?
Do you think that most newspapers print what's really important, or what will make them sell more newspapers? What about TV news?	Why are people so interested in the private lives of celebrities?
Do you think that the media is objective? Why or why not?	What's happening in the news right now, both in your country and abroad? Where did you hear about it?