1.“When a dog bites a man, that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news.”
2.“No news is good news.”
What do you think these sayings mean? Discuss.
3. Does your town have a local newspaper? What's it like? What kind of things does it report?
4. What did today's papers say?
5. What are the most important newspapers in your country? Which do your parents read? Why?
6. A lot of things that get into the newspapers are not really news. What kind of thing do you think is important to read about in the newspapers? What kind of thing would you like to see disappear from newspapers?
7. Are all the newspapers in your country objective? Talk about the different ones and say what their political standpoint is.
8. 'There won't be any newspapers in 20 years time – just a little electronic machine in your sitting room.' Do you agree?
9. In Britain, tabloid newspapers, which contain mostly gossip and pin-ups of good-looking women and men, sell many more copies than serious newspapers. Do readers in your country have the same interests?
10. Do reporters and photographers respect the private lives of famous people in your country? How much freedom should the press be allowed by law?
11. Is the media in your country mainly owned by a few large monopolies? Should the law allow ownership of several newspapers or TV channels?
12. Is there a bias towards any particular political party or interest group in your country's media?
13. Which would you prefer (a) TV channels without advertising paid for by a licence fee (b) Free TV channels paid for by advertising or (c) Pay-as-you-view TV where you only pay for what you watch?
14. In Britain, there are restrictions on what can be screened on TV before 9 p.m. Do you think that TV programme content should be censored?
15. Should governments act to control the Internet or should it be uncensored?