MASS MEDIA

Idioms we might use when talking about news 

• Behind closed doors – Events which take place hidden from view.
• Both sides of the coin – To see both points of view in an argument
• Pull the wool over (someone’s) eyes – To deceive
• Raise/lift the curtain – To make something public; disclose
• Turn a blind eye – To ignore something and pretend not to see it
• No news is good news – If you don’t hear any news it means nothing is wrong. 

Conversation questions about news and media 

• What are the main stories you have been following in the news recently?
• How do you keep up with world events?
• What is the latest news about your country?
• How much time do you spend discussing current events with friends and colleagues?
• What recent events are you fed up hearing about?
• Which person in the news do you most like hearing or reading about?
• Do you think most journalists tell the truth when they write a news piece?
• Do you trust the information you get from the news?
• Why do you think that news is censored in some countries?
• Do you think the world would be better off if no one heard the news from other countries?
• Which news source do you trust the most?
• Do you think the news influences people too much?
• How has the reporting of news changed over the years?
• Do you think people need to know all of the news? What are some examples of news people should not hear about?
• Do you think that the private lives of politicians should be reported?
• What do you think is the most important thing the news should report?
• What was the most memorable news you ever watched?
• What do you think has been the biggest news item in the past ten years?
• Do you think that the media covers too much bad news and not enough good news? How do you think this affects people?
• How has technology affected the way we receive news?
• Do you think that most newspapers print what’s really important, or what will help them sell more newspapers?