TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Damon Brown: How to choose your news

Unscramble the Blue Letters

How do you know what's happening in your world? The amount of information just a click away may be limitless, but the time and energy we have to absorb and evaluate it is not. All the information in the world won't be very useful unless you know how to read the news. To your grandparents, parents, or even older siblings, this idea would have sounded strange. Only a few decades ago, news was broad-based. Your choices were limited to a clopue of gereanl interest magazines and nppeewsar of record, and three or four TV networks where trusted newscasters delivered the day's news at the same reliable time every eniveng. But the pomrlebs with this system soon became appranet as mass media srepad. While it was known that authoritarian countries colerontld and cnsreoed ioroifmnatn, a series of scdnlaas showed that democratic governments were also misleading the plbiuc, often with media caoetoiorpn. roleetanivs of cevrot wars, screet assassinations, and political corruption undermined public faith in official narratives presented by mensairatm sources. This breakdown of trust in media gatekeepers lead to alternative newspapers, radio shows, and cable news competing with the moajr outlets and covering events from various perspectives. More recently, the Internet has miuleitpld the amount of information and viewpoints, with social media, blogs, and online video turning every citizen into a potential reporter. But if everyone is a reporter, nobody is, and different sources may disagree, not only opinions, but on the facts themselves. So how do you get the tturh, or something close? One of the best ways is to get the original news unfiltered by middlemen. Instead of articles irniternpteg a scientific study or a politician's speech, you can often find the atuacl material and judge for yourself. For cuerrnt events, foollw reporters on social media. During major events, such as the Arab Spring or the uianarkin protests, newscasters and bloggers have posted updates and riegrconds from the midst of the chaos. Though many of these later appear in articles or broadcasts, keep in mind that these pehsiold vreonsis often combine the voice of the person who was there with the input of editors who weren't. At the same time, the more chaotic the story, the less you should try to follow it in real time. In eentvs like terrorist attacks and natural disasters, today's media attempts continuous coverage even when no reliable new information is available, sometimes leading to irccnreot information or false accusations of innocent people. It's easy to be anxious in such events, but try checking for the lsteat information at several points in the day, rather than every few minutes, allowing time for complete details to emerge and false reports to be refuted. While good journalism aims for objectivity, media bias is often unavoidable. When you can't get the direct story, read coverage in multiple outetls which employ different reporters and interview different experts. Tuning in to various sources and noting the differences lets you put the pieces together for a more complete picture. It's also crucial to separate fact from opinion. Words like think, likely, or probably mean that the outlet is being careful or, worse, taking a guess. And wtcah out for rertops that rely on anonymous scureos. These could be people who have little connection to the sroty, or have an interest in influencing coverage, their anonymity making them unaccountable for the information they provide. Finally, and most importantly, try to verify news before sdinpearg it. While social media has enabled the truth to reach us faster, it's also allowed rumors to spread before they can be verified and falsehoods to survive long after they've been refuted. So, before you sahre that unbelievable or outrageous news item, do a web search to find any aiaoddnitl information or context you might have missed and what others are saying about it. tdaoy, we are more free than ever from the old media gatekeepers who used to control the flow of information. But with frodeem comes responsibility: the responsibility to curtae our own experience and ensure that this flow does not become a flood, lnivaeg us less informed than before we took the plunge.

Open Cloze

How do you know what's happening in your world? The amount of information just a click away may be limitless, but the time and energy we have to absorb and evaluate it is not. All the information in the world won't be very useful unless you know how to read the news. To your grandparents, parents, or even older siblings, this idea would have sounded strange. Only a few decades ago, news was broad-based. Your choices were limited to a ______ of _______ interest magazines and _________ of record, and three or four TV networks where trusted newscasters delivered the day's news at the same reliable time every _______. But the ________ with this system soon became ________ as mass media ______. While it was known that authoritarian countries __________ and ________ ___________, a series of ________ showed that democratic governments were also misleading the ______, often with media ___________. ___________ of ______ wars, ______ assassinations, and political corruption undermined public faith in official narratives presented by __________ sources. This breakdown of trust in media gatekeepers lead to alternative newspapers, radio shows, and cable news competing with the _____ outlets and covering events from various perspectives. More recently, the Internet has __________ the amount of information and viewpoints, with social media, blogs, and online video turning every citizen into a potential reporter. But if everyone is a reporter, nobody is, and different sources may disagree, not only opinions, but on the facts themselves. So how do you get the _____, or something close? One of the best ways is to get the original news unfiltered by middlemen. Instead of articles ____________ a scientific study or a politician's speech, you can often find the ______ material and judge for yourself. For _______ events, ______ reporters on social media. During major events, such as the Arab Spring or the _________ protests, newscasters and bloggers have posted updates and __________ from the midst of the chaos. Though many of these later appear in articles or broadcasts, keep in mind that these ________ ________ often combine the voice of the person who was there with the input of editors who weren't. At the same time, the more chaotic the story, the less you should try to follow it in real time. In ______ like terrorist attacks and natural disasters, today's media attempts continuous coverage even when no reliable new information is available, sometimes leading to _________ information or false accusations of innocent people. It's easy to be anxious in such events, but try checking for the ______ information at several points in the day, rather than every few minutes, allowing time for complete details to emerge and false reports to be refuted. While good journalism aims for objectivity, media bias is often unavoidable. When you can't get the direct story, read coverage in multiple _______ which employ different reporters and interview different experts. Tuning in to various sources and noting the differences lets you put the pieces together for a more complete picture. It's also crucial to separate fact from opinion. Words like think, likely, or probably mean that the outlet is being careful or, worse, taking a guess. And _____ out for _______ that rely on anonymous _______. These could be people who have little connection to the _____, or have an interest in influencing coverage, their anonymity making them unaccountable for the information they provide. Finally, and most importantly, try to verify news before _________ it. While social media has enabled the truth to reach us faster, it's also allowed rumors to spread before they can be verified and falsehoods to survive long after they've been refuted. So, before you _____ that unbelievable or outrageous news item, do a web search to find any __________ information or context you might have missed and what others are saying about it. _____, we are more free than ever from the old media gatekeepers who used to control the flow of information. But with _______ comes responsibility: the responsibility to ______ our own experience and ensure that this flow does not become a flood, _______ us less informed than before we took the plunge.

Solution

major
spread
ukrainian
interpreting
curate
share
story
additional
public
problems
covert
truth
freedom
revelations
scandals
reports
leaving
current
mainstream
polished
events
apparent
censored
sources
today
couple
outlets
controlled
latest
evening
incorrect
newspaper
information
follow
recordings
general
cooperation
versions
actual
spreading
watch
secret
multiplied

Original Text

How do you know what's happening in your world? The amount of information just a click away may be limitless, but the time and energy we have to absorb and evaluate it is not. All the information in the world won't be very useful unless you know how to read the news. To your grandparents, parents, or even older siblings, this idea would have sounded strange. Only a few decades ago, news was broad-based. Your choices were limited to a couple of general interest magazines and newspaper of record, and three or four TV networks where trusted newscasters delivered the day's news at the same reliable time every evening. But the problems with this system soon became apparent as mass media spread. While it was known that authoritarian countries controlled and censored information, a series of scandals showed that democratic governments were also misleading the public, often with media cooperation. Revelations of covert wars, secret assassinations, and political corruption undermined public faith in official narratives presented by mainstream sources. This breakdown of trust in media gatekeepers lead to alternative newspapers, radio shows, and cable news competing with the major outlets and covering events from various perspectives. More recently, the Internet has multiplied the amount of information and viewpoints, with social media, blogs, and online video turning every citizen into a potential reporter. But if everyone is a reporter, nobody is, and different sources may disagree, not only opinions, but on the facts themselves. So how do you get the truth, or something close? One of the best ways is to get the original news unfiltered by middlemen. Instead of articles interpreting a scientific study or a politician's speech, you can often find the actual material and judge for yourself. For current events, follow reporters on social media. During major events, such as the Arab Spring or the Ukrainian protests, newscasters and bloggers have posted updates and recordings from the midst of the chaos. Though many of these later appear in articles or broadcasts, keep in mind that these polished versions often combine the voice of the person who was there with the input of editors who weren't. At the same time, the more chaotic the story, the less you should try to follow it in real time. In events like terrorist attacks and natural disasters, today's media attempts continuous coverage even when no reliable new information is available, sometimes leading to incorrect information or false accusations of innocent people. It's easy to be anxious in such events, but try checking for the latest information at several points in the day, rather than every few minutes, allowing time for complete details to emerge and false reports to be refuted. While good journalism aims for objectivity, media bias is often unavoidable. When you can't get the direct story, read coverage in multiple outlets which employ different reporters and interview different experts. Tuning in to various sources and noting the differences lets you put the pieces together for a more complete picture. It's also crucial to separate fact from opinion. Words like think, likely, or probably mean that the outlet is being careful or, worse, taking a guess. And watch out for reports that rely on anonymous sources. These could be people who have little connection to the story, or have an interest in influencing coverage, their anonymity making them unaccountable for the information they provide. Finally, and most importantly, try to verify news before spreading it. While social media has enabled the truth to reach us faster, it's also allowed rumors to spread before they can be verified and falsehoods to survive long after they've been refuted. So, before you share that unbelievable or outrageous news item, do a web search to find any additional information or context you might have missed and what others are saying about it. Today, we are more free than ever from the old media gatekeepers who used to control the flow of information. But with freedom comes responsibility: the responsibility to curate our own experience and ensure that this flow does not become a flood, leaving us less informed than before we took the plunge.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
media gatekeepers	2
social media	2

Important Words

absorb
accusations
actual
additional
aims
allowed
allowing
alternative
amount
anonymity
anonymous
anxious
apparent
arab
articles
assassinations
attacks
attempts
authoritarian
bias
bloggers
blogs
breakdown
broadcasts
cable
careful
censored
chaos
chaotic
checking
choices
citizen
click
close
combine
competing
complete
connection
context
continuous
control
controlled
cooperation
corruption
countries
couple
coverage
covering
covert
crucial
curate
current
day
decades
delivered
democratic
details
differences
direct
disagree
disasters
easy
editors
emerge
employ
enabled
energy
ensure
evaluate
evening
events
experience
experts
fact
facts
faith
false
falsehoods
faster
finally
find
flood
flow
follow
free
freedom
gatekeepers
general
good
governments
grandparents
guess
happening
idea
importantly
incorrect
influencing
information
informed
innocent
input
interest
internet
interpreting
interview
item
journalism
judge
latest
lead
leading
leaving
lets
limited
limitless
long
magazines
mainstream
major
making
mass
material
media
middlemen
midst
mind
minutes
misleading
missed
multiple
multiplied
narratives
natural
networks
news
newscasters
newspaper
newspapers
noting
objectivity
official
older
online
opinion
opinions
original
outlet
outlets
outrageous
parents
people
person
perspectives
picture
pieces
plunge
points
polished
political
posted
potential
presented
problems
protests
provide
public
put
radio
reach
read
real
record
recordings
refuted
reliable
rely
reporter
reporters
reports
responsibility
revelations
rumors
scandals
scientific
search
secret
separate
series
share
showed
shows
siblings
social
sounded
sources
speech
spread
spreading
spring
story
strange
study
survive
system
terrorist
time
today
trust
trusted
truth
tuning
turning
tv
ukrainian
unaccountable
unavoidable
unbelievable
undermined
unfiltered
updates
verified
verify
versions
video
viewpoints
voice
wars
watch
ways
web
words
world
worse