Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.
dateline: 02 April 2013
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Private Daily Newspapers Return To Burma
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- newsstand: a shelf where newspapers are displayed for sale
- restrict: to place a limit on something
- censor (noun): a person who restricts information; (verb) to control the release of information
- launch: to begin for the first time
Comprehension Questions
- What change took place in Burma?
- Why did the Burmese government restrict private media organizations from publishing daily newspapers?
- Why are print dailies becoming less popular in much of the world?
Discussion Question: Should the press have the freedom to report on any subject?
show Answershide Answers
Private Daily Newspapers Return To Burma
For the first time in almost 50 years, privately-owned daily newspapers hit newsstands in Burma (also known as Myanmar). The media industry in Burma had been strictly controlled since the 1960s when Burma came under military rule. Restricting the media to weekly publication allowed time for censors to remove banned subject matter before going to press. Last August, the Burmese government stopped its strict censoring, making it easier for journalists to report on a variety of subjects. Four private daily newspapers launched in Burma on April 1st. Another twelve dailies have been approved but need more time and funding to shift from being a weekly to a daily publication. While daily print newspapers are on the rise in Burma, the opposite is true in many other parts of the world where people get the majority of their news from the Internet.
- The government removed the ban on privately-owned daily newspapers in Burma.
- The Burmese government restricted private media organizations from publishing daily newspapers because this gave censors more time to restrict information released by the media.
- Printed dailies are becoming less popular in much of the world because many people get their news from the Internet.
Written and recorded by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
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