English Unlimited HAK/HUM 3, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM (mit Handelskorrespondenz)

10 Media around the world 01 LANGUAGE SKILLS EXPLORE LOOK AGAIN EXTRAS (2) Today, anyone can write a blog or an article online. Wikipedia, where anyone can post or change an entry, has become a popular way to do research. But is it a good place to get reliable facts? In recent years, many people, like Mike Scott, have found that their online biographies contain inaccurate information. Terry Millstone, a web-based journalist, says, “Wikipedia seems like a really great idea, but actually it’s quite a dangerous website. People call this the great internet age, but there’s never been a worse time to get accurate information.” Not everyone agrees with this view. Pete Morley, another journalist, says, “People criticise Wikipedia because they’re afraid of it. ere’s no other source of information which is so up-to-date and free.” (3) So, is it a better idea to place our trust in what we read in magazines, newspapers and books? ere have been a number of scandals in the publishing world over the years, but one of the most extreme was the story of Stephen Glass. At only 25, he was a celebrated journalist working for the highly respected US political magazine, e New Republic . All that ended in May 1998 when it was discovered that one of Glass’s biggest articles was a fake. Later, it was found that Glass had made up facts in 27 of the 41 articles he wrote for the magazine. (4) So, how do we know what to believe? Words have always had the power to inuence people and, rightly or wrongly, we tend to trust the printed word. But with the rise of the internet, that trust is at greater risk than ever. Read the article again and answer the questions. 1 What did Mike Scott’s fan do? Why? 2 What does Terry Millstone think about Wikipedia? Why? 12 Find words and expressions in the article with these meanings: 1 which can be trusted or believed, in (2) = r (adjective) 2 not completely correct or exact, in (2) = i (adjective) 3 correct and exact, in (2) = a (adjective) 4 reports about shocking things that people have done, in (3) = s (noun) 5 something which seems real but isn’t, in (3) = a f (noun) 6 invented, in (3) = m (phrasal verb) 7 believe, in (4) = t (verb) 8 belief, in (4) = t (noun) Complete the questions with words and expressions from 13. 1 How often do you think information in advertisements or magazines is ? 2 Would you buy a designer T-shirt or DVD which was ? 3 Do you what politicians say? Why? Why not? 4 Have there been any about famous people in your country recently? 5 Do you think it’s more important for newspapers to be entertaining or and ? 6 Have you ever something on your CV? Ask and answer the questions in groups. VOCABULARY 13 Talking about facts and information a SPEAKING 14 b 3 What did Stephen Glass do? 4 Do you agree with Terry Millstone or Pete Morley? 5 What do you think the writer’s opinion is? Why? Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv