MODEL. TV DEBATES OF POLITICIANS

Some of the debates can feature the candidates standing behind their podiums, or in conference tables with the moderator on the other side. Depending on the agreed format, either the moderator or an audience member can be the one to ask questions. Typically there are no opening statements, just closing statements. A coin toss determines who gets to answer the first question and each candidate will get alternate turns. Once a question is asked, the candidate has 2 minutes to answer the question. After this, the opposing candidate has around 1 minute to respond and rebut her/his arguments. At the moderator's discretion, the discussion of the question may be extended by 30 seconds per candidate. In recent debates, colored lights resembling traffic lights have been installed to aid the candidate as to the time left with green indicating 30 seconds, yellow indicating 15 seconds and red indicating only 5 seconds are left. If necessary, a buzzer may be used or a flag.

Task 1. “I became a journalist because I did not want to rely on newspapers for information.” (Christopher Hitchens).The statement presupposes that newspapers are not a reliable source of information. Read the extract below, fill in the blanks with the words in the box and discuss the issue of reliability of the media as a source of information.

tendency,media, surveyed,falsehood,origins, interference, distortion, second-hand, discovered, contrived. quality, intimidate and inhibit,processors,evidence, implication, manipulation

There never was a time when news _______ were perfect. Journalists have always worked with too little time and too little certainty; with ______from owners and governments; with laws that_________ the search for truth. But the evidence I found in researching my new book, Flat Earth News, suggests our _______ to recycle ignorance is far worse than it was.

I commissioned research from specialists at Cardiff University, who _______ more than 2,000 UK news stories from the four ______ dailies (Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Independent) and the Daily Mail. They found two striking things. First, when they tried to trace the_____ of their "facts", they______ that only 12% of the stories were wholly composed of material researched by reporters. With 8% of the stories, they just couldn't be sure. The remaining 80%, they found, were wholly, mainly or partially constructed from _____ material, provided by news agencies and by the public relations industry. Second, when they looked for __________ that these "facts" had been thoroughly checked, they found this was happening in only 12% of the stories.

The ______ of those two findings is truly alarming. Where once journalists were active gatherers of news, now they have generally become mere passive ________ of unchecked, second-hand material, much of it ________ by PR to serve some political or commercial interest. Not journalists, but churnalists. An industry whose primary task is to filter out _____ has become so vulnerable to _________ that it is now involved in the mass production of falsehood, ________ and propaganda.

Task 2. Read the text “Offensive Information Warfare” and give examples of your own which illustrate this category of Information warfare.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 917

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Task 2. Answer the following questions.	\|	Offensive Information Warfare

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