News and Media Opinions

Opinions on Current Affairs and Media
Give opinions using the words and on the topics below, discuss them for as long as you
like, then do the same with other words below.

Ask about any words you don’t know or can’t think of an opinion on, discussing them each
time. Then, without looking below brainstorm suitable vocabulary in the spaces below.
Words connected to newspapers (parts of a newspaper, etc)

Words connected to television

Words connected to radio

Words connected to new media/ online media

Kinds of news/ Kinds of news story (crimes, etc)

People connected to news and media

Positive words connected to news and media

Negative words connected to news and media

Look below for ideas (most, but not all, fit somewhere), then brainstorm more.

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2020

p. 1

Topics

Opinions

(popup/ banner/ targeted) ad/ commercial

animation/ cartoon

box office/ circulation/ ratings

broadsheets – tabloids

business/ economics

(U/ PG/ 12/ 15/ 18/ R) certification

(shopping) channel/ channel hopping

columnists/ editorials/ comment/ opinion

comedy/ sitcom/ sketch show/ stand-up

conflicts/ wars/ armed forces/ defence

conspiracies/ conspiracy theories

(organised/ petty/ white collar) crime

current affairs/ news

(wildlife) documentary

(costume/ historical) drama

environment/ natural disasters/ weather

exclusives/ investigations/ scoops

freebies

front pages/ headlines

(celebrity) gossip/ paparazzi

(local/ national) government/ politics/ians

health/ lifestyle

images/ photography/ footage/ captions

domestic news – international news

(citizen) journalists/ reporters

leaks/ whistleblowers/ official secrets

listener/ reader/ viewer(ship)

(mainstream/ alternative/ social) media

music/ DJ

(rolling/ bad/ good/ latest) news

alarmist/ sensationalist/ism

balance(d)/ impartial – bias(ed)

ban/ block

(un)believable/(un)realistic

boring/ dull – entertaining

censor(ed/ship)

clichéd

confusing

decline/ shrink/ doomed – boom/ expand

disgusting/ revolting

disturbing/ shocking

depressing

(metropolitan) elite

fake/ made up/ misinformation

frightening/ scary/ terrifying

get worse – improve

important/ crucial/ vital/ essential/ relevant

interesting/ fascinating/ riveting

left wing/ progressive/ liberal

(mathematically/ statistically) (il)literate

low brow – high brow

melodramatic/ sentimental

(un)necessary

none of our/ anyone’s business

objective/ity – subjective/ity

overblown/ overlong/ over… - under…

(un)popular

PR

(un)predictable

pretentious/ over-intellectual

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2020

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PR/ spin doctors

press/ (Sunday/ women’s) magazines

prime time

public service broadcasting

(AM/ FM/ talk/ local) radio

(financial/ sexual/ political) scandal

science and technology/ sci-fi

sex and violence

(reality/ chat/ quiz/ cop/ talent/ travel) show

society/ social issues/ social problems

sports

streaming/ on demand – download/

podcast

(cable/ satellite/ event/ terrestrial) TV/ telly

trailers

(un)profitable

prosecute/ sue

prurient/ nosy

pseudo-science

ridiculous

right wing/ conservative

scare mongering

serious

sold out

snooping/ surveillance

thought provoking

trash/ trashy

(un)trustworthy

unimportant/ trivial/ pointless/ worthless

worth the money/ good value for money

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2020

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