Reading the news: a worksheet

Amit Shah Challenges Rahul Gandhi, Says BJP Ready For Special Parliament Session On SIR

6 reports from 5 outlets over 27 hours.

• Deccan Herald and The Hindu used nearly the same words. Headlines this close usually come from one news agency’s copy.

1. AL ABP Live · 2 Nov
   Amit Shah Challenges Rahul Gandhi, Says BJP Ready For Special Parliament Session On SIR

   Words only this outlet used: BJP.

2. DH Deccan Herald · 2 Nov · ≈ same wording
   Amit Shah dares Rahul Gandhi to debate SIR issue, says govt ready to convene special session of Parliament
3. TH The Hindu News · 2 Nov · ≈ same wording
   Amit Shah dares Rahul Gandhi to debate SIR issue, says government is ready to convene special session of Parliament

   Words only this outlet used: government.

4. HT Hindustan Times · 2 Nov
   Amit Shah challenges Rahul Gandhi to debate 'vote chori' in special Parliament session

   Words only this outlet used: vote chori.

5. DH Deccan Herald · 3 Nov
   ‘Ready for special session on SIR’: Amit Shah hits back at Rahul Gandhi

   Words only this outlet used: hits back.

6. NI The New Indian Express · 3 Nov
   Amit Shah says govt ready to convene special Parliament session to discuss SIR, challenges Oppn to join debate

   Words only this outlet used: discuss, Oppn, join.

Questions

1. Which words do most headlines share? Which words does only one outlet use, and what do they stress?

2. Who reported it first, and how long did the others take? Does “first seen by Huduku” mean they broke the story?

3. How many different owners carried it? Do any outlets share an owner, or nearly the same words?

4. Which outlets you know did not carry it? What might explain that?

5. What is the original source (a judgment, notice, speech or set of figures)? Find it. Does any headline say more than the source does?

6. If you shared one of these headlines, which would it be, and why?

Each headline links to the outlet’s own report. Huduku shows headlines only. https://huduku.org/story/10616