Reading the news: a worksheet

BJP's UP Rajya Sabha poll list skips Hardeep Puri, all other sitting MPs in big shake-up | Full list

5 reports from 4 outlets over 6 hours. Those outlets have 3 owners.

• India Today and Business Today have the same owner: India Today Group.
• India Today and Business Today used nearly the same words. Headlines this close usually come from one news agency’s copy.

1. HT Hindustan Times · 11 h
   BJP's UP Rajya Sabha poll list skips Hardeep Puri, all other sitting MPs in big shake-up | Full list

   Words only this outlet used: skips, big shake, Full.

2. IT India Today · 10 h · ≈ same wording
   Hardeep Puri, 7 other sitting MPs dropped from BJP's Rajya Sabha poll list for UP
3. BT Business Today · 9 h
   Hardeep Puri, 7 other sitting MPs dropped: BJP's surprise Rajya Sabha picks from UP

   Words only this outlet used: surprise, picks.

4. BT Business Today YouTube · 6 h · Video · ≈ same wording
   Hardeep Puri, 7 Other Sitting BJP MPs Dropped From Rajya Sabha Poll List For UP
5. DH Deccan Herald · 5 h
   BJP drops Hardeep Singh Puri, BL Verma and six other sitting MPs from Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha poll list

   Words only this outlet used: drops, Singh, BL Verma, six, Uttar Pradesh.

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/1959