Reading the news: a worksheet

Delhi High Court Stays Order Making Aadhaar-Based Biometric Attendance Mandatory For Public Prosecutors

5 reports from 5 outlets over 2 hours.

• LiveLaw and Bar and Bench used nearly the same words. Headlines this close usually come from one news agency’s copy.
• Hindustan Times and Deccan Herald used nearly the same words. Headlines this close usually come from one news agency’s copy.

1. Li LiveLaw · 16 h · ≈ same wording
   Delhi High Court Stays Order Making Aadhaar-Based Biometric Attendance Mandatory For Public Prosecutors

   Words only this outlet used: Based.

2. BB Bar and Bench · 16 h · ≈ same wording
   Delhi High Court stays order making Aadhaar biometric attendance mandatory for public prosecutors
3. HT Hindustan Times · 14 h · ≈ same wording
   Delhi HC stays order mandating Aadhaar biometrics-enabled attendance for prosecutors
4. IT India Today · 14 h
   Delhi HC stays Aadhaar attendance order for public prosecutors
5. DH Deccan Herald · 14 h · ≈ same wording
   Delhi HC stays order mandating Aadhaar biometrics-enabled attendance for prosecutors

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/3706