Reading the news: a worksheet

‘Whose peace am I being asked to keep?’ Neha Bora refuses to sign peace bond, slams curbs on dissent

5 reports from 5 outlets over 2 hours. Those outlets have 4 owners.

• The Hindu BusinessLine and The Hindu have the same owner: The Hindu Group.
• Deccan Herald, The Hindu BusinessLine and Outlook India used nearly the same words. Headlines this close usually come from one news agency’s copy.

1. NI The New Indian Express · 24 Oct
   ‘Whose peace am I being asked to keep?’ Neha Bora refuses to sign peace bond, slams curbs on dissent

   Words only this outlet used: Whose, am, being asked, keep, slams.

2. DH Deccan Herald · 24 Oct · ≈ same wording
   Neha Bora refuses to sign peace bond, questions curbs on dissent
3. HB The Hindu BusinessLine · 24 Oct · ≈ same wording
   Neha Bora refuses to sign peace bond, questions curbs on dissent
4. TH The Hindu News · 24 Oct · changed
   AISA president Neha Bora refuses to sign peace bond, next hearing on October 29

   Words only this outlet used: AISA president, next hearing, October 29.

   Earlier headline Neha Bora refuses to sign peace bond, questions curbs on dissent · change seen 24 Oct, 9:35 pm?

5. OI Outlook India · 24 Oct · ≈ same wording
   Neha Bora Refuses To Sign Peace Bond, Questions Curbs On Dissent

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/7383