Reading the news: a worksheet

Cyclone Arnab: DoT, telcos push telecom restoration in cyclone-hit Andhra, Odisha

3 reports from 3 outlets over 22 hours.

• The Print, The Hindu BusinessLine and Outlook India used nearly the same words. Headlines this close usually come from one news agency’s copy.

1. TP The Print · 30 Oct · ≈ same wording
   Cyclone Arnab: DoT, telcos push telecom restoration in cyclone-hit Andhra, Odisha
2. HB The Hindu BusinessLine · 31 Oct · ≈ same wording
   Cyclone Arnab: DoT, telcos push telecom restoration in cyclone-hit Andhra, Odisha
3. OI Outlook India · 31 Oct · ≈ same wording
   Cyclone Arnab: DoT, Telcos Push Telecom Restoration In Cyclone-Hit Andhra, Odisha

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/9819