Independent journalists and bloggers

Blogs provide news sites in which an author can present their own view of the world, however local or global that might be. By the end of 2005, there were an estimated 20 million active blogs worldwide. Some bloggers now act as independent journalists, breaking stories which are taken up by the mainstream media. Others have acquired large readership for their blogs and become influential opinion leaders. Blogs also provide a public record of grassroots experience – for example, the progress of hurricanes across the USA.

Trend analysis shows what people are discussing from day to day. Sites such as ‘Global Voices’, based at Harvard University, aggregate data from blogs to supply journalists with an alternative news feed.

Independent citizen–journalists do not just break stories, but also act as an army of fact-checkers who will call to account any news source who gets their facts wrong.

Technology also allows mainstream media, such as the BBC, to tap in to citizen news gatherers. Not only can people around the world file their own accounts of breaking news stories via the internet, but also upload photos which they have taken with their camera phones.

By the end of 2005, there were an estimated 20 million active blogs worldwide.

Technology is enabling new patterns of communication in ways which have implications for language patterns.

Anglo-centric technological limitations are largely overcome, allowing practically any language or script to be used on the internet or in computer software.

As English becomes used more widely as a language of international reach, a greater diversity of viewpoints are represented. Other world languages, such as Spanish, French and Arabic, are also being adopted by the new media. Lesser-used languages are flurishing on the internet.

 

Instruction: A number of various questions are asked that require an overall understanding of the passage. These are often the last questions in a set of overview questions.

Tone questions ask you to determine the author's feelings about the topic by the language that he or she uses in writing the passage. Attitude questions are very similar to tone questions. Again, you must understand the author's opinion. The language that the author uses will tell you what his or her position is.

Above are five meaningfully tied paragraphs of variable length containing general information in the field of communication revolution. For your convenience they are marked with numbers 1-5. Your task is to understand the texts and determine the authors’ feelings about the topics.

Sample Tone Questions

• What tone does the author take in writing this text?

• How could the tone of this text best be described as?

Sample Answer Choices

The following adjectives indicate if the author's feelings are positive, negative, or neutral

• Positive • Humorous • Worried

• Favorable • Negative • Outraged

• Optimistic • Critical • Neutral

• Amused • Unfavorable • Objective

• Pleased • Angry • Impersonal

• Respectful • Defiant

If you read the italicized sentences in paragraph 3, would the tone of this paragraph most likely be positive or negative? Choose the right descriptors from the list above.

Note: The italicized words in paragraph 3 (A) show a doubtful tone; and the italicized words indicate a negative attitude. Words like ‘cat and mouse’, ‘Surveillance, censorship and cryptography’ and similar words can "reverse" the tone of the passage.

Attitude questions are very similar to tone questions. Again, you must understand the author's opinion. The language that the author uses will tell you what his or her position is.

Sample Attitude Questions

If you read the italicized phrases in paragraph 3 (B), would the author’s attitude most likely be positive or negative? Choose the right descriptors from the list above.

Organization questions ask about the overall structure of a passage or about the organization of a paragraph.

A Sample Question

Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

Answer Choices

· A general concept is defined and examples are given.

· Several generalizations are presented, from which a conclusion is drawn.

· The author presents the advantages and disadvantages of....

· The author presents a system of classification for....

· Persuasive language is used to argue against....

· The author describes....

· The author presents a brief account of....

· The author compares_and....

A Sample Question

· What is the author's attitude toward the growth of the number of non-English users of the internet and the decline of use of English on the internet?

Questions about previous or following paragraphs ask you to assume how the passages are organized, what would be the topic of the text. To find the order of the passages, look for clues in the first lines. To find the topic of the text, look in the last lines.

Sample Questions

· With what topic would the text most likely begin?

· What does the second paragraph most probably discuss?

· Can it be inferred from the text which paragraph is most likely the last one?