Unit 5 — Media and Democracy

Learning objectives Link to heading

• I can read a short text linking media and democratic life and identify three causal claims.
• I can use academic register hedges (it has been argued that, the available evidence suggests, in some contexts).
• I can write a 220-word op-ed on a media-democracy topic.

curriculum framework (“Bildungsplan”) alignment Link to heading

• 3.3.1 Soziokulturelles Orientierungswissen / Themen
• 3.3.3.2 Leseverstehen
• 3.3.3.5 Schreiben
• 3.3.3.7 Verfügen über sprachliche Mittel – Wortschatz
• 3.3.4 Text- und Medienkompetenz

(Source: https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/SEK1/E1)

Lead-in story Link to heading

Maja’s class read a one-page essay about local newspapers. The essay opened with a fact that surprised most of the class: more than 200 local UK papers have closed in the past two decades, and research has linked their absence to lower voter turnout in the affected districts. Maja underlined the verb has linked. “Linked is not caused,” she said. “Useful word.”

1. Activate Link to heading

Source-trust scan. With your partner, rank five media types from most to least trustworthy and explain why for each.

2. Input Link to heading

Reading — Local Papers, Local Voters Link to heading

More than 200 local newspapers in the UK have closed in the past two decades. Research has linked their disappearance to lower voter turnout, less scrutiny of local councils and slower response to local environmental issues. The link is not necessarily causal — districts that lose papers are also often districts under broader economic stress — but it is consistent across studies. In some contexts, hyper-local newsletters and citizen journalism have replaced the papers; in others, they have not.

Vocabulary — media and democracy Link to heading

free press, press freedom, accountability, scrutiny, oversight, opinion vs. reporting, editorial independence, conflict of interest, sponsored content, public-interest journalism, civic information, local press desert.

Academic-register hedges Link to heading

It has been argued that … / The available evidence suggests that … / In some contexts … / This is not necessarily causal … / The link is consistent across studies … / Critics maintain that … / Caution is warranted.

3. Practise Link to heading

Niveau E — controlled Link to heading

1. Choose hedge: It has been argued / The evidence suggests / Critics maintain — ___ that local papers support voter turnout. ___ that the link is causal.
2. Match: free press → press freedom; oversight → scrutiny; sponsored content → paid promotion.

Niveau E — productive Link to heading

3. Build 4 academic-register sentences on the local-press topic.

4. Produce Link to heading

Op-ed, 220 words. Take a position on a media-democracy topic of your choice. Use 4 academic-register hedges + 1 cautious-claim phrase + 1 complex-sentence subordinator.

Sample Link to heading

The available evidence suggests that the closure of more than 200 local newspapers in the UK over the past two decades has had measurable democratic consequences. Research has linked their disappearance to lower voter turnout, less scrutiny of councils, and slower response to local environmental issues. It has been argued, with reason, that the link is not necessarily causal — districts that lose papers are often districts under broader economic stress. However, the consistency of the link across studies warrants attention. In some contexts, hyper-local newsletters and citizen journalism have replaced the papers; in others, they have not. Critics maintain that volunteer-run replacements lack the staff time for sustained scrutiny, which is the part of journalism most at risk in a press desert. Although the picture is uneven, the policy implication is fairly clear: support for local public-interest journalism — through grant schemes, regulatory tweaks, or simply paid subscriptions — is one of the cheaper democratic investments available. Caution is warranted; complacency is not.

5. Reflect Link to heading

• I can identify 3 causal claims in a media-democracy text.
• I can use 4 academic-register hedges.
• I can write a 220-word op-ed.

One thing in your notebook: Write one sentence using something you learned in this Unit.

Exam example Link to heading

Task 1 — Listening (10 BE) Link to heading

Listen twice.

“More than 200 local UK papers have closed. The evidence suggests this is linked to lower voter turnout and less scrutiny of councils. The link is not necessarily causal — affected districts also tend to be under economic stress. The link is, however, consistent across studies.”

1. Number closed: ___ . 2. Two effects: ___ . 3. Caveat: ___ . 4. Reliability: ___ .

Task 2 — Reading (12 BE) Link to heading

Read the Local Papers, Local Voters extract above.

1. Three linked effects: ___ . 2. Caveat about causality: ___ . 3. Replacement examples: ___ . 4. Whether replacements work: ___ .

Task 3 — Use of English (10 BE) Link to heading

Insert academic hedge.

1. ___ that local papers strengthen civic information.
2. ___ that the link is causal.
3. ___ , citizen journalism has filled the gap.
4. ___ ; the variation across districts is real.

Task 4 — Writing (13 BE) Link to heading

Write 220 words: an op-ed on a media-democracy topic. Use 4 academic hedges.

Downloads Link to heading

Common pitfalls Link to heading

• The evidence proves — overstatement; suggests, indicates, is consistent with are safer.
• correlation mistaken for causation.
• Avoid the lecture voice — keep paragraphs short and argumentative.

Further reading / listening Link to heading

• The Guardian — Comment is free.
• Reuters Institute — accessible digital news report.

Downloads

Presentation

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Worksheet

Download .pdf