{"id":753,"date":"2026-05-18T04:06:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T19:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/?p=753"},"modified":"2026-05-18T04:07:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T19:07:43","slug":"journalism-ethics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/?p=753","title":{"rendered":"Journalism ethics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

English Learning: Journalism Ethics – The Cookie Report<\/h1>\n

Dialogue<\/h2>\n
\n

Alice:<\/strong> Hey Bob, what’s got you so busy with that notepad? Are you writing a secret novel?<\/p>\n

Bob:<\/strong> Alice! You found my top-secret reporting mission! I’m covering the “Great Cookie Heist” of Elm Street. It’s groundbreaking journalism!<\/p>\n

Alice:<\/strong> A cookie heist? Sounds delicious… and mysterious. Who’s the culprit?<\/p>\n

Bob:<\/strong> It’s Muffin, Mrs. Gable’s cat! I saw him near the window, and Mrs. Gable’s cookies were gone! It’s a clear case.<\/p>\n

Alice:<\/strong> Oh, Muffin the cat? Are you sure, Bob? Did you *actually* see Muffin take the cookies, or just near the window?<\/p>\n

Bob:<\/strong> Well, no, not *exactly* taking them. But he looked suspicious! He had crumbs on his nose!<\/p>\n

Alice:<\/strong> Hmm, crumbs could be from anything, right? For journalism, we need facts. Did you ask Mrs. Gable?<\/p>\n

Bob:<\/strong> No, I was going straight for the scoop! First, I write the headline: “Feline Felon Steals Sweets!”<\/p>\n

Alice:<\/strong> That’s a fun headline, but is it fair to Muffin? What if the window was open and a bird flew in? Or maybe Mrs. Gable ate them herself?<\/p>\n

Bob:<\/strong> (Gasps) Mrs. Gable? Eat her own cookies? Never! But a bird… that’s a new angle.<\/p>\n

Alice:<\/strong> See? It’s important to check your facts and consider all sides. Good reporters don’t just guess.<\/p>\n

Bob:<\/strong> So, I should ask Mrs. Gable *before* I print “Muffin the Cookie Thief”?<\/p>\n

Alice:<\/strong> Definitely! And maybe ask Muffin for a comment too, if he’s feeling chatty. Just kidding! But seriously, get the full story.<\/p>\n

Bob:<\/strong> So, no “Feline Felon” headline yet. What if Mrs. Gable says *she* ate them? My scoop is ruined!<\/p>\n

Alice:<\/strong> No, it’s not ruined, Bob. It’s just a different story: “Mystery Solved: Delicious Cookies Devoured by Baker!” That’s still news!<\/p>\n

Bob:<\/strong> You’re right, Alice. Ethics in cookie reporting are harder than I thought. Thanks for the advice!<\/p>\n

Alice:<\/strong> Any time, Bob. Now, about those crumbs on *your* shirt… did *you* see any cookies disappear?<\/p>\n

Bob:<\/strong> Uh… no comment! This reporter has to go… investigate more crumbs!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Current Situation<\/h2>\n

In today’s fast-paced world, we get news from many sources like TV, the internet, and social media. It’s very easy for anyone to share information quickly. Because of this, journalism ethics<\/strong>, which means being honest, fair, and careful when telling stories, are more important than ever.<\/p>\n

Good journalists always try to find and tell the truth. They check their facts<\/strong> carefully and try to show different sides of a story. They don’t just guess or make things up. This helps us trust the news we read and hear, just like Alice was helping Bob understand for his “cookie report” \u2013 making sure he got the full and true story, even if it wasn’t as exciting as a “feline felon”!<\/p>\n

Key Phrases<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Top-secret reporting mission:<\/strong> A very private or important task to find and report information.\n
      \n
    • Example:<\/em> My little brother thinks finding out who ate the last piece of cake is a top-secret reporting mission<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Great Cookie Heist:<\/strong> A big, dramatic stealing of cookies (used humorously here).\n
        \n
      • Example:<\/em> The kids talked about the Great Cookie Heist<\/strong> after all the biscuits disappeared from the jar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Culprit:<\/strong> The person or thing that is responsible for a crime or bad action.\n
          \n
        • Example:<\/em> The police are still looking for the culprit<\/strong> who broke the window.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Get the full story:<\/strong> To find out all the details and facts about something.\n
            \n
          • Example:<\/em> Before you make a decision, make sure you get the full story<\/strong> from everyone involved.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • Check your facts:<\/strong> To make sure the information you have is correct and true.\n
              \n
            • Example:<\/em> It’s important to always check your facts<\/strong> before you share news on social media.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Grammar Points<\/h2>\n

              1. Simple Present Tense<\/h3>\n

              The simple present tense is used for actions that are habits, general truths, or facts. It describes things that happen regularly or are always true.<\/p>\n

                \n
              • How it’s formed:<\/strong> For most verbs, it’s the base form of the verb (e.g., “I eat,” “You play”). For third person singular (he, she, it), we add ‘-s’ or ‘-es’ (e.g., “He eats,” “She plays”).<\/li>\n
              • Examples from the dialogue:<\/strong>\n
                  \n
                • “Crumbs could be<\/strong> from anything, right?” (General truth about crumbs)<\/li>\n
                • “Good reporters don’t just guess<\/strong>.” (General truth about good reporters)<\/li>\n
                • “It is<\/strong> important to check your facts.” (General fact)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                • Your turn:<\/strong>\n
                    \n
                  • The sun rises<\/strong> in the east. (General truth)<\/li>\n
                  • I usually drink<\/strong> coffee in the morning. (Habit)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    2. Modal Verb ‘Should’<\/h3>\n

                    ‘Should’ is a modal verb used to give advice, suggestions, or to express what is expected or correct.<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    • How it’s formed:<\/strong> Subject + should + base form of the verb (no -s for he\/she\/it).<\/li>\n
                    • Examples from the dialogue:<\/strong>\n
                        \n
                      • “So, I should ask<\/strong> Mrs. Gable *before* I print ‘Muffin the Cookie Thief’?” (Bob asking for advice)<\/li>\n
                      • “You should check<\/strong> your facts.” (Alice giving advice\/suggestion)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                      • Your turn:<\/strong>\n
                          \n
                        • You should study<\/strong> for your English test. (Advice)<\/li>\n
                        • We should help<\/strong> our neighbors. (What is expected\/correct)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                          Practice Exercises<\/h2>\n

                          Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks<\/h3>\n

                          Complete the sentences using words from the box below. You might need to change the form of the verb if it’s in a bracket.<\/p>\n

                          (check, culprit, should, is, reporting mission, guess)<\/em><\/p>\n

                            \n
                          1. My friend has a new _________________ to find the best pizza in town.<\/li>\n
                          2. It’s important to ______________ your facts before you write a news story.<\/li>\n
                          3. Who is the ______________ for the missing chocolate?<\/li>\n
                          4. You ______________ always listen to your teacher.<\/li>\n
                          5. A good journalist never just ______________; they find proof.<\/li>\n
                          6. Honesty ______________ very important in journalism.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                            Exercise 2: True or False?<\/h3>\n

                            Read the sentences and decide if they are True (T) or False (F) based on the dialogue.<\/p>\n

                              \n
                            1. Bob saw Muffin the cat *actually* take the cookies. (T\/F)<\/li>\n
                            2. Alice told Bob it’s important to check facts. (T\/F)<\/li>\n
                            3. Mrs. Gable is a reporter. (T\/F)<\/li>\n
                            4. Bob initially wanted to write a headline calling Muffin a “Feline Felon.” (T\/F)<\/li>\n
                            5. Alice suggested asking Muffin for a comment. (T\/F)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                              Exercise 3: Match the sentence parts<\/h3>\n

                              Match the beginning of the sentence on the left with the correct ending on the right.<\/p>\n

                                \n
                              1. Bob was covering<\/li>\n
                              2. Crumbs could be<\/li>\n
                              3. Good reporters don’t<\/li>\n
                              4. You should<\/li>\n
                              5. It’s important to get<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                A.<\/strong> just guess.<\/p>\n

                                B.<\/strong> the “Great Cookie Heist.”<\/p>\n

                                C.<\/strong> ask Mrs. Gable.<\/p>\n

                                D.<\/strong> from anything.<\/p>\n

                                E.<\/strong> the full story.<\/p>\n

                                \n

                                Answers<\/h3>\n

                                Exercise 1:<\/h3>\n
                                  \n
                                1. reporting mission<\/li>\n
                                2. check<\/li>\n
                                3. culprit<\/li>\n
                                4. should<\/li>\n
                                5. guesses<\/li>\n
                                6. is<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                  Exercise 2:<\/h3>\n
                                    \n
                                  1. False<\/li>\n
                                  2. True<\/li>\n
                                  3. False<\/li>\n
                                  4. True<\/li>\n
                                  5. True (She said it as a joke, but then seriously said “get the full story.”)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                    Exercise 3:<\/h3>\n
                                      \n
                                    1. B<\/li>\n
                                    2. D<\/li>\n
                                    3. A<\/li>\n
                                    4. C<\/li>\n
                                    5. E<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                      English Learning: Journalism Ethics – The Cookie Report audio_play Dialogue Alice: Hey Bob, what’s got you so busy with that notepad? Are you writing a secret novel? Bob: Alice! You found my top-secret reporting mission! I’m covering the “Great Cookie Heist” of Elm Street. It’s groundbreaking journalism! Alice: A cookie heist? Sounds delicious… and mysterious. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-basic"],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"poster","author_link":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/?author=2"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}