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Reading Worksheet

How the News is Made

B1 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple Passive Media and Communication 25 minutes
Before You Read

Discuss these questions with a partner before you read.

  • Do you read the news? How — online, on an app, in print, or somewhere else?
  • How do you think a newspaper is produced each day? What steps might be involved?
  • Who do you think works at a newspaper? Can you name any jobs?
  • How do you think news production has changed in the last 50 years?
Key Vocabulary
Word Definition Example
journalist (n.) a person who writes articles or reports for newspapers, magazines, or news programmes Stories are found by journalists working both in the office and in the field.
edition (n.) one version of a newspaper published on a particular day The final edition is approved by the editor at 9pm each night.
freelancer (n.) someone who works independently for several different organisations rather than being employed by one Photographs are taken by both staff photographers and freelancers.
sub-editor (n.) an editor who checks, improves, and prepares other writers' work for publication Headlines are written by a sub-editor, who reads every word carefully.
facility (n.) a building or place used for a particular purpose Pages are sent digitally to the printing facility each night.
publication (n.) the act of making a book, article, or newspaper available to the public Each story is checked by at least two editors before publication.
Reading Text
Magazine Article ~285 words

How the News is Made: A Day at the Newspaper

Have you ever wondered how a newspaper is produced each day? The process is faster and more complex than most people imagine — and it depends on dozens of people working together.

Stories are found by journalists working in offices and in the field. Tips are submitted by members of the public through an online portal. Each story is checked by at least two editors before publication. Photographs are taken by staff photographers and freelancers. Headlines are written by a sub-editor — they are read last by most people, but they are written carefully first. The final edition is approved by the editor at 9pm. Pages are then sent digitally to the printing facility. Thousands of copies are printed each night.

The newspaper has changed enormously over its history. The first edition of this newspaper was published in 1923. For many years, stories were typed on manual typewriters. Photographs were developed in darkrooms — a slow and careful process. Pages were physically cut and pasted together by layout artists. The paper was delivered only by van — digital distribution was not used until 2003.

The shift to digital technology changed almost everything. Today, stories are published online within minutes of being written. Video clips are shared on social media before the print edition even arrives at the newsagent.

Yet the print edition still matters. Today, the newspaper is read online by over two million people each month — but the print edition is still loved by its loyal readers. Some things, it seems, are not so easily replaced.

Notice the Grammar

Look at these two sentences from the article: 'Each story is checked by at least two editors before publication.' and 'The first edition of this newspaper was published in 1923.' What is different about the verb form in each sentence? What tense is each one? Why do you think the writer uses two different forms?

1 Reading for Gist

Answer these questions in a few words. You do not need to write full sentences.

  1. What is this article mainly about?
  2. The article covers two different time periods. What are they?
  3. According to the article, is the print edition of the newspaper still popular?
2 Reading for Detail

Write short answers to these questions. Use information from the article.

  1. How many editors check each story before it is published?
  2. Who writes the headlines?
  3. When was the first edition of the newspaper published?
  4. How were pages put together in the early days of the newspaper?  a) They were printed by a computer. b) They were physically cut and pasted together by layout artists. c) They were typed directly onto large sheets by journalists. 
  5. How many people read the newspaper online each month today?
3 True, False, or Not Given

Read the statements. Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given). If the answer is False, write the correct information.

  1. Stories are submitted by members of the public through an online portal.
  2. The final edition is approved by the editor at 10pm.
  3. The newspaper's website is more profitable than its print edition.
  4. Digital distribution of the newspaper began in 2003.
  5. Photographs were developed in darkrooms in the early days of the newspaper.
4 Vocabulary in Context

Answer these questions about words and phrases from the article.

  1. In paragraph 2, the article says stories are found by journalists 'in the field'. What does 'in the field' mean in this context?  a) Working outside the office, at the location of a story. b) Working in a field of grass or crops. c) Working on a computer database. 
  2. Look at the phrase 'loyal readers' in the final paragraph. What does 'loyal' mean?
  3. Find a word in paragraph 4 that means 'moved from one place to another quickly, especially on social media'. 
  4. The final sentence says some things 'are not so easily replaced'. What does 'replaced' mean here? Write your own definition.
5 Grammar in Context

Complete these activities about present and past simple passive.

  1. Find examples of both passive forms in the article. Write them below. (a) Three present simple passive sentences (is/are + past participle). (b) Two past simple passive sentences (was/were + past participle).
    a) Present passive (x3):  b) Past passive (x2): 
  2. Why is passive voice used throughout this article? Why don't we say 'Journalists find stories' or 'Editors check each story'?
  3. Which is the correct past simple passive?  a) The first edition was published in 1923. b) The first edition is published in 1923. c) The first edition published in 1923. 
  4. Change these sentences to the passive. (a) Present: 'Editors check each story before publication.' → 'Each story ___.' (b) Present: 'A sub-editor writes the headlines.' → 'The headlines ___.' (c) Past: 'Layout artists cut and pasted pages together.' → 'Pages ___ together by layout artists.'
  5. Write three sentences describing how a piece of information — a rumour, a news story, or a social media post — travels from person to person. Use present or past passive in each sentence.
Personal Response — Discuss with a partner

Discuss these questions with a partner. Share one idea with the class.

  1. Do you trust newspapers? Do you think news is always checked carefully before it is published?
  2. The article says stories are now 'published online within minutes'. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Why?
  3. If you were a journalist, what kind of stories would you want to write about? Why?

Answer Key

How the News is Made — B1 — Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple Passive

Exercise 1 — Reading for Gist

  1. How a newspaper is produced / the process of making a newspaper, past and present.
  2. The present-day process and the newspaper's history (from 1923 to now).
  3. Yes — it is still loved by loyal readers.

Exercise 2 — Reading for Detail

  1. At least two editors.
  2. A sub-editor.
  3. In 1923.
  4. b)
  5. Over two million people.

Exercise 3 — True, False, or Not Given

  1. T — Stated directly in paragraph 2: 'Tips are submitted by members of the public through an online portal.'
  2. F — The article states the editor approves the final edition at 9pm, not 10pm.
  3. NG — The article does not mention profit or compare income from print and online.
  4. T — Stated in paragraph 3: 'digital distribution was not used until 2003.'
  5. T — Stated in paragraph 3: 'Photographs were developed in darkrooms — a slow and careful process.'

Exercise 4 — Vocabulary in Context

  1. a)
  2. Faithful / consistently supportive — readers who continue to buy and read the newspaper over a long time.
  3. shared
  4. Substituted by something else / made unnecessary by a newer version or technology. Here it suggests the print newspaper cannot simply be swapped for a digital version in every reader's life.

Exercise 5 — Grammar in Context

  1. Present passive examples: 'Stories are found by journalists.' / 'Tips are submitted by members of the public.' / 'Each story is checked by at least two editors.' / 'Photographs are taken by staff photographers and freelancers.' / 'Headlines are written by a sub-editor.' / 'The final edition is approved by the editor at 9pm.' / 'Pages are sent digitally to the printing facility.' / 'Thousands of copies are printed each night.' / 'The newspaper is read online by over two million people.' Past passive examples: 'The first edition was published in 1923.' / 'Stories were typed on manual typewriters.' / 'Photographs were developed in darkrooms.' / 'Pages were physically cut and pasted together by layout artists.' / 'The paper was delivered only by van.'
  2. Passive voice is used when the process (what happens) is more important than who does it. In a process description, the action and result are the focus — the agent (the journalist, editor) is less important or already obvious. Passive voice also makes the writing feel more formal and objective, which suits a magazine article about journalism.
  3. a)
  4. (a) Each story is checked by editors before publication. (b) The headlines are written by a sub-editor. (c) Pages were cut and pasted together by layout artists.
  5. Answers will vary. Check that each sentence uses is/are + past participle (present) OR was/were + past participle (past). The process shoul

Notice the Grammar — suggested answers

Accept any five correct examples from the article that use the target grammar. Students should be able to explain why the grammar is used in each case.

Personal Response

Answers will vary. This section is for spoken discussion or short written response. There are no single correct answers.