The news is updated daily and often talks about the same topics from day to day, which means it’s perfect for practicing language with the Spaced Repetition Theory.
This theory states that being exposed to the same thing repeatedly over time rather than trying to repeat it a lot in one session is a key way to store information in your long-term memory.
Listening to various news sources is the perfect way to learn real English in a different way every day while staying on top of important events in your English-speaking country of choice.
Since the news is available in many places for free, it’s a perfect way to learn without limiting yourself to strict lesson-style videos.
Read on to find out how you can improve your listening skills in English using the news!
The News As a Lesson Plan
Even though news stories are not at all designed with teaching English in mind, they happen to be an ideal setup for language learners.
Direct Language
The goal of a news story is that everyone watching can understand what the story is about. It’s not meant to be confusing or too intellectual for the average person to comprehend.
Therefore, the language used is simple and approachable, without being childish. Ideas are put forth in a way that’s very easy to understand, which is great for learning to understand and interpret spoken English.
Most of the language used in news programs is the same type of language you might hear in an everyday setting.
Clear Speech
The other aspect of making the news clear to all listeners is to ensure that the presenters are easy to understand. That’s why newscasters all have a similar “news voice.”
The way news anchors and reporters speak is with the intent that people of most ages (and especially older people who might have hearing and comprehension problems) can listen and understand the story immediately, even if they missed part of the report.
Different Topics
Since the news covers a wide variety of topics, you can watch and read news stories that matter to you. You don’t have to put on the often hard-to-watch global news if you don’t want to.
Instead, you can find stories about local figures, good news stories, stories about art or the weather or technology, or whatever else you like to learn about!
Useful & Relevant Information
In general, news in English is meant to be applicable to daily life. A website or blogger about a subject might get really niche into a certain topic, making it hard for the average person to understand (even if their native language is English!).
By reframing even complicated topics in a way that the typical news-viewer can understand, you gain valuable insights into approachable and memorable ways to talk about any subject.
Short Lessons
Unless you’re watching a news special, most news stories are about 5 minutes long. You can use this 5-minute segment to improve your listening comprehension in English as well as your reading, writing, and even speaking!
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Where to Find News Stories to Learn English
Where can you actually find news stories in English so you can begin using them to practice your English listening skills?
Here are some great places you can start listening to the news in English!
Broadcasts
If you live in the US or somewhere with a large population of English speakers, you can look up your local TV and radio channels that broadcast in English.
News Websites
Check out the news website for any national or local news station, and you’re bound to find an extensive archive of news stories on any subject you find interesting.
Learn about local goings-on as well as national and international news with these video and audio resources.
Independent News Networks
In addition to the news networks that broadcast the most on TV and radio, there are also many independent reporters that have their own websites.
You can also find a lot of YouTubers and Podcasters who report on news and are not affiliated with any news networks.
Podcasts, YouTube, and Social Media
As mentioned before, there is a plethora of creators online who report on all sorts of news in every way possible. Choose your favorite app(s) and website(s), and you can find people reporting the news!
They might speak a little differently than the reporters on TV, but there are bound to be many who you can still understand with ease.
Best News Outlets for Learning English
It’s important to find reputable news websites and networks if you will be taking the information to heart. Especially in the US, there are a lot of news outlets that provide opinions and call it news, but really their views and facts are biased. So, be aware that you might need to take what certain news stations say with a grain of salt.
These news sources in particular are some of the most biased sources of news in English, and should be avoided if you’re looking for factual reporting:
- Fox News
- MSNBC
- InfoWars
- Sky News
- Breitbart News
Here are some of the best places to learn English through listening to the news. These networks and creators have a good track record of reporting accurately and are also easy to understand verbally.
News Networks
Every good, renowned news station will have a website in addition to a TV channel, so you can visit their site and search for audio resources and videos you actually want to watch.
Also, they more often than not have transcripts of their videos available, or at least have subtitles available. This way you can check that what you think you are hearing is actually what is being said!
One thing to note is that news networks do have a parent company to answer to, so they may not report on things that harm their parent companies.
BBC News
BBC’s reporting is characterized by its impartiality, making it a top choice for unbiased narratives. Headlines refrain from displaying a bias or clickbait, and the content remains free from political influence. You can explore a diverse range of news categories, like Health, Business, Tech, and Entertainment & Arts.
The Reality Check section is great because it dispels misinformation found on social media and other news sources.
BBC is also a great way to practice listening to different accents in English, since it’s a British company.
CBS News
CBS is historically more politically balanced in US politics than most other news sources. Journalists are sure to use balanced language when reporting in order to avoid polarizing listeners. They include opinions and context from all sides of an issue. There are several categories for listeners and readers to choose from, like Politics, Health, Sports, Entertainment, and Technology.
CNN
Journalists for CNN focus on providing unbiased, reliable, and credible information for their stories.
NBC News
NBC reporters are held to a high standard of reporting ethics, and the news outlet has even fired journalists in the past for violating ethics.
Independent Outlets
Not all independent networks are factual and unbiased; they simply don’t have a parent company to answer to. Therefore, you can’t simply trust the news coming from an independent source only because they are independent.
Here are some of the most unbiased independent news outlets you can use to increase your English comprehension skills.
The Associated Press
The AP is consistently on lists on unbiased news networks. Journalists use neutral language and cite sources that have been investigated for authenticity.
The AP site offers a Video and Listen section for your choice of audio news sources.
Reuters
Reuters journalists must follow the self-imposed Trust Principles, which means they must report news with integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.
NPR (National Public Radio)
NPR is public, so it needs to be unbiased since it’s receiving tax dollars. In the event that listeners disagree with the way something was reported, NPR has historically revisited the report and made clarifications and/or changes to make sure the information is presented as factually as possible.
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) NewsHour
PBS NewHour consistently avoids reporting misinformation and makes sure to include the context needed to understand things like quotes from politicians.
The Guardian
Although a left-leaning publication, The Guardian provides the appropriate citations for their reporting. It has a consistently good track record of fair and factual reporting.
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Podcasts, YouTube Channels, and Social Media Channels
With things like YouTube and Social Media, you need to be discerning if you’re using those sources as facts about the world. Most often, they are run by a person or small team who want to support their views, making it hard for them to be completely unbiased and/or fact-check everything as well as a team at a big agency, like Reuters.
What Next TBD with Lizzie O’Leary (by Slate) - Podcast
Learn about science, technology, culture, and news with Lizzie as she explains intricate concepts in the news with the help of guest experts.
The Newsworthy with Erica Mandy - Podcast
Perfect for early risers, this M-F news podcast drops at 4 AM so you can listen while you do your morning routine. Erica presents unbiased daily news in a fun and light way.
Today, Explained with Sean Rameswaram and Noel King (by Vox) - Podcast
Vox has a great track record of reporting factual news. Every episode of Today, Explained is fact-checked and aims to provide an objective view of current news.
The Good News Podcast with Colleen and Neil (By Cards Against Humanity) - Podcast
This unusual podcast reports on only good news, so you can be sure that you’ll be left smiling as you learn about things like Fiona the Sheep who was rescued from a well and community grocery stores.
YouTube Channels for News
Some popular YouTube channels for news include:
- CaspianReport
- Philip DeFranco
- Task & Purpose
- Sky News
- Al Jazeera
Social Media for News
If you want bite-sized bits of news on your various social media feeds, try seeking out some of these popular social media creators.
- SYSCA
- Buzzfeed
- The Dodo
- Jeff Jackson, North Carolina Congressman
- Mashable
- Morning Brew
- theSkimm
- Goodnews_Movement
- Join1440
- NowThis
How to Improve Listening Skills When Watching the News
What are some methods you can use to make sure you learn as much as possible when listening to news in English? There are many practice exercises and techniques you can use in tandem with watching and listening to the news to improve your listening skills and listening comprehension in English.
Keep Track of Vocabulary
Each time you come across a new word, try to decipher the meaning from context clues. Look up the definition later if you want to check that you were right. You can add it to a list of words or flashcards you keep to help you remember new vocabulary.
Notice Regional Dialects
Listen to the different accents, phrases, and word usage that come with different sources of news. Pay attention to the language news shows use to convey information to their audiences. Using audio and visual media is a great way to get familiar with different English dialects.
Read and Listen
Read the transcripts or subtitles of the audio media you’re using so you can compare what you hear with the written words. This will help you with spelling and reading, as well as help you understand what letters make which sounds in context.
Make Predictions
Practice your complete comprehension of what you’re hearing by trying to predict the next couple of words, a sentence, or the general direction in which the story will go. This will also help you realize if you are understanding what the presenters mean properly.
Give a Summary
After you listen to the news segment, give a summary of what you learned. You can say it out loud to yourself or tell a friend. By verbally giving an account of what happened, you help reinforce what you heard by being able to repeat it back in speech, rather than writing it down.
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Learn English Comprehension with a Tutor
To improve your ESL learning online, you can seek out a tutor on Superprof! Find a private tutor who can help you from anywhere with esl classes nyc.
Tutors will use methods like the ones listed in this article as well as many others to help you understand to read, write, listen, and speak in English to the best of your ability!
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