Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a guild
    • ex. He joined the artists’ guild to know and be friends with other artists in the community.
  2. a walkout
    • ex. The employees were not happy with the company’s decision, so they planned a walkout during work hours.
  3. civic
    • ex. Voting is our civic responsibility.
  4. acquire
    • ex. The huge tech company acquired several small businesses.
  5. examine
    • ex. The scientist’s report is examined by another scientist before it is published.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Los Angeles Times guild members held a 1-day walkout of their jobs to oppose planned layoffs in the news organization. This is the first work walkout in the newspaper’s 143-year history. The newspaper’s journalists and their supporters gathered in an LA civic center park. They shouted and held signs that read, “Don’t Cut Our Future.” The guild said the members would do the same in other cities.

In a statement, the guild said that the Times is planning to remove a number of journalists. However, it can’t give details about the layoffs because the Times’ management wants to keep the information private. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong acquired the Times in 2018. This gave hope to the employees after years of decline in the number of readers and leadership changes.

However, in June, more than 70 positions in the organization were removed. More recently, Executive Editor Kevin Merida suddenly left after only 2 1/2 years. A Times representative said that income predictions were being checked and carefully examined. A spokeswoman also said that it is necessary to reduce the budget for this year and to expect layoffs.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Newspapers

  • Do you like or dislike reading newspapers? Why? Discuss.
  • There’s a decline in the number of readers of the Los Angeles Times. Do you think this is also true for the top newspaper in your country? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What do you think is the future of newspaper companies in your country? Discuss.

Journalists

  • Who is a journalist, news writer, or news reporter that you admire? Discuss.
  • The number of readers of the Los Angeles Times declined. What do you think this means? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, what can the local government of Los Angeles do for the journalists included in the layoffs? Discuss.