Facebook has had its share of bad publicity in recent years, and once again they’re making headlines with recent comments directed at Australia and New Zealand.
The news is a consistent source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery that never ceases to exist and always comes out with more and more material each day. Because it plays such a vital part in our lives and is so important to keep up with, it is without a doubt a piece of your everyday routine that can’t go ignored.
Whether it is to understand the ramifications of recent legislation passed, to hear about recent events and grasp the potential consequences to your country, or simply hear about what is happening in other countries in order to compare them to what’s happening in yours, the news is certainly a staple in our lives and the most consistent way to get information.
This is why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds: learning English and keeping up with what is happening in the world. We hope our challenging daily exercises, composed of listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises in English, will satisfy both of those above worlds in a satisfactory and also entertaining way.
So enough about introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:
Now that you’ve had a listen, let’s put your knowledge to the test with some of our vocabulary and comprehension exercises:
Facebook threatens Australians | Definitions Quiz
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Backed
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Offset
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Outcome
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Defies logic
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Vibrancy
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Threats
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Bargaining
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Engage
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Looming
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Block
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Facebook threatens Australians | Fill In The Blank
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ENGAGE – BLOCK – BACKED – VIBRANCY – OFFSET – OUTCOME – LOOMING – DEFIES LOGIC – BARGAINING – THREATS
- Facebook will block Australians from sharing news if a landmark plan to make digital platforms pay for news content becomes law, the digital giant has warned. Sharing personal content between family and friends will not be affected and neither will the sharing of news by Facebook users outside of Australia, the social network said. The mandatory news code has been (backed) by all the major news companies including News Corp Australia, Nine Entertainment and Guardian Australia, as a way to (offset) the damage caused by the loss of advertising revenue to Facebook and Google. “Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram,” the managing director of Facebook Australia & New Zealand Will Easton said in a blog post on Tuesday. “This is not our first choice – it is our last. But it is the only way to protect against an (outcome) that (defies logic) and will hurt, not help, the long-term (vibrancy) of Australia’s news and media sector.” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the government would continue with the legislation and did not respond to “coercion or heavy-handed (threats)”. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Rod Sims said Facebook’s threat was ill-timed and misconceived. “The draft media (bargaining) code aims to ensure Australian news businesses, including independent, community and regional media, can get a seat at the table for fair negotiations with Facebook and Google,” Sims said. “Facebook already pays for some media content. The code aims to bring fairness and transparency to Facebook and Google’s relationships with Australian news media businesses”. “We note that according to the University of Canberra’s 2020 Digital News Report, 39% of Australians use Facebook for general news, and 49% use Facebook for news about COVID-19. “As the ACCC and the Government work to finalise the draft legislation, we hope all parties will (engage) in constructive discussions.” Tuesday’s statement marked the company’s first comment since Google also took an aggressive approach to the (looming) legislation, although the search giant has stopped short of saying it would (block) search functions in Australia.
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Facebooks threatens Australians | True or False
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Facebook users outside of Australia could be affected by the new law
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All major news companies in Australia support the code
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Josh Frydenberg is scared and worried about the threat from Facebook
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The Australian government hopes Facebook will discuss this more with them
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Google are also unhappy about the legislation
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And that’s it for today’s English lesson, where you can improve your English with the news and current events. Do you have any comments or special requests for us for the next edition of Learn English with the News? Be sure to leave any feedback you have in the comments section below, as we would love to help you on your quest to learn the English language!
For other Learn English with the News segments, be sure to check out the rest of our posts:
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Full Text:
“Facebook will block Australians from sharing news if a landmark plan to make digital platforms pay for news content becomes law, the digital giant has warned. Sharing personal content between family and friends will not be affected and neither will the sharing of news by Facebook users outside of Australia, the social network said. The mandatory news code has been backed by all the major news companies including News Corp Australia, Nine Entertainment and Guardian Australia, as a way to offset the damage caused by the loss of advertising revenue to Facebook and Google. “Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram,” the managing director of Facebook Australia & New Zealand Will Easton said in a blog post on Tuesday. “This is not our first choice – it is our last. But it is the only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt, not help, the long-term vibrancy of Australia’s news and media sector.” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the government would continue with the legislation and did not respond to “coercion or heavy-handed threats”. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Rod Sims said Facebook’s threat was ill-timed and misconceived. “The draft media bargaining code aims to ensure Australian news businesses, including independent, community and regional media, can get a seat at the table for fair negotiations with Facebook and Google,” Sims said. “Facebook already pays for some media content. The code aims to bring fairness and transparency to Facebook and Google’s relationships with Australian news media businesses”. “We note that according to the University of Canberra’s 2020 Digital News Report, 39% of Australians use Facebook for general news, and 49% use Facebook for news about COVID-19. “As the ACCC and the Government work to finalise the draft legislation, we hope all parties will engage in constructive discussions.” Tuesday’s statement marked the company’s first comment since Google also took an aggressive approach to the looming legislation, although the search giant has stopped short of saying it would block search functions in Australia.”