미디어를 비판적으로 읽기Reading Media Critically
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Recognize the compressed grammar of Korean news headlines and expand a headline into a full sentence.
- Identify the basic structure of a short news report: lead, background, detail, and source attribution.
- Distinguish a reporter's own voice from quoted or attributed material within a news article.
- Recognize simple framing choices — which details a report foregrounds or omits — without asserting bias where none is demonstrated.
- Use reporting and attribution language such as -다고 밝히다, -다고 전했다, and -(으)로 알려지다 to summarize what a source said.
- Write a short, accurately sourced news-style summary of a familiar event, and discuss it in formal spoken register.
This chapter opens Unit II, 미디어와 공공 쟁점 (Media and Public Issues). It introduces headline style, framing, source voice, and report structure as scheduled productive systems, while continuing to consolidate the register discipline, institutional language, comparison, and argumentation activated in Chapters 1–5.
Opening Scenario
수아 and 민준's class moves from Unit I's analytical writing into a new domain: Korean news media. 박 교수님 brings in three short items from a campus newsletter and a local news site — a headline, a short breaking-news notice, and a longer report about a public transportation change. Before discussing the content, she asks the class to notice something about the language itself: headlines drop particles and endings that full sentences require, reports move in a predictable order from lead to background to detail, and almost every claim in a report is attached to a source. Today's goal is not to master journalism, but to read Korean media the way an informed reader does — noticing structure and sourcing, not just content.
- You will learn to expand a compressed Korean headline into a complete sentence.
- You will learn the typical structure of a short news report and the language used to attribute information to a source.
- You will read and discuss a real-style report, then write and present your own short news-style summary.
Unit II Overview
Unit II, 미디어와 공공 쟁점 (Media and Public Issues), runs from Chapter 6 through Chapter 10. It builds media literacy, formal spoken interaction, civic vocabulary, and general legal/administrative awareness before a unit assessment in Chapter 10.
| Chapter | Focus | Principal new systems |
|---|---|---|
| Ch. 6 | Reading Media Critically | headline style, framing, source voice, report structure |
| Ch. 7 | Interviews and Public Discussion | formal spoken Korean, turns, stance, clarification |
| Ch. 8 | Social and Civic Issues | public issue analysis, careful claims, institutional vocabulary |
| Ch. 9 | Legal and Administrative Language for General Purposes | rights/obligations vocabulary, forms, restrictions, boundaries |
| Ch. 10 | Unit II Assessment | media dossier and public explanation (consolidation only) |
Chapter 6 does not repeat Unit I content directly, but every task below continues to require the formal register, comparison, and argumentation control developed in Chapters 1–5.
Core Vocabulary
The following items support reading and discussing Korean news media at a B2–C1 level. All items are productive unless labeled receptive.
| Korean | Category | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 기사 | noun | news article | — |
| 보도 | noun | news coverage, reporting | 보도하다 (to report) |
| 헤드라인 / 제목 | noun | headline | 제목 is the more general/native-feeling term |
| 속보 | noun | breaking news | — |
| 사설 | noun | editorial | register: media, opinion genre |
| 출처 | noun | source | 출처를 밝히다 (to identify a source) |
| 소식통 | noun | a source, informant | 익명의 소식통 (an anonymous source) — receptive |
| 인용하다 | action verb | to quote | — |
| 전하다 | action verb | to relay, to convey (news) | -다고 전했다 (reported that ~) |
| 밝히다 | action verb | to state, to disclose | -다고 밝혔다 (stated that ~) |
| 알려지다 | action verb | to become known | -(으)로 알려졌다 (it is known/reported that ~) |
| 발표하다 | action verb | to announce | — |
| 보도자료 | noun | press release | — |
| 기자 | noun | reporter, journalist | — |
| 취재하다 | action verb | to gather news, to report on-site | — |
| 관점 | noun | viewpoint, perspective | — |
| 시각 | noun | viewpoint, angle (on an issue) | register: analytical/media |
| 틀짓기 / 프레이밍 | noun | framing | 틀짓기 is the more analytical native-feeling term; 프레이밍 is the common loanword |
| 편향되다 | descriptive verb | to be biased | 편향된 보도 (biased reporting) — use cautiously, with evidence |
| 공정하다 | descriptive verb | to be fair, impartial | — |
| 논조 | noun | the tone/stance of an article | receptive-leaning analytical term |
| 강조하다 | action verb | to emphasize | — |
| 생략하다 | action verb | to omit | — |
| 배경 | noun | background (of a story) | — |
| 사실 확인 / 팩트체크 | noun | fact-checking | — |
| 신뢰하다 | action verb | to trust | 신뢰할 만하다 (to be trustworthy) |
| 독자 | noun | reader | — |
| 시청자 | noun | viewer | — |
| 여론 | noun | public opinion | — |
| 대중매체 / 언론 | noun | the mass media / the press | 언론 is often used institutionally ("the press") |
| 비판적으로 | adverb | critically | 비판적으로 읽다 (to read critically) |
| 해석하다 | action verb | to interpret | — |
| 단정하다 | action verb | to conclude definitively, assert | 단정 짓지 않다 (not to jump to conclusions) — pragmatic note |
Receptive/analytical items in this chapter: 소식통, 논조. These may be recognized and discussed but are not independently assessed as productive vocabulary.
Pronunciation Focus
Korean broadcast news is read with a distinct, evenly paced rhythm and a slight downward intonation at the end of each reported clause, even before the sentence is grammatically complete. When reading a headline aloud, group the compressed noun phrase as a single rhythmic unit rather than pausing between every word, since headlines are read as a single idea rather than a list.
When reading attribution phrases such as -다고 밝혔다 or -(으)로 알려졌다 aloud, keep the pitch measured and slightly lowered, distinct from the more animated pitch used for direct quotation within a report.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter introduces headline style, source-attribution reporting language, and report structure as new productive systems. It builds directly on the register discipline (Ch. 1), and the quotation and reported-speech systems already active from prior volumes, expanding them into a genre-specific discourse pattern.
1. Headline Style: Compressed Noun-Phrase Sentences
Korean headlines commonly omit particles, drop the copula, and use a nominalized or truncated predicate rather than a full sentence-final ending. A headline is not ungrammatical; it follows its own compressed register, and a competent reader must be able to expand it mentally into a full sentence.
- 캠퍼스 셔틀버스 요금 인상 예고Headline: Campus shuttle bus fare increase forecastheadline: [topic] [event noun] — no particle, no sentence-final ending
- 학교 측은 캠퍼스 셔틀버스 요금을 인상할 예정이라고 예고했다.Expanded: The school has announced that it plans to raise the campus shuttle bus fare.expanded: 학교 측은[topic] + 요금을[object] + 인상할 예정이라고[quoted clause] + 예고했다[predicate]
Expansion typically requires: (1) supplying an omitted subject or agent, often an institution rather than a person; (2) restoring the object particle; and (3) converting a bare noun into a full reporting predicate such as -다고 밝혔다 or -다고 예고했다.
2. Source Attribution: Reporting What a Source Said
A responsible news report attaches nearly every claim to an identified source. The following reporting predicates attach to an indirect quotation clause ending in -다고/-라고, consistent with the indirect quotation system already active from prior volumes.
- 시청은 내년부터 요금이 오른다고 밝혔다.The city office stated that the fare will rise starting next year.-다고 밝히다 = to state/disclose that ~
- 관계자는 정확한 인상 폭은 아직 정해지지 않았다고 전했다.An official relayed that the exact size of the increase has not yet been decided.-다고 전하다 = to relay/convey that ~
- 요금 인상은 다음 달 발표될 것으로 알려졌다.It is known/reported that the fare increase will be announced next month.-(으)ㄹ 것으로 알려지다 = it is reported/known that ~ (source often unnamed or institutional)
3. Report Structure: Lead, Background, Detail, Source
A short Korean news report typically opens with a lead sentence stating the main event, follows with background explaining why the event is happening or relevant, adds supporting detail, and closes by attributing the key claim to a named or institutional source. This order is a discourse convention, not a grammatical rule, but recognizing it helps a reader locate the most important information quickly.
4. Reporter's Voice versus Quoted Material
A report mixes the reporter's own descriptive narration (plain or formal written endings, no attribution) with quoted or paraphrased material (marked by -다고/-라고 plus a reporting predicate, or by direct quotation marks). A critical reader must be able to separate what the reporter is asserting directly from what a quoted source is asserting.
- 시는 어제 오전 관련 계획을 공개했다.The city released the related plan yesterday morning. [reporter's own narration]
- 한 시 관계자는 "주민들의 의견을 충분히 반영했다"고 말했다.A city official said, "We fully reflected residents' opinions." [direct quotation, attributed]
[리드: 핵심 사건] + [배경: 왜 / 언제부터] + [세부 사항] + [출처: -다고 밝히다/전하다/알려지다]
리드 = lead; 배경 = background; 세부 사항 = detail; 출처 = source attribution
시청은 내년 3월부터 캠퍼스 셔틀버스 요금을 인상한다고 밝혔다. 이번 조치는 유가 상승과 운영 적자를 반영한 것으로 알려졌다. 정확한 인상 폭은 다음 달 회의에서 결정될 예정이다. 시 관계자는 "이용객 부담을 최소화하는 방향으로 검토하고 있다"고 전했다.
The city office announced that the campus shuttle bus fare will rise starting next March. This measure is reported to reflect rising fuel prices and an operating deficit. The exact size of the increase is expected to be decided at next month's meeting. A city official relayed, "We are reviewing this in a way that minimizes the burden on riders."
Practice — Headline Expansion and Attribution
- Expand this headline into a full sentence: 교내 식당 위생 점검 강화
- Rewrite the following sentence using -다고 밝히다: 학생회는 다음 주에 설문 조사를 실시한다. (학생회 stated this.)
- Identify which part of the Building Block example is the reporter's own narration and which part is attributed to a source.
Model Text: Headline and Report
박 교수님 shares a short campus-newsletter item as a model of headline style and report structure.
Context: a short campus newsletter report, illustrating headline compression, lead-background-detail-source structure, and attribution language.
구조 분석 — Structure analysis questions:
- Identify the lead, background, detail, and source-attribution sentences in the model text.
- Expand the headline into a full sentence in your own words.
- Which sentence is a direct quotation, and which are the reporter's own narration or paraphrase?
Guided Practice
- Choose a familiar campus or community event (real or invented) and write a one-line headline for it in compressed style.
- Expand your headline into a lead sentence using a reporting predicate such as -다고 밝혔다.
- Add one background sentence and one detail sentence.
- Close with a one-sentence quotation attributed to a named or institutional source, using -다고 전했다 or direct quotation with "..."고 말했다.
- Exchange with a partner and identify each other's lead, background, detail, and source sentences.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a language partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following short broadcast-style item aloud at a measured pace. Listen twice without reading, then complete the tasks below.
방송 뉴스: 교내 정류장 위치 변경
교내 셔틀버스 정류장 위치가 다음 주부터 변경된다고 학교 측이 밝혔다. 이번 변경은 공사로 인한 통행 제한을 반영한 것으로 전해졌다. 임시 정류장은 정문에서 약 100미터 떨어진 곳에 설치되며, 안내 표지판도 함께 설치될 예정이다. 학교 관계자는 "공사가 끝나는 대로 기존 위치로 복귀할 것"이라고 말했다.
듣기 과제 — Listening task: Listen and answer in English.
| 질문 | 답 |
|---|---|
| What is the lead event described? | ______ |
| What background is given for the change? | ______ |
| What detail is provided about the temporary stop? | ______ |
| What does the quoted official say, and how is it attributed? | ______ |
Reading Practice
Read the following short report, then answer the questions that follow.
글: 교내 카페 일회용컵 사용 제한 도입
교내 카페들이 다음 달부터 일회용컵 사용을 제한한다고 학생지원처가 밝혔다. 이번 조치는 캠퍼스 내 쓰레기 배출량 증가에 대한 우려를 반영한 것으로 알려졌다. 매장 내에서는 다회용 컵만 제공되며, 포장 주문에 한해 일회용컵이 유상으로 제공될 예정이다. 일부 학생들은 준비물이 늘어난다는 점에서 불편을 제기했지만, 학생지원처 관계자는 "환경 부담을 줄이기 위한 불가피한 조치"라고 전했다. 한편, 환경 동아리 대표는 "이번 조치를 환영하며 앞으로도 확대되기를 바란다"고 말했다.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- Identify the lead sentence and summarize the main event in English.
- What background does the report give for the change?
- What detail is given about how the policy will actually work?
- Identify two different sources quoted or paraphrased in the report, and summarize what each one says.
- Which sentences are the reporter's own narration, and which are attributed to a source?
- Does this report show a detectable bias toward one side, or does it present more than one perspective? Support your answer with specific sentences.
Writing Workshop
This chapter's writing task asks you to write a short news-style report (4–6 sentences) about a familiar campus, community, or public event, following the lead–background–detail–source structure and using at least two attribution predicates.
[배경 — 이번 조치/사건은 ~을/를 반영한 것으로 알려졌다]
[세부 사항 — 구체적인 내용 한두 문장]
[출처 — "직접 인용"고 말했다 또는 -다고 전했다]
[Lead — the main event, using -다고 밝혔다/전했다]
[Background — this measure/event is reported to reflect ~]
[Detail — one or two sentences of specific content]
[Source — "direct quotation," said or -다고 전했다]
- Write a headline. Compress your event into a headline-style noun phrase, dropping particles and the sentence-final ending.
- Write the lead. Expand the headline into a full lead sentence using a reporting predicate.
- Add background. Explain briefly why the event is happening, using -(으)로 알려지다 if the reason is reported rather than confirmed.
- Add detail. Give one or two concrete facts a reader would want to know.
- Attribute a source. Close with a quotation or paraphrase clearly attributed to a named or institutional source.
체크리스트 — Checklist:
- The headline is compressed (no sentence-final ending, particles dropped as appropriate).
- The lead sentence expands the headline and uses a reporting predicate.
- Background and detail are clearly separated from the lead.
- At least one source is directly quoted or paraphrased with clear attribution.
- The reporter's own narration and the source's words are distinguishable.
- Spacing, particles, and Hangeul spelling are accurate, with no romanization.
- No structure beyond Chapters 1–6 has been used productively.
Speaking Practice
통제 연습 — Controlled practice: 뉴스처럼 읽기
Read your written report aloud from the Writing Workshop, using measured broadcast-style pacing and a clear pitch shift between your own narration and the quoted material.
의사소통 과제 — Communicative task: 출처 확인하기
With a partner, exchange reports and ask each other one question about the source of a claim in the partner's report — for example, 이 내용은 누가 밝힌 거예요? — answering in formal register.
혼자 하는 연습 — Solo alternative
Record yourself reading your report aloud, then listen back and identify, out loud, which sentence is the lead, which is background, which is detail, and which is the source attribution.
Culture and Communication
In Korean news writing, as in many journalistic traditions, careful attribution of claims to named or institutional sources is treated as a basic professional standard rather than an optional courtesy. A report that makes claims with no attributed source at all is often read as less credible, whatever its content.
Recognizing that a report emphasizes certain details and omits others is a normal, useful reading skill. It is different from concluding that a specific outlet or article is biased, which requires comparing coverage or citing specific evidence rather than general impressions. Learners should practice describing framing choices concretely rather than making broad claims about an outlet's reliability.
The campus-newsletter and local-news style used in this chapter's model texts is a simplified, illustrative version of the genre, useful for building the underlying skills. Professional Korean news media — national broadcasters, major newspapers, and specialized outlets — vary in register, house style, and editorial stance, and a learner moving to authentic materials should expect more density and variation.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: Trying to conjugate or add particles directly onto headline-style phrasing as if it were a normal sentence, or assuming a headline is grammatically incomplete or wrong.
Correction: Recognize headline compression as its own register. Expand the headline into a full sentence separately, rather than treating the headline itself as something to correct.
Error: Presenting a source's quoted claim as if it were the reporter's own confirmed fact, or vice versa.
Correction: Keep attribution predicates such as -다고 밝혔다, -다고 전했다, and quotation marks clearly attached to the source, and use plain descriptive predicates only for what the reporter is asserting directly.
Error: Labeling a report as 편향된 보도 based on a general impression rather than specific details of emphasis, omission, or word choice.
Correction: Support any claim of framing or bias with a specific detail — a foregrounded fact, an omitted perspective, or a loaded word choice — rather than an unsupported general judgment.
Chapter Review
Section A — 어휘 (Vocabulary)
1. Match the following items to their meanings: 출처, 보도, 인용하다, 편향되다, 여론.
Section B — 문법 (Grammar)
1. Expand this headline into a full sentence: 신입생 오리엔테이션 일정 변경
2. Write one sentence using -다고 밝히다 and one using -(으)로 알려지다.
Section C — 독해 이해 (Reading Comprehension)
1. Summarize the disposable-cup reading passage in four or five English sentences, identifying its lead, background, detail, and sources.
Section D — 쓰기 (Writing)
1. Complete the Writing Workshop short report, following the steps and checklist above.
Section E — 말하기 (Speaking)
1. Present your report with a partner or recording, followed by one question about a source, as described in Speaking Practice above.
누적 복습 — Cumulative review
This chapter recycles formal register discipline (Chapter 1), institutional and procedural vocabulary (Chapter 2), comparison language when discussing differing perspectives (Chapter 3), and evidence-based claims (Chapter 4–5), while introducing headline style, source attribution, and report structure as new productive systems.
Practical Performance Task
수행 과제 — Chapter 6 Performance Task
뉴스 요약 작성과 발표 — Writing and Presenting a News-Style Summary
You will read a short report and answer comprehension questions, listen to a related broadcast-style item, write your own short news-style report, and present it aloud with attention to source attribution.
- Reading: Read the disposable-cup passage and answer the comprehension questions above.
- Listening: Listen to the shuttle-stop passage and answer the listening task questions above.
- Writing: Write a complete short report following the Writing Workshop model and checklist.
- Speaking: Present your report aloud, then answer one question about your source, staying in formal register.
| Criterion | What is evaluated |
|---|---|
| Reading and listening comprehension | Lead, background, detail, and source are correctly identified in both passages |
| Headline expansion | A compressed headline is accurately expanded into a full sentence |
| Report structure | The written and spoken report follows lead–background–detail–source order |
| Source attribution | -다고 밝히다/전하다 or -(으)로 알려지다 are used accurately at least twice |
| Voice separation | Reporter narration and quoted/attributed material are clearly distinguishable |
| Register consistency | Predicate endings remain in consistent formal register throughout |
| Hangeul and spacing accuracy | Accurate spelling and level-appropriate spacing throughout, no romanization |
| Scope discipline | No structures used productively beyond Volume IV, Chapters 1–6 |
Answer Key
Model Text — Structure Analysis
- 리드: the sentence announcing the 24-hour trial operation. 배경: the sentence attributing the decision to the student council's proposal. 세부 사항: the sentence about the third-floor reading room and the other floors' hours. 출처: the final quoted sentence from the library official.
- Sample expansion: 중앙 도서관이 시험 기간 동안 24시간 개방을 시범적으로 운영하기로 했다.
- The final sentence is a direct quotation, marked with quotation marks and -다고 전했다; the rest is the reporter's own narration or paraphrase.
Listening comprehension
- The lead event is the change in the location of the on-campus shuttle bus stop starting next week.
- The background given is that the change reflects traffic restrictions caused by construction.
- The detail is that the temporary stop will be about 100 meters from the main gate, with signage installed.
- The quoted official says the stop will return to its original location once construction ends, attributed with a direct quotation and "...”이라고 말했다.
Reading comprehension
- The lead sentence announces that on-campus cafés will limit disposable cup use starting next month.
- The background is that the measure reflects concern over increasing campus waste output.
- The detail is that reusable cups will be provided in-store, with disposable cups available for a fee only for takeout orders.
- Two sources: a Student Support Office official, who calls the measure an unavoidable step to reduce environmental burden; and the head of an environmental club, who welcomes the measure and hopes it will expand.
- The reporter's own narration covers the announcement, background, and policy detail; the quoted sentences from the official and the club representative are attributed material.
- The report presents more than one perspective — it notes student inconvenience, the official's justification, and the environmental club's support — rather than showing a clearly one-sided framing.
Chapter Review — Section B
1. Sample expansion: 신입생 오리엔테이션 일정이 변경된다고 학교 측이 밝혔다.
2. Sample responses: 학생회는 다음 달 축제 일정을 조정한다고 밝혔다. / 이번 결정은 예산 문제를 반영한 것으로 알려졌다.
Section D — Sample response
Check that: the headline is compressed, the lead expands it with a reporting predicate, background and detail are clearly separated, at least one source is quoted or paraphrased with attribution, and the reporter's own narration is distinguishable from the source's words.
Looking Ahead
지금 할 수 있는 것 — What you can do now
You can expand a compressed Korean headline into a full sentence, recognize the lead–background–detail–source structure of a short news report, separate a reporter's own narration from quoted or attributed material, describe framing choices with specific evidence, and write and present a short, accurately sourced news-style summary in formal register.