Section 1 — The News
8 key phrases
Session 4 Key Phrases: What stories leave out
Use these phrases to talk about omission, representation, and the power of what is not said — in English, at a sophisticated level.
Whose voice is missing here?analytical question
Use when: identifying which perspectives are absent from a news story
The most important question a critical reader can ask. It shifts attention from what the story says to who it doesn't hear from.
"Before accepting this story, whose voice is missing here? We have the government's side, the company's side — but not the community that lives there."
This story is underreported.observational phrase
Use when: noting that a significant issue is receiving less media attention than it deserves
A way of naming editorial priorities — and implicitly asking why this story isn't getting the attention it merits.
"The mental health crisis in this region is completely underreported. It's affecting millions of people, but it never makes the front page."
The silence says as much as the coverage.conceptual phrase
Use when: making the point that what is absent from the news is as meaningful as what is present
A sophisticated insight: the decision not to cover something is itself a form of editorial action.
"For three weeks, the protests received no coverage at all. The silence said as much as the coverage would have."
This group doesn't have a platform.critical observation
Use when: noting that a particular community or voice has no regular access to media
Points to structural inequality in who gets to speak in public discourse — and who has to listen.
"The families affected by the plant have been complaining for years, but they don't have a platform. No outlet has been interested."
That's a chilling effect.analytical phrase
Use when: identifying how the threat of legal or professional consequences discourages reporting
Names the mechanism by which power suppresses speech — not through censorship, but through the threat of consequences.
"The libel law here has a chilling effect — journalists don't dare write critically about the company because the legal costs of losing would be catastrophic."
They're given disproportionate coverage.critical observation
Use when: noting that a topic or group receives more media attention than its significance justifies
Applies the concept of proportionality to editorial decisions.
"Celebrity news is given disproportionate coverage relative to, say, public health policy — and that's not an accident. Celebrity sells."
This is structural, not accidental.analytical phrase
Use when: pointing out that a pattern of omission reflects how the media system works, not just individual choices
Moves from individual blame to systemic analysis.
"The underrepresentation of Global South voices isn't one editor's decision — this is structural, not accidental. It reflects where media power is concentrated."
I wonder what the whistleblower version would say.analytical question
Use when: imagining what information might exist that has not yet been disclosed
Keeps open the possibility that a story is not complete — and signals the value of investigative, accountability journalism.
"The official account sounds clean, but I wonder what the whistleblower version would say. There's often a much messier story underneath."