The Reading / Listening - Level 2

Facebook has decided not to block a famous photograph of the Vietnam War. The photo is of a naked, 9-year-old Vietnamese girl and other terrified children running away from a napalm attack. She has a badly burnt back. The iconic photo was taken by photographer Nick Ut, who won a Pulitzer Prize for photo-journalism. Facebook banned the photo because the child is naked. Facebook got a lot of complaints. Norway's president Erna Solberg said the photo was an important part of history and that Facebook was editing history by banning it.

Ms Solberg explained her anger. She said: "They must see the difference between editing out child pornography and editing out history." She wrote on her own Facebook page: "I want my children and other children to grow up in a society where history is taught as it was." Facebook said: "An image of a naked child would normally…violate our community standards, and in some countries might even qualify as child pornography." It added: "In this case, we recognize the history and global importance of this image in documenting a particular moment in time."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 0 Level 1   or  Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/10/facebook-reinstates-vietnam-photo-after-outcry-over-censorship.html
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/10/technology/facebook-vietnam-war-photo-nudity.html?_r=0
  • http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/special-reports/1082872/facebook-restores-iconic-vietnam-war-photo


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. block a famous photograph of
  2. other terrified children
  3. She has a badly
  4. The iconic
  5. won a Pulitzer Prize
  6. Facebook got a lot
  7. an important
  8. Facebook was editing history
  1. for photo-journalism
  2. photo
  3. by banning it
  4. running away
  5. part of history
  6. the Vietnam War
  7. of complaints
  8. burnt back

Paragraph 2

  1. They must
  2. editing
  3. grow up
  4. where history is taught
  5. community
  6. child
  7. we recognize the history and
  8. documenting a particular
  1. pornography
  2. see the difference
  3. moment in time
  4. standards
  5. out history
  6. global importance
  7. in a society
  8. as it was

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Facebook has decided (1) ___________________ a famous photograph of the Vietnam War. The (2) ___________________ naked, 9-year-old Vietnamese girl and other terrified children (3) ___________________ a napalm attack. She has a badly burnt back. The iconic photo (4) ___________________ photographer Nick Ut, who won a Pulitzer Prize for photo-journalism. Facebook banned the photo (5) ___________________ naked. Facebook got a lot of complaints. Norway's president Erna Solberg said the photo was an important part of history and that Facebook (6) ___________________ by banning it.

Ms Solberg (7) ___________________. She said: "They must see the difference between editing out child pornography and editing out history." She (8) ___________________ Facebook page: "I want my children and other children (9) ___________________ society where history is taught as it was." Facebook said: "An image of a naked child would normally…violate our (10) ___________________, and in some countries might (11) ___________________ child pornography." It added: "In this case, we recognize the history and global importance (12) ___________________ documenting a particular moment in time."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

FacebookhasdecidednottoblockafamousphotographoftheVietnamW
ar.Thephotoisofanaked,9-year-oldVietnamesegirlandotherterrifi
edchildrenrunningawayfromanapalmattack.Shehasabadlyburntbac
k.TheiconicphotowastakenbyphotographerNickUt,whowonaPulitzer
Prizeforphoto-journalism.Facebookbannedthephotobecausethec
hildisnaked.Facebookgotalotofcomplaints.Norway'spresidentErnaS
olbergsaidthephotowasanimportantpartofhistoryandthatFacebook
waseditinghistorybybanningit.MsSolbergexplainedheranger.Shesai
d:"Theymustseethedifferencebetweeneditingoutchildpornographya
ndeditingouthistory."ShewroteonherownFacebookpage:"Iwantmyc
hildrenandotherchildrentogrowupinasocietywherehistoryistaughtas
itwas."Facebooksaid:"Animageofanakedchildwouldnormally…violat
eourcommunitystandards,andinsomecountriesmightevenqualifyas
childpornography."Itadded:"Inthiscase,werecognizethehistoryand
globalimportanceofthisimageindocumentingaparticularmomentinti
me."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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_____________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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