Speed Reading — TV News - Level 6 — 500 wpm 

Now do this put-the-text-back-together activity.

This is the text (if you need help).

Young people in Great Britain are watching less and less news on television. This is according to Ofcom, a regulatory body that oversees broadcasting practices in the UK. This comes as no surprise as young people become increasingly addicted to their smartphones. Youth are opting for online distractions like YouTube videos, social media and games rather than switch on a TV and watch a news programme. Britain's Guardian newspaper reported that: "The youth of the nation are more likely to get their day's news about the world from social media or by reading graffiti in bus stations than seeing it on the telly, with the average 16-24-year-old watching just two minutes' worth of live TV news per day."

Ofcom commissioned research into the news-viewing habits of people around the country. The report is called "News Consumption in the UK: 2019". The research suggests that young people are increasingly using social media as their primary news source. Researchers wrote: "There is evidence that UK adults are consuming news more actively via social media." They reported an increase in posts and comments on Facebook and Twitter about the news compared to last year. Ofcom suggested presenting news stories in a less complicated, more accessible way to attract young people's attention. Some people suggested this would be "dumbing down content for young audiences".

Comprehension questions
  1. What does the regulatory body Ofcom oversee?
  2. What are young people becoming ever more addicted to?
  3. What did the article call things like YouTube and videos?
  4. What might people read in bus stations to get news?
  5. On average, how much live TV news do young British people watch daily?
  6. What did Ofcom commission research into?
  7. What did Ofcom find was the primary source of news for young people?
  8. What are people posting more comments about on Facebook?
  9. Why did Ofcom suggest making news less complicated?
  10. What did some people call making news less complicated was?

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