Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
- heckler / ˈhɛk lər / (n.) – a person who interrupts a speaker or performer by making rude comments or shouting in public
Example:The police arrested the hecklers who disturbed the interview of the president.
- hustle / ˈhʌs əl / (v.) – to quickly push someone away, usually in a rough manner
Example:The actor was hustled backstage because the fans kept trying to reach him.
- segment / ˈsɛg mənt / (n.) – a short part of a television program or show
Example:The daily news will feature a new segment on climate change starting today.
- bleep out / blip aʊt / (phrasal v.) – to replace bad words on TV with an electronic sound so people will not hear them
Example:Oops! Let’s bleep out the bad words.
- hostility / hɒˈstɪl ɪ ti / (n.) – the act of showing an unfriendly attitude toward a person that one doesn’t like
Example:I sensed hostility from my neighbor when I moved here.
Article
Read the text below.
Three hecklers were hustled off “The View” set after disrupting a live television interview of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz with what appeared to be a climate change protest.
Two women began shouting “Cover climate now” while the Texas Republican was answering a question. He briefly paused, smiled and then continued talking as the women shouted, most of it indecipherable to a television audience.
“Ladies, ladies, excuse us,” host Whoopi Goldberg said when Cruz stopped. “Let us do our job. We hear what you have to say but you’ve got to go.”
The shouting ended after less than a minute after the women, who were not seen on television, were apparently ejected.
But as the segment headed into a commercial break, a third woman yelled out a comment that was bleeped out for the TV audience.
When the show returned from the commercial, host Ana Navarro apologized to Cruz.
“I’m sorry that this has happened in our house,” she said.
The ABC daytime show, which just began its 26th season, has seen its share of hostility among on-air hosts through the years. But it’s the first time in memory that it has seen such a demonstration by people in its small studio audience.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.
Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
- Why do you think the protesters chose the show to voice out their concerns about climate change? How do you feel about what they did (ex. it was brave, it was inappropriate)? Discuss.
- Whoopi Goldberg continued the interview despite the incident. What would you have done if you were one of the show’s hosts? Discuss.
Discussion B
- Do you think it’s important to cover climate change on TV? Why or why not? Discuss.
- What do you think the media (ex. news providers, social media pages) can do to make their audiences more interested in climate change? Discuss.