Pre-reading questions:
- Do you watch television news like CNN?
- Do you believe in fake news? Please explain your answer.
- Do you often use your smartphone?
The Time Warner Company and AT&T will merge after the approval of $85.4 billion proposal. Time Warner is the parent company of CNN, HBO, TNT, and others. According to Jeff Bewkes, CEO of Time Warner, 78% of their shareholders voted in the favor of the merger and 99% of the voters were in favor of the proposal.
Although approval from the shareholders are expected; getting the government’s approval would be more challenging. It is stated that the US federal government will review the deal but President Donald Trump openly criticized the merger way back on his campaign trail. He stated that he will reject the deal for it would result in too much concentration of power in the hands of few people. There are speculations too that President Trump would try to oppress the deal because he believes that CNN delivers fake news.
Vocabulary:
merge [verb] – combine or cause to combine to form a single entity
challenging [adjective] – difficult in a way that tests your ability
criticize [verb] – indicate the faults of (someone or something) in a disapproving way
campaign [noun] – work in an organized way toward a goal
speculation [noun] – the forming of a theory without firm evidence
oppress [verb] – to press upon or against
Comprehension Questions:
- Who are the two companies that will merge?
- Who is the current CEO of Time Warner Company?
- How much is the budget proposal before it is approved?
- Who criticized the merger?
- As per the article, CNN delivers what kind of news?
Express Your Opinion:
- Do you agree to the merger of the companies?
- What can you say about Donald Trump’s remark?
- Do you think it would boost both companies’ income if they merge?