Lesson 15: Media & News
Report and discuss news using 据...报道, 消息说, and media vocabulary at B1 level.
Overview
Reading and discussing news in Chinese requires a specific set of discourse markers that signal the source of information. 据...报道 (according to reports) and 消息说 (sources say) are the workhorses of reported speech in Chinese media. At B1 level you need to recognize these patterns when reading news and produce them when discussing what you have heard or read. The challenge is understanding the pragmatics: these markers not only attribute information but also subtly signal the speaker's degree of commitment to the truth of what follows.
Learning Objectives
- Use 据...报道 and 消息说 to attribute information to sources.
- Report news events accurately using media vocabulary.
- Express and analyze opinions on media using 观点 and 评论.
- Recognize how different attribution markers imply different degrees of certainty.
Vocabulary
| Character | Pinyin | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 新闻 | xīnwén | n | news | 看新闻 |
| 媒体 | méitǐ | n | media | 主流媒体 |
| 报道 | bàodào | v/n | to report; report | 新闻报道 |
| 采访 | cǎifǎng | v/n | to interview; interview | 接受采访 |
| 评论 | pínglùn | v/n | to comment; commentary | 发表评论 |
| 观点 | guāndiǎn | n | viewpoint, perspective | 提出观点 |
| 据说 | jùshuō | adv | it is said, reportedly | 据说如此 |
| 消息 | xiāoxi | n | news, information, message | 最新消息 |
| 头条 | tóutiáo | n | headline | 登上头条 |
| 舆论 | yúlùn | n | public opinion | 引发舆论 |
| 记者 | jìzhě | n | journalist, reporter | 驻外记者 |
| 发布 | fābù | v | to release, publish | 发布声明 |
| 核实 | héshí | v | to verify, confirm | 核实消息 |
| 影响力 | yǐngxiǎnglì | n | influence, impact | 媒体影响力 |
Grammar Focus
Pattern 1: 据 + Source + 报道 / 据说
Structure: 据 + [news source NP] + 报道, + reported content Simplified: 据说 + reported content (source unspecified)
据 means "according to." 据...报道 is used when the source is named. 据说 is used when the source is unspecified. Both signal that the speaker is relaying information rather than asserting it from personal knowledge.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 据央视报道，今年的经济增长率超过了预期。 | Jù Yāngshì bàodào, jīnnián de jīngjì zēngzhǎng lǜ chāoguò le yùqī. | According to CCTV, this year's economic growth rate exceeded expectations. |
| 据当地媒体报道，这次地震造成了严重损失。 | Jù dāngdì méitǐ bàodào, zhè cì dìzhèn zàochéng le yánzhòng sǔnshī. | According to local media reports, this earthquake caused serious losses. |
| 据说这个新政策将在下个月正式实施。 | Jùshuō zhège xīn zhèngcè jiāng zài xià gè yuè zhèngshì shíshī. | It is said that this new policy will be formally implemented next month. |
Common mistake: Do not use 据说 when you personally witnessed something. 据说 always signals secondhand information. Confusing firsthand and reported speech is a major source of credibility issues in Chinese discourse.
Pattern 2: 消息说 / 有消息称
Structure: 消息说 + reported content / 有消息称 + reported content (more formal)
These are slightly more informal than 据...报道 and often appear in spoken news discussion.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 有消息称，该公司计划在明年上市。 | Yǒu xiāoxi chēng, gāi gōngsī jìhuà zài míngnián shàngshì. | There are reports that the company plans to go public next year. |
| 消息说双方已经达成了初步协议。 | Xiāoxi shuō shuāngfāng yǐjīng dáchéng le chūbù xiéyì. | Sources say both parties have reached a preliminary agreement. |
Pattern 3: 对此 + 评论/表示/指出
对此 (regarding this) is a connective that appears frequently in news to introduce reactions to a reported event.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 对此，专家表示，这一变化将对市场产生深远影响。 | Duì cǐ, zhuānjiā biǎoshì, zhè yī biànhuà jiāng duì shìchǎng chǎnshēng shēnyuǎn yǐngxiǎng. | Regarding this, experts said this change will have a far-reaching impact on the market. |
| 对此，官方尚未作出正式回应。 | Duì cǐ, guānfāng shàng wèi zuòchū zhèngshì huíyìng. | Regarding this, official authorities have not yet made a formal response. |
Dialogue
Context: Two friends discussing a news story they just saw.
A: 你看到今天的头条了吗？据央视报道，某地爆发了严重的洪水。
Nǐ kàn dào jīntiān de tóutiáo le ma? Jù Yāngshì bàodào, mǒu dì bàofā le yánzhòng de hóngshuǐ.
Did you see today's headline? According to CCTV, a severe flood broke out in a certain area.
B: 看到了，很严重。据说已经有几万人被转移了。
Kàn dào le, hěn yánzhòng. Jùshuō yǐjīng yǒu jǐ wàn rén bèi zhuǎnyí le.
I saw it, very serious. Reportedly tens of thousands of people have already been relocated.
A: 对此，政府发表了什么声明吗？
Duì cǐ, zhèngfǔ fābiǎo le shénme shēngmíng ma?
Regarding this, did the government issue any statement?
B: 有消息称，相关部门已经派出救援队伍，但目前核实的情况还不够全面。
Yǒu xiāoxi chēng, xiāngguān bùmén yǐjīng pàichū jiùyuán duìwǔ, dàn mùqián héshí de qíngkuàng hái bùgòu quánmiàn.
Sources say the relevant departments have dispatched rescue teams, but the verified information is not yet comprehensive.
A: 现在媒体报道很多，但很难知道哪些消息是真实的。
Xiànzài méitǐ bàodào hěn duō, dàn hěn nán zhīdào nǎxiē xiāoxi shì zhēnshí de.
There's a lot of media coverage now, but it's hard to know which information is accurate.
B: 对，社交媒体上有很多未经核实的内容，容易引发舆论混乱。
Duì, shèjiāo méitǐ shàng yǒu hěn duō wèi jīng héshí de nèiróng, róngyì yǐnfā yúlùn hùnluàn.
Right, social media has a lot of unverified content that easily causes public opinion confusion.
A: 所以我现在更倾向于看主流媒体的报道，再听听专家的评论。
Suǒyǐ wǒ xiànzài gèng qīngxiàng yú kàn zhǔliú méitǐ de bàodào, zài tīng tīng zhuānjiā de pínglùn.
So now I tend more to look at mainstream media reports and then listen to expert commentary.
B: 这个方法不错。另外，多了解不同的观点，才能做出更全面的判断。
Zhège fāngfǎ bùcuò. Lìngwài, duō liǎojiě bùtóng de guāndiǎn, cái néng zuòchū gèng quánmiàn de pànduàn.
That's a good approach. Also, by understanding more different viewpoints you can make a more comprehensive judgment.
Extended Reading
在信息时代，媒体的影响力越来越大。据统计，中国网民的数量已经超过十亿，其中大多数人通过手机获取新闻。据各大媒体报道，短视频平台已经成为年轻人了解新闻的主要渠道之一。对此，有评论认为，信息的碎片化对公众形成完整的世界观构成了挑战。消息说，一些地方已经开始在学校推广媒体素养教育，帮助学生学会辨别真实可靠的信息。就新闻素养而言，能够区分事实报道和观点评论，是现代公民的基本能力。
Zài xìnxī shídài, méitǐ de yǐngxiǎnglì yuèlái yuè dà. Jù tǒngjì, Zhōngguó wǎngmín de shùliàng yǐjīng chāoguò shí yì, qízhōng dàduōshù rén tōngguò shǒujī huòqǔ xīnwén. Jù gè dà méitǐ bàodào, duǎn shìpín píngtái yǐjīng chéngwéi niánqīngrén liǎojiě xīnwén de zhǔyào qúdào zhī yī. Duì cǐ, yǒu pínglùn rènwéi, xìnxī de suìpiànhuà duì gōngzhòng xíngchéng wánzhěng de shìjièguān gòuchéng le tiǎozhàn.
In the information age, the influence of media is growing. According to statistics, the number of Chinese internet users has exceeded one billion, with most obtaining news through their phones. According to major media outlets, short video platforms have already become one of the main channels through which young people learn about the news. Regarding this, some commentators believe that the fragmentation of information poses a challenge to the public forming a complete worldview.
Practice
Exercise 1: Rewrite using the given attribution marker.
- 公司明年会扩招员工。→ (据说) ___
- 这个地区发生了地震。→ (据当地媒体报道) ___
Exercise 2: Read the following news lead and answer the questions in Chinese.
"据新华社报道，近日某市出台了新的住房政策，规定首次购房者可以享受利率优惠。对此，多位经济学家表示，这一政策将有效促进当地房产市场的复苏。"
- 这条新闻来自哪个媒体？
- 新政策针对哪类购房者？
- 专家对这个政策有什么看法？
Exercise 3: Write a short news paragraph (5-6 sentences) about an event you know about. Use 据...报道, 据说, and 对此 at least once each.
Cultural Note
In China, the boundaries between state media, commercial media, and social media are distinct and carry different levels of institutional authority. 新华社 (Xinhua News Agency) and 央视 (CCTV) are state media sources whose reports carry official weight and are often treated as authoritative. When 据新华社报道 appears in a sentence, it signals institutional endorsement, not just reportage. Understanding this media landscape helps you interpret why Chinese news sources are cited the way they are, and why attribution markers like 据...报道 are not mere formalities but signals of institutional source and implicit authority.