Discussions / News and Information
News and Information Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about News and Information to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (B1–B2). Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up, every question is labelled with the thinking skill it practises, and each part fills roughly thirty minutes of class time on its own.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 25 Aug 2026
Part 1
Following the News and Staying Informed
Focus: discussing news habits, preferred sources, important stories, information overload, and reasons people follow current events
Think of one type of news story, one action people do when following the news, and one place or platform where people get information.
Describe each word without saying it directly. Your teacher or partner must guess the word.
EXPERIENCE
How do you usually find out what is happening in your country or around the world?
PREFERENCE
What kinds of news interest you most, and what makes those topics important to you?
ROUTINE
How often do you check the news, and at what time of day do you usually do it?
COMPARE
How is getting news from social media different from getting it from television, newspapers, or news websites?
DISCUSS
Why do some people follow the news closely while others prefer to avoid it?
PRIORITIZE
When many important stories are happening at the same time, how do you decide what deserves your attention?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
You see an important news story but only have a few minutes to understand it. What could you do to get the main facts quickly?
BALANCE
How can someone stay informed without spending too much time reading negative or stressful news?
EVALUATE
What makes a news source useful and trustworthy for you?
RECOMMEND
What habits would you recommend to someone who wants to become better informed about current events?
Part 2
Trust, False Information, and Different Viewpoints
Focus: discussing misinformation, headlines, sources, bias, online sharing, disagreements, and ways to check information
In one minute, think of two news sources, two actions people can take to check information, two people or organizations that provide news, and one problem connected to false information.
EXPERIENCE
Have you ever believed a story online and later discovered that it was incorrect or misleading? What happened?
COMPARE
How do you react differently to information shared by a close friend compared with information from an unknown account?
HEADLINES
Why can a dramatic headline give people the wrong impression even when the full article is more careful?
TRUST
What signs make you question whether an article, video, or social-media post is reliable?
COMPARE
Why might two news organizations report the same event in noticeably different ways?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
A family member shares a story that you think is false. How could you question it without creating an argument?
RESPONSIBILITY
What responsibility do ordinary people have to check information before sharing it online?
DISCUSS
How can people hear different political or social viewpoints without accepting every claim as equally reliable?
EVALUATE
Which is more dangerous: completely false information or information that contains some truth but leaves out important details?
RECOMMEND
What simple steps should people take before believing or sharing a surprising story online?