Learn from Voice of America

Voice of America (VOA) should be a familiar voice to many English learners worldwide. It’s a radio broadcasting set up by the U.S. government during the World War Two. Today it broadcasts the programs through television and Internet, too.

At its website VOANews.com, VOA offers many short, up-to-date video reporting under four categories: News&Polictics, Economy, US Life&Art, Science/Health. Here are a few samples: Anniversary of Berlin Wall’s Removal,  Asian-American MBAs Job Search, H1N1 Virus goes global.

You can also watch VOA News at its Youtube channel here.

Learn from Reason Magazine

Reason is a monthly magazine that covers politics, culture and ideas. It advocates on the principle of libertarianism of “free minds and free markets”.

Here is the reason you should visit Reason’s website: The Drew Carey Project and other great video clips under the Reason.TV section. They tell interesting stories–what is this “Food Fight” in Los Angeles all about; what is in common between soccer star David Beckham and Mexican labors (hint: “Immigration“), or Kidneys for sale.

You can also watch Reason.TV at its YouTube channel here.

Learn From Success

The start of Success magazine went back all the way to the 19th century; ever since, it has had many changes and reinvention. Its latest relaunch declared that  it went back to its root: the magazine for entrepreneurs.

Whether it will succeed is hard to tell.  In its reinvention, Success added a video section at its website. There are not a lot video clips yet. Most of the video clips are motivational talks (such as On Failure and The 8th Habit).

These are good materials for the learners, especially if you need a few drops of inspiration to stay on your learning.

Learn from Newsweek

Newsweek, just like Times, is a weekly magazine covering national and international affairs, business, science and technology, society and the arts and entertainment.

Because they cover such wide range of topics, Newsweek’s contents are perfect fit for English learners. Here are a few samples from its video section: Get Fit, Be Happy, Susan Boyle: Words Fail Them, Obama’s First 100 Days. And there are a lot more.

Newsweek has a YouTube channel to feature its video reports, too.  Check it out.

Learn from Fast Company

Fast Company is a young business magazine started in 1995 that covers innovations, digital technologies, and management. It’s no longer as hot as the Internet stocks during the dot com days. But it manages to stay on the edge.

Fast Company TV went live in 2008, producing video reporting under three channels: Fast Company Live for short features (“Facebook CEO Mark Zukerberg“), Scobleizer TV for longer one-on-one interviews (“Guy Kawasaki Gives A Reality Check”), and WorkFast TV for half-hour long interview show (“David Allen: Get the Thing Done“)

You can also watch the videos at Fast Company TV’s at YouTube.

Learn from All Things Digital

All Things Digital is a new baby in the family of Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal. It dedicates the reporting on technology, the Internet and media.

As its name tells, all of its contents are delivered over the web. In the Video section, you can watch the short video reporting mainly by four editors under different channels–Boom Town, Digital Daily, Media Memo, etc.

The sound quality of the video clips are not always good. But the contents are great for English learners.

Learn from United Press International

United Press International (UPI) used to be a major newswire service competing directly with Associated Press (AP) and Reuters. Its heyday has long gone. But it still produces quick, short news everyday.

UPI’s video reports are all serious news coverage, usually less than five minutes long. Under the Video section of its website, you can watch the video in several categories: News Features (“Earth Day“), Issues of the Day (“Swine Flu“), In the Spotlight (“Janet Jackson“), White House Weekly, etc.

You can also watch UPI’s videos at its YouTube channel here.

Learn from The Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor, despite of its religious reference, is an American newspaper that covers serious international and domestic news. It used to be a daily print publication, but changed to an online news publisher this year.

From its multimedia section of the website, you can watch some great video reporting. A few samplers include Tel Avidv’s bubble economy, the migrant workers in China struggling, India’s political election.

The same section also features audio slideshows and podcasts, all great materials for ESL learners.

Learn from Inc.

Inc. is the American magazine for entrepreneurs. It’s mainly for business owners, particularly those of small private businesses, making it a great source to pick up business English.

Inc. presents many short video reports under Inc.TV channel at its website. There are interviews (“Inside the Entrepreneurial Mind“), expert advices (“Empowering Employees“), buying guides (“Buying a Printer“), and lifestyle tips (“Dress for Success“). Under its Online Exclusives section, it also features some interesting report, such as 12 Round with Big George.

Boxer champion talks about grill. You got to listen.

Learn from U.S. News and World Report

U.S. News & World Report started as a weekly magazine that competes with Time and Newsweek. Its annual rankings of the American colleges, graduate schools, and hospitals are influential. But its news reporting is no longer strong; it only publishes once a month now.

For the language learners, the real treasure is the video section of the magazine’s website, which has a channel called College Tour. It features many short student interviews throughout the college campuses in the U.S.. Each student talked spontaneously about why she chose that particular school and how she liked the college life.

It’s amazing how articulate the American college kids are. And you can learn a lot from their talking.