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.