In language learning listening is important, therefore teachers must be good at choosing learning media to practice listening skills. And this research aims to explore the perceptions of Senior High School (SMA) students and also the benefits and challenges faced by students towards the use of news as a listening practice media in English learning. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews involving 18 students from three grade levels at SMA Negeri 8 Semarang. The results showed that most students have a positive perception of the use of news as teaching material, many students think that the process in practicing listening skills is very challenging but very useful and even fun. Many benefits are obtained by students in practicing their listening skills using news, especially in increasing vocabulary, understanding various accents and speaking rates, and building confidence in listening. However, there are also challenges such as the speed of the news anchor's speech, the complexity of vocabulary, and the lack of interest in certain news topics. This research also opens up opportunities for broader follow-up research, such as comparing the effectiveness of different types of authentic materials (news vs podcasts, movies, etc.) in listening learning and exploring the impact of using news not only on listening skills, but also other skills such as speaking or vocabulary acquisition.
Keywords: authentic materials, english language learning, listening skills, news, student perceptions.